June Walter and Joe Thornton said the large number of guns on the streets is leading to the high rate of homicides in the neighborhood. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
By Edgar Mendez
This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Visit milwaukeenns.org.
Dennis Walton, a radio show host and community organizer, is in the know about what’s happening in the 53206 and 53209 ZIP code areas on the North Side of Milwaukee.
After all, he’s frequented or lived in them all his life.
Yet, even he was surprised to learn that 81 homicides, 26% of the total murders in Milwaukee County from Jan. 1, 2023 to Sept. 5, 2024, had occurred there, according to data provided by Karen Domagalski, operations manager for the Medical Examiner’s Office.
“That’s an astronomical amount of Black lives being lost,” Walton said.
During that time frame, 313 individuals, including 43 in 53209 and 38 in 53206, were victims of homicide in Milwaukee County. Eighty percent of the murder victims were Black.
Milwaukee County homicide data differs from City of Milwaukee homicide data. County data includes cases from Milwaukee suburbs such as West Allis and Brown Deer and also homicides determined to be justified by the District Attorney’s Office, according to Domagalski.
‘The most horrendous result‘
Walton said much of the bloodshed in the area stems from systemic poverty.
“Systemic poverty produces environments that are devastated like 53206 and 53209,” he said. “Murders are probably the most horrendous result.”
Other contributors, he said, are a failing educational system, drug addictions fueled by pharmaceutical companies, a lack of skilled leadership in Milwaukee and poor distribution of resources.
“You have to address all of those things if we’re going to look at how we’re going to save our community from these types of violent situations,” Walton said.
By the numbers
While 53206 and 53209 have experienced the most homicides of any ZIP code area since 2023, many other Milwaukee neighborhoods also have experienced more than 20 murders, including 53210 (34), 53208 (28), 53218 (25) and 53216 (23). All except 53208, which also encompasses parts of the West Side, are located on the North Side of Milwaukee.
Twelve percent of homicide victims were classified as Hispanic, and 8% were white. Eighty-three percent of victims were men. Forty victims, representing 13% of the total homicides in Milwaukee County, were under the age of 18, according to data from the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Police tape marks the scene of a homicide on Milwaukee’s North Side. (NNS file photo)
‘Some areas have gotten worse’
Barbara Smith, a 53206 resident and also a past president of the resident-led community group Amani United, said she’s seen efforts from community groups, residents and others have resulted in some improvements in 53206.
“In some areas, it’s gotten worse,” she said. “What I have noticed is some of the things that are occurring are not from people who reside here. It’s foolishness that’s coming in from somewhere else.”
Tony Abdul, owner of Krazy Nachos, a corner store at 1200 W. Keefe Ave. in 53206, said one of the main challenges is that residents are scared to report criminals.
“The bad apples know that they can get away with things like shooting guns,” Abdul said. “It’s sad.”
According to data provided by the Milwaukee Police Department, 55% of homicides in the city in 2023 have been cleared and 60% of 2024 homicides have been cleared.
‘We got to stop being afraid’
June Walter and Joe Thornton, who lived in 53209 before moving to 53206, said the high rate of murders stems from the fact that many people have guns and don’t hesitate to use them.
“Ask the wrong question or look at somebody the wrong way and you could be next,” said Walter.
Thornton said the 53206 and 53209 neighborhoods need help from police to get the guns off the street but also more involvement from residents.
“We got to stop being afraid and bring back neighborhood watches,” he said.
The Milwaukee Police Department recovered 3,297 guns, including 1,052 stolen guns in 2023. So far this year, officers have recovered 2,182 guns. Of that number, 586 of the weapons were stolen.
As for Walton, he said he wants to see leadership in Milwaukee be more accountable for the violence and allocate resources to stop it.
“When resources are coming into a community, they’re not being distributed in a way that you can see a significant change,” he said. “From the political level, nonprofit leadership, to the educational system, we’re failing in all areas of leadership in the neighborhoods that need it the most.”
Edgar Mendez is the gun violence solutions reporter for NNS.
Violence prevention resources
Name: Project Ujima
Phone: 414-266-2557
What it does: Project Ujima is a community program that helps victims of violence and provides services at Children’s Wisconsin, your home, and the community.
Name: 414 LIFE MKE
Phone: 414-439-5525
What it does: 414 Life is a violence interruption team based in Milwaukee. Our goals are to stop the spread of gun violence through de-escalation and mediation of conflicts and educating the public to change the norms around gun violence.
Name: Credible Messenger Program
Phone: 414-257-7721
What it does: The goal of Credible Messenger’s transformative mentoring is to provide prevention and intervention with youth, keeping them from both entering the Youth Justice System or having deeper involvement with the Youth Justice System.
Name: Office of Community Wellness and Safety
Phone: 414-286-5468
What it does: The office supports various violence prevention initiatives in the City of Milwaukee.
Name: Sojourner Family Peace Center
Phone: 414-276-1911
Address: 619 W. Walnut St.
What it does: Sojourner provides an array of support aimed at helping families affected by domestic violence achieve safety, justice and well-being.
Name: Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee
Phone: 414-267-8100
Address: 1558 N. 6th St.
What it does: The organization serves thousands of youths daily in Milwaukee through a variety of academic and recreational programming.
Name: Kids Matter Inc.
Phone: 414-344-1220
Address: 1850 N. MLK Jr Drive #202
What it does: The organization helps abused and neglected children heal and thrive while also providing support to foster and kinship children to help prevent further child abuse.