Brittany McKinney (from left), Travis Hope, and Dartaja Carr, neighborhood safety coordinators for Safe & Sound, head out to meet with residents. They credit residents with having the biggest impact in the decrease in gun violence in Milwaukee. (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.
Both homicides and nonfatal shootings dropped in Milwaukee from 2023 to 2024, the third consecutive year that gun violence went down in the city, according to Milwaukee Police Department data.
“Crime is down in Milwaukee, violence is down, and fewer lives are lost to gunfire,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson, during a news conference last month.
The number of homicides dropped from 172 in 2023 to 132 in 2024, while nonfatal shootings dipped from 837 to 639 in the city.
Three districts experienced the biggest change
Aldermanic Districts 7 and 15 on the North Side and District 12 on the South Side experienced the biggest decreases in gun violence.
District 7 saw the number of homicides drop from 28 to 15 (-25%) and nonfatal shootings drop from 119 to 81 (-32%).
In District 12, there was a 30% reduction in homicides (10-7) and 58% drop in nonfatal shootings (66-28), and in District 15 murders dropped slightly (24-23) while nonfatal shootings dipped significantly from 169 to 105 (38%), according to Milwaukee Police District data.
Johnson credited those holding criminals accountable, including police and the judicial system, and prevention efforts from community partners with the reduction of gun violence in the city.
Impact of community groups
“We are thoroughly energized by the drop of crime in general in the 15th District,” said Dameon Ellzey, an aide for Ald. Russell Stamper. “It shows the efforts of the MPD under Chief Norman coupled with the 15th District neighborhood associations and community groups are having a positive effect on our district.”
It’s all about the collaboration, said Dartaja Carr, neighborhood safety coordinator for Milwaukee Police District 7 at Safe & Sound, which includes sections of Aldermanic District 15.
“We partner with the Boys and Girls Club, Office of Violence Prevention, the Sheriff’s Department; all of us work together to deter violence and provide resources to residents,” she said.
Neighborhood safety coordinators serve as liaisons between residents, police and other organizations. Sometimes, Carr said, that might mean contacting police for a resident who is worried about retaliation.
Other times, it’s about finding food for a family that doesn’t have any. All of which, she said, impact safety.
Residents the biggest key
Still, said Carr, it’s residents who play the biggest role in improving safety.
“They have a lot to do with the changes that are happening in the neighborhood and around the city,” Carr said. “Their efforts pave the way for MPD and other groups to do their jobs.”
Resident-led efforts to reduce crime in the city include starting new block watches, reporting crime and other concerns to police and attending community meetings, Carr said.
“As we connect with residents, we encourage them to become involved, and as they have things have gotten better,” she said.
Travis Hope is the neighborhood safety coordinator at Safe & Sound for Milwaukee Police District 2. District 2 includes Aldermanic District 12 on the South Side.
He said several years ago, there was an incident in the Muskego Way neighborhood where 40 gunshots were fired and no one called police. People in the neighborhood, he said, are now more comfortable with contacting police now.
“You may not like the police, but they’re a piece of making it a better neighborhood,” Hope said. “It’s better to have some kind of communication with them.”
Crime prevention through environmental design
Hope said that one of the ways that Safe & Sound has worked with residents to improve safety is using Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design principles.
These activities in Milwaukee include neighborhood walks attended by residents, elected officials and police. The purpose is to allow residents to point out problem areas in the neighborhood such as poorly lit streets, places that need cameras, nuisance properties, and other areas.
One example, Hope said, was a city-owned parking lot on South Comstock Avenue in Aldermanic District 12 that had become a hot spot for drug use and other crimes.
Organizers began hosting resource fairs and distributing food in the lot regularly to draw residents in, while driving crime out.
“Getting people out and involved makes a huge difference,” Hope said.
Brittany McKinney, neighborhood safety coordinator for Milwaukee Police District 5 at Safe & Sound, said community events have helped organizers build better relationships between youths, law enforcement and her organization.
“There’s more kids engaging with us,” she said. “Police are coming out to neighborhoods to host hygiene and food drives and not just to respond to a 911 call.”
The key to working with kids, McKinney said, is to help learn the challenges they’re facing at home, which could result in them turning to or becoming victims of violence.
“We want to help them with those problems and also help them learn a different way to deal with them,” she said.
While the organizers are all encouraged by the decrease in homicides and shootings, they also know there is still too much crime in the city.
Carjackings are up across the city, robberies are up in certain neighborhoods, and too many young people are victimized by violence, Hope said.
“There’s still too many cases of youth taking out their anger with gun violence,” Hope said. “We have to keep working, keep getting more residents involved if we want to see things continue to get better.”