MILWAUKEE — In the past week, at least six juveniles have been shot in the City of Milwaukee.
On Monday, July 8, Milwaukee Police said there had been 10 firearm-related homicides where the victims were juveniles so far in 2024. They add there have been 41 non-fatal shootings with victims ages 17 or younger.
At times, it seems like the violence involving Milwaukee's youth is non-stop. A few weeks ago, Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said "policing the community is all of our responsibility."
That made TMJ4 News Lighthouse Reporter Ryan Jenkins wonder; who in the community is working to be part of the solution to these issues facing our youth?
So, we're going 360, which means we're going beyond the typical two sides to the story and gaining multiple perspectives from several different voices of the community.
Jenkins spoke with a teenager, a summer camp organizer, a pastor, and neighborhood organizers who are all, in their own ways, working to interrupt violence and bridge relationships between youth and law enforcement.
VIDEO: How neighbors in Milwaukee are working to interrupt Youth Violence
A Milwaukee Teenagers Perspective:
"16 and 17-year-olds just want to do what looks cool when in reality, it's not," said 17-year-old Cruzcita Galvan-Jenkins.
She calls the recent surge in shootings, car-jacking, gang, and traffic violence "discouraging," "sad," and "disappointing."
It's why she said she works so hard to stay involved with organizations that can help steer her in a positive direction.
"I can see how for some people who are on the right track, it's easy to get influenced by that kind of thing and I just want to keep myself busy so I know for sure that I wouldn't get roped into anything, even if by accident because it can be like you're just hanging with people who are good influence on you, you think they are, but they're involved in other stuff on the side and you can accidentally just be in the wrong place at the wrong time with them," said Cruzcita.
In 2023, Cruzcita won second place in a Safe & Sound essay contest that asked young people to share how to keep communities safe. Her essay emphasized the importance of safe and close-knit communities and also touched on the stigma associated with law enforcement.
"There's like this whole narrative that has been going around about all police being bad and even if police try to do events it doesn't go over well because more people have this implicit bias that all police are bad and all people are out to get everybody," said Cruzcita.
Cruzcita also shared her opinion on how police can begin to lessen the stigma. She pointed to things like basketball tournaments, ice cream socials, and even a former MPD baseball program that she said she learned about from her parents.
"When my parents were younger, the police would have baseball cards and try to talk to people on the streets and going up to kids," she said.
She believes breaking the cycle of youth violence has to all start with our community's youngest children.
"You got to start when they're young so they understand from a young age right from wrong," she said.
Over at Humboldt Park, TMJ4 was there as Milwaukee Police Officers made those types of connections with youth when they visited the Safe Zone Summer Camp.
A Summer Camp Organizer's Perspective:
Camp organizer Trinika Walker explained that officers help to serve lunches and often play with the kids to build a relationship.
Walker is the founder of Stop the Violence 53206 and lost both her son and her grandson in separate shooting incidents.
"The kids need everybody. All hands on deck. Boots on the ground from everyone," said Walker.
She often invites ministers, community leaders, and police officers to spend time with the kids. All to help lessen the stigma and create healthy relationships.
"Sometimes our children are afraid of officers and we've got to shy from that. Not all officers are bad," said Walker.
Walker hopes programs like her summer camp can help slow the youth violence down.
A Neighborhood Organizer's Perspective:
Tyler Odeneal, a neighborhood organizer with Safe and Sound, is also focused on finding solutions and ways to slow youth violence.
"Working with Safe and Sound, I see all of the positive change that is happening and I feel like it's not always amplified because the negative things usually take center stage," Odeneal said.
Odeneal said he works as an intercessor between youth and law enforcement working to unite folks against crime and violence. He said when officers and others show up and treat young kids with respect it can help change the outcomes for our community.
"It's important to be aware of how you address young folks, how you speak to them. And, I think if you come in with a level of respect, that you come in with a level of treating them in a way that you would desire to be treated you can sort of develop a rapport and things will work out better," he said.
A Pastor's Perspective:
One man who knows all about building those key relationships is a violence interrupter on the south side of the city.
"Me getting in trouble, me being arrested at times, really not respecting authority and just wanting to do my thing. It brought me into a lifestyle where, when you don't have accountability, life's going to go wrong all around and I didn't have accountability and I didn't want it," said Pastor Marty Calderon.
Calderon went from being a troublemaker to a peacemaker.
"Basically we are doing intervention."
He's part of the city's community wellness and safety's "Promise Keepers," which is a group of more than a dozen organizations focused on violence interruption.
"The police will do what they can do. But they do need us also to be able to partner with and be able to establish those types of relationships with people to try to help them see things differently and change the mindsets of what they have," he said.
He said the key to building those relationships is patience and listening. He hopes his past and the ways he has turned his life around can influence others.
"Us being examples for them, and watching us, hopefully they'll catch on," said Calderon.
Four Milwaukee residents who are all part of a network working to interrupt youth violence.
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