MILWAUKEE — “You can always depend on the neighbors in the Rufus King area," a proud resident said.
In a small section of Milwaukee’s Rufus King neighborhood, there’s a big community.
“He started calling me the mayor because he says I get things done," the proud neighbor, also known as Vinitia Strong-McDonald, said.
On Olive Street everyone is family.
“Next door we have my brother and next door to my brother is my uncle," Kinnyetta Patterson, whose parents also owned a home on the street, said.
But even if the neighbors aren't related, they have lived so long next to each other that they might as well be considered family.
“I mean a lot of the neighbors that have been here they're like family anyways," Patterson said.
This is not a typical My Block story. Usually, I'd travel across a neighborhood meeting people and business owners. We'd walk to a few different parts of the neighborhood or at the very least a few blocks. But for this story, I stayed on just one block - Olive Street.
“People love it. They don’t leave. We don’t sell our homes," Strong-McDonald said.
The neighbors here stay. That creates deep roots and one big Olive Street family.
For the 28th My Block episode, I met with Vinitia Strong-McDonald so she could show me the Rufus King neighborhood through her eyes and experiences. Everywhere we went and who we talked to was all up to her. Welcome to Vinitia’s neighborhood.
Vinitia Strong-McDonald
"This is family. You can feel the love and compassion and support from all of our neighbors," she said.
Strong-McDonald has lived in the neighborhood for about 24 years. She moved here when she was nine. Later in life, she left for 10 years before returning in 2000.
"We look out for each other. Someone's sick in our neighborhood? They check on you. If my snow gets too high, my neighbors come and help me with the snow. If there's a death in our family, we all rally and support each other. Where else can you find that other than this area over here in this Rufus King neighborhood?" Strong-McDonald said.
She is incredibly passionate about her neighborhood. That's why she reached out about wanting to do a My Block story on her street. Strong-McDonald wanted me to see first-hand what made the community so great. So she introduced me to some of her neighbors.
Kinnyetta Patterson
Kinnyetta Patterson has lived on Olive Street her entire life. In fact, much of her family lives on Olive Street.
It all started with her grandparents. They bought the home Patterson currently lives in. Patterson's parents also had a home at the corner of the street. Next door to Patterson is her brother and next door to him is Patterson's uncle. The Patterson roots run deep on Olive Street, and none of this is a coincidence.
"I think it was deliberate on my grandparents. They really, kind of instilled that. They even stated once we're gone we want you guys to stay here," Patterson said.
With three backyards right next to each other, family and friends can can walk between them freely and easily.
"It's very nice. You always know you have family near," Patterson said.
Much of the Patterson family has lived on Olive Street for decades. Kinnyetta has lived there her entire life. With that being said, there have been times she has contemplated moving, but those thoughts never get very far.
"We’ve been saying we’re going to move for how long?" Patterson said with a laugh.
"And we have not even thought about it. Exactly," Strong-McDonald replied.
Stacey Osley
Once we said goodbye to Kinnyetta Patterson we walked a few houses over to Stacey Osley's home. She has lived on Olive Street for 19 years. Ever since the first day she moved, Osley has felt like family on this block.
"When I came to the neighborhood, actually two of my neighbors, one across the street and one right here, they actually welcomed me. So it felt like a Leave It To Beaver atmosphere," she said.
Osley raised her family on this street. She said it was a great place for kids. Being such a small neighborhood, everyone got to know each other.
"Just having our kids play with one another, you know. Going in our backyard, playing basketball, sitting out at nighttime on the porch, you know, talking across the street to one another. That's one of the things I'm proud about my neighborhood."
Osley also mentioned how important it was to her to live in a safe neighborhood. She felt comfortable knowing her block had watchful parents and residents keeping an eye out.
"We look out for each other over here. So, you know, if we, like, see a car that's parked out here too long, we're making phone calls. Do you know this car?"
To have such a connected neighborhood with a strong sense of community and safety often takes one leader to help organize and coordinate. Vinitia Strong-McDonald, our tour guide, took on that challenge which is why residents here call her The Mayor of Olive Street.
The Mayor of Olive Street
“She is our BLOC captain. She makes sure all of us have our contact information, and she also just put together a block clean up," Osley said.
Among the many things she has done for the community, one of the most visible and permanent initiatives she started and completed was installing a speed hump in 2020.
“Everybody was like we got to stop this speeding coming through here. We had those signs in our yard saying slow down, and that wasn’t working, and I said you know what I’ll write the city and find out what we can do.”
To get a speed hump built, the local residents have to pay for it. Strong-McDonald went door to door asking for neighbor's signatures indicating they supported the speed hump.
Within just one year, she got the speed hump installed. Strong-McDonald said it was easy to convince the neighbors of the benefits.
"But it was for the safety of our kids and also for the citizen senior citizens that are in the neighborhood. And just kind of slow things down, keep the traffic a little bit slower coming through here," she said.
One Final Question
As is tradition, the last word is always given to the tour guide of the My Block story. In this episode that's Vinitia Strong-McDonald.
Before that happens, though, here is how you can be part of the award winning series. Reach out to me, James Groh, to nominate your neighborhood or a neighbor to be featured in the next story. You can fill out this submission form or contact me at james.groh@tmj4.com or call/text at (414) 254-8145. The series covers all types of neighborhoods and communities. Previous examples include stories on life in the Sherman Park neighborhood, a rural town that emphasizes hiring people with disabilities, how one woman is keeping a watchful eye on her neighborhood, how Hmong culture in Wisconsin is changing, how Latino immigrants adapt to life in Milwaukee, and many more. Watch more My Block stories here.
Now, back to the person who showed us Olive Street, Vinitia Strong-McDonald.
"Is there anything else you'd like to say about your neighborhood?" I asked.
"Yes, that it's a great neighborhood to live in. Caring neighbors, friendly neighbors, people make investments in their property. They care about their properties. Our kids come back to visit. They feel safe coming home visiting with their parents. I wouldn't live in any other place. You asked me that earlier. This is why I'm here because I can depend on my neighbors to have my back. And we do have our neighborhood block watch. What other neighborhood could you have where people have been here over 30, 40 years? That's a wrap."
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.