MILWAUKEE — The shooting death of U.S. Postal Worker Aundre Cross stunned the city and the neighborhood where he was killed. Reverend Carl Smith lives near 65th and Lancaster where Cross was gunned down. One look at Smith's door and you see he's a man of faith. A cross adorns his door.
But Smith admits, "it is not a deterrent. In fact, people that don't know Christ don't recognize the symbol at all."
Reverend Smith is an Associate Pastor at Canaan Baptist Church in Milwaukee. He's been in this neighborhood for more than two decades. Days after the shooting of Aundre Cross, a USPS mail carrier was busy on the route. Reverend Smith gave her a shout of solidarity.
"Bless you, bless you!"
Smith admits the neighborhood remains in pain.
"I hurt, I even cried for this young man. I did not get to know this young man, but my heart breaks because of the senseless violence, the senseless shootings, the senseless driving recklessly. I hurt. I believe it's not just myself but anybody who has a heart, and a heart of love for people."
But the Reverend believes good people can join forces and save Milwaukee neighborhoods.
His advice?
"We must keep pushing forward, we must keep preaching Christ. We must keep loving kids. We must keep reaching out. We've got to find a way to reach our children today. If we do not, they're lost."
Pastor Smith believes one solution is to teach our youth the importance of faith and living right.
"We've got to reach them. We've got to go beyond the media. We've got to touch their hearts. It's not just the parents, it's a community thing. We've all got to pitch in."
Reverend Smith says despite bad elements, he has good neighbors who work hard to lift others. He prays that one day monuments of mourning can be replaced with signs of love.
"We cling to hope, we cling to one another. Those of us that have been here wish things would get better. We need it better. "We can't do it on our own. We have to come together as a community, as a whole, to get some change here."
