‘Insanity every night’: Brady Street neighbors sound off at community meeting over recent violent incidents
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — On Wednesday evening, July 15, east side neighbors gathered to share safety concerns with city officials and Milwaukee police leaders.
Ald. Alex Brower organized the community town hall after a string of recent violent incidents.
The discussion focused on public safety as people shared personal experiences with dangerous traffic, car break-ins and shootings.
Leaders acknowledged their frustrations but said there are no quick fixes.
One man told them, “My car was stolen three months ago.” He said it was the latest of at least seven car break-ins he’s experienced, and he’s no longer driving to avoid another theft.
For more than an hour, east side neighbors listed a host of recent issues.
One man named Mike said there is “Traffic and insanity every night.”
He called for tougher enforcement.
Many people said things have gotten much worse in the past month or so, including a string of shootings on or near Brady Street.
Nick Harrington remembered one, saying, “More than 30 shots were fired. People shooting bullets used our house as cover. Our house was struck by a stray bullet. And the entire block looked like a war scene with the amount of cars and houses that were struck by bullets.”
Brower and leaders from the Milwaukee Police Department, the Office of Community Wellness and Safety, the Fire and Police Commission and other agencies listened to residents' concerns.
But they said the solutions won’t come easily.
Brower said, “There is not a magic solution, unfortunately.”
MPD Capt. Jeremiah Jacks said, “I don’t have a magic pill for that right now, but we are working on it.”
Many ideas have been floated before.
MPD Capt. Rob Thiel asked, “What are the options for kids? Let’s get real, here.”
But many people felt that is not enough.
One man named Nick told Brower he disagreed with his approach and asked him, “What is your plan?”
Nick went on to say, “I get it. We’re about community here. But at some point, we can’t let repeat offenders cause chaos.”
Brower responded, “I stand by this: We need to do everything we can to get to the root issues of crime. That is how we’re going to stop these things from happening in the future.”
One well-known problem area is the Walgreens parking lot on Brady Street, which is open 24/7 and is a frequent site of violent incidents.
CBS 58 learned the city has officially classified the lot as a nuisance, allowing officials to work with the property owner to hold it liable for security costs.