Milwaukee leaders call on community to report and help stop crime after recent violence against youth

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) - Community leaders in Milwaukee are saying enough is enough after recent violence against youth in the city.

Wednesday, Oct. 6, the Office of Violence Prevention, Milwaukee Crime Stoppers and several other organizations met in Sherman Park to bring immediate attention to the issue. The press conference was held not far from where an 11-year-old girl was shot and killed while sitting in a car over the weekend.

Those leaders are saying to put the guns down.

"There are over 31-thousand residents that live in Sherman Park, we deserve a safe neighborhood," Mabel Lamb, executive director of the Sherman Park Neighborhood Association, said.

"That responsibility is not just on the Office of Violence Prevention," Arnitta Holliman, director of the City of Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention, said.

Holliman said there's more work to do to provide outreach to the city's youth, and she wants the community to do the same.

"So, where people feel we are not doing enough, please stand up and help us do more," Holliman said.

"More" can also mean holding fellow community members accountable by calling in anonymous tips into Milwaukee Crime Stoppers. This is just one of the organizations the Office of Violence Prevention supports.

"If violators in our community know that someone is watching and that someone would be willing to call anonymously, they'll think twice about the offenses they make," Bria Grant, with Milwaukee Crime Stoppers, said.

Reggie Moore is the director of policy and engagement for the Comprehensive Injury Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Before the pandemic hit, violence was on a downward trend. But Moore believes the last two years of record-breaking violence are due to rising tensions.

"We're seeing guns being used in road rage, in car accidents, conflicts that never would have escalated historically to an act of gun violence," Moore said.

Moore is asking people to speak up if they know someone is involved in violence or thinking about it. He wants to see family and friends try to mediate conflict before turning a gun on someone.

To report an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers, call 414-224-TIPS.

You can also call 2-1-1 and the Office of Violence Prevention if you need help with someone you know that's involved in violence.