A plan to solve Milwaukee's crime problem
by Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke

January 5, 2006

As anyone can see from daily news accounts, Milwaukee is suffering from an absence of a sense of community that is devouring more and more sections of the northwest side of the city.  This has led to an increase in crime and violence.  Since the mid-70s many working middle class families fled the city, and businesses followed.  Along with them went a sense of community that binds people together by a mutual respect for ambition, achievement and order.

Middle class families were once the foundation of these neighborhoods and provided the stability that keeps crime and violence in check.  Middle class families actively engage in neighborhood life and they collectively set limits on unlawful, unacceptable and violent behavior.  For the most part these families consist of a mother and father with both usually employed.  Their children regularly attend school and are not likely to be involved in criminal activity.  They are self-reliant and constantly strive to improve their quality of life. 

Their exodus from Milwaukee created a void and led to the emergence of a subculture of poor people known as the underclass.  It comprises only about one to two percent of the total amount of people living in poverty but they are responsible for the vast majority of the crime, violence and abhorrent behavior we read and hear about in the news.  Characteristics of the underclass are lawlessness, drug and alcohol abuse, welfare dependency, out-of-wedlock births, school failure, selfishness, a disregard for the welfare of others, lack of social skills and generally no interest in maintaining employment.  They resort to crime and violence as a solution to their needs.  They disregard society’s rules and do what they want, often at the expense of others.  They organize around predatory roving bands and have no anxiety or guilt about the consequences of their behavior.  Firearms are used for material gain, to intimidate witnesses and frighten people.

Those who remain in these neighborhoods have withdrawn from human interaction and reliance on others, and a mindset of survival becomes pervasive.  People have become prisoners in their homes and they live in constant fear of violence.  A sense of fatalism has set in about the future.  The social fabric is in tatters and the cultural values and customs of the underclass now rule in a growing segment of the city of Milwaukee   

What exists in the central city today is non-participation by its residents exhibited in the form of quiet despair.  Most central city neighborhoods are completely demoralized and the residents don’t feel they have the power to change a bad situation.  They are stuck in the rut of leading lives determined by others, namely their elected officials and bureaucrats who do not involve them in the action of governing themselves.  This leaves them without the means to participate.  When people no longer feel they have the power to decide their own future they disengage and become frustrated, hopeless and motivated by symbolic rhetoric.  They become dependent on handouts in the form of social services instead of being self-reliant.  People who make their own decisions will be more successful than those who rely on someone else to do so.  A community must be allowed to define on its own, who they are, what they believe in and what they expect from one another.

City of Milwaukee government lacks a take-charge person with courage and vision bolstered by a clear strategic plan to reverse full-blown urban decay.  Its elected officials move with caution rather than boldness.  The city needs someone who is less interested in holding hands and “getting along with everyone,” someone who will step on toes and impose their will if necessary over anyone getting in the way.  Forget about getting everyone to agree with you.  Getting everyone to agree with you is futile.  Skip the task force, the symposiums and other classic work avoidance approaches that do nothing more than create timidity.  Milwaukee is facing an overwhelming crisis that requires immediate action — a plan.   Instead, its officials seem frozen in the proverbial deer-in-the-headlights stance.  They seem clueless about what to do and resort to the typical “technical” fixes; technical solutions such as forming committees, rallies, more legislation, tired rhetoric and throwing money at the problem.  Walking around shouting “stop the violence” and talking about “hope” is not a plan and will not make this nightmare go away.  These officials avoid the much needed “adaptive” solutions that are more painful and require more work on the part of the individual in need of a change in behavior.  What we get instead is an overemphasis on not offending anyone.

The strategic plan must work toward eliminating the risk factors associated with crime, violence and urban decay.  I don’t have all the answers but I do have some ideas that are worth pursuing.  First and foremost we must rid ourselves of the great American fairytale that we can save everybody.  We can’t.  We can only help those who are willing to work hard enough to succeed.  Self-reliance is the goal.  Keep in mind that it will take multiple interventions including more effective law enforcement to reduce the risk factors associated with crime and violence:

Fix fractured families (This has led to inadequate parenting/absent fathers/dysfunctional children/teen pregnancy.  This must be done by the individual as some things only the individual can do for themselves.  Government can assist by enacting family-supporting policies such as lowering taxes.)

Reform public education in Milwaukee (MPS is a broken system.  We’re spending $1 billion per year on a system that’s failing children.  Structure and discipline must be the hallmark.  School uniforms would be a good start.  The plan must include more education choices for parents so that every child has an opportunity to reach their God-given potential.  Incorporate “character development” courses as a requirement for graduation.  This teaches students about virtues such as civility, trust, responsibility, honesty and citizenship.)

Reverse middle class flight by rebuilding neighborhoods from inside the city out (Give residents more say over the distribution and use of resources. Currently bureaucrats and politicians make too many of the decisions based on political considerations.  Close the Community Development Block Grants office at city hall, which has done nothing more than create cottage industries and which enables people to get rich off the poor. Very little money actually reaches the poor with this formula anyway and it is really used for political patronage.  Funnel money instead through community based organizations such as Sherman Park Community Association.  Let involved neighborhood groups make funding decisions.)

Identify a significant role for the church in community life to deal with social ills. (There is no example of society maintaining moral order without religion.  Our moral framework has to be rebuilt.  This spiritual awakening can lead to social renewal.)