Job creation one key to reducing violence in Milwaukee, city leaders tell GMC

The city of Milwaukee recently unveiled its "Blueprint for Peace" plan to reduce violence, and on Monday, the plan's leaders presented their vision to the Greater Milwaukee Committee.

The coalition's monthly membership meeting featured presentations from Mayor Tom Barrett and Reggie Moore and David Muhammad from the Milwaukee Health Department's office of violence prevention. The program concluded with a panel discussion featuring Moore, Milwaukee Common Council president Ashanti Hamilton, Bader Philanthropies president Dan Baderand United Way of Greater Milwaukee president and CEO Mary Lou Young.

Barrett's introduction highlighted the philosophical goals of the new program.

"We decided it was time for us to take a much more concerted, public health approach to this issue, and to look at the other factors that are contributing to the violence in the city," he said. "We felt it was important for us to interrupt the activity, the negative activity, that leads to some of this violence."

Barrett also emphasized that the new program would work in conjunction with Milwaukee's law enforcement.

"We continue to put a lot of emphasis on law enforcement," he said. "But if we can also have — complementing that, supplementing that, individuals who are willing to be part of the community — this is a big part of this, being part of the community itself. This is not something that can be brought in from the outside."

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