"I need our community to be engaged & enraged:" Politicians try to stop the violence



MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Some big name politicians meeting to try to find a way to stop the violence -- there's one easy step, start talking about it!

Just days ago we saw the latest incidence of young children caught in the crossfire of gun violence. Now, some of the city's most powerful politicians are pooling ideas on how to make it stop.

Crime scenes and headlines of children caught int he crossfire, are sadly prompting calls like this summer.

"Repeat the chant after me, say I will not let the babies die young," says one attendee.

The city's most powerful are echoing that theme and doing their best to raise the community to its feet, in hopes of stomping out the shootings.

"I'm determined and I'm angry and I need our community to be engaged and enraged whenever there's a homicide of a person in this city," says Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

Barrett joined a panel of leaders brought together Saturday, July 26th, by Congresswoman Gwen Moore to talk about the city's violence.

"We are witnessing in real-time the annihilation of young men in our city, the police chief has described it as slow motion mass murder," says Barrett.

Suggestions to stem the violence ranged from capturing illegal guns, to channeling children into productive life paths.

"When kids see too much, and particularly when the support that's not there from moms and dads, and they see certain things, yeah they get dangerous," says Congresswoman Maxine Waters.

While the groups message found an audience with some of Milwaukee's most influential people, it's unlikely any of those actually causing the problems were in attendance. But Moore says this is still a conversation worth having.

"The people in this room have contact with the criminals, criminals come from families, people come from communities, and people come from institutions," says Moore.

Saturday's panel included a couple of out-of-town guests: Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California and Congresswoman Marcia Fudge of Ohio.