"I'm afraid:" During alderman's town hall, crime not the #1 concern among Milwaukee residents

Alderman Stamper town hall

MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee alderman is holding weekly town hall meetings on his constituents' doorstep, and on Wednesday, July 12th, the number one issue residents said they have wasn't crime.

What we heard over and over again were concerns related to traffic issues -- speeding in particular.

Alderman Russell Stamper II

For the second summer, Alderman Russell Stamper II is listening to concerns from his constituents, by going directly to them.

"I decided, 'let me try something different and bring the town halls to the neighborhood.' All they have to do is come outside," Stamper said.

As a result, all of Grant Boulevard between Wright and Clarke was shut down Wednesday -- an odd sight for Margaret Gutter, who said she's used to seeing cars carelessly zip up and down the street.

"The traffic here is just terrible," Gutter said. "It's like I-94. I'm afraid something is going to happen."

Alderman Russell Stamper II town hall

"It's the number one issue -- traffic, speeding," Stamper said.

Residents said they're fed up with speeders, and some even called on Stamper to add more speed bumps on Grant. Others said they want the four-inch bumps to be raised even higher. It didn't take long for a FOX6 News crew to spot some lead-foot drivers.

"We were just really concerned about the speeding at each ends of the corners," a resident said.

Alderman Russell Stamper II town hall

There was hope that filling this street on Wednesday night would lead to slower drivers in the near future.

"Let's organize and work together as a district so we can have a clean, safe and healthy neighborhood," Stamper said.

Stamper said he's filling so many requests for speed bumps, there's actually a waiting list. He's going to have meetings like this every Wednesday night from now until September in a different neighborhood in his district.

Alderman Russell Stamper II town hall