Mayor Barrett meets with Obama to discuss solutions to violence

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was one of 18 of the nation's mayors who spoke with President Barack Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder about the city's violence problem.

August 2013 has been one of the most violent months city of Milwaukee officials can remember.

President Barack Obama asked Mayor Barrett to be one of those to help brainstorm solutions to the violence problem that is affecting cities across the nation.

"We are obviously in the midst of the worst month since I've been mayor when it comes to crime," Mayor Barrett said.

Mayor Barrett says a group of mayors talked to President Obama about the way the federal government can help -- from changes in education to FBI enforcement and gun legislation.

"If we had plane crashes every week where forty people are killed, the National Transportation Safety Board would be on this problem immediately -- and what we have is a situation where people are being killed on the streets of this country between midnight and 4:00 a.m. on Friday nights on a weekly basis," Mayor Barrett said.

Mayor Barrett says he plans to get together with Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn to talk about specifics -- although Mayor Barrett says he doesn't expect much help in terms of dollars.