Milwaukee, Cleveland gun violence prevention partnership
MILWAUKEE - A delegation from Cleveland is visiting Milwaukee this week to learn more about the city's violence prevention efforts. One local leader insists it's a two-way dialogue as Milwaukee is still learning itself.
The focus Tuesday, Nov. 29 was Milwaukee's "Blueprint for Peace." Written in 2017, the six-point plan outlined Milwaukee's violence reduction agenda. It coincided with a steady decline in homicides, but since 2020, the numbers are trending the wrong way in Milwaukee.
It's why one local violence prevention expert says his team is eager to learn, as well.
They answer the call for different cities but gathered around the same table Tuesday. A coalition of Milwaukee and Cleveland public servants seek a better solution to the same problem.
"The level of gun violence that we're seeing in this country, whether we're talking about a mass shooting or a shooting on the corner of 23rd and Brown, is unacceptable on any day," said Reggie Moore.
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Moore and his team at the Medical College of Wisconsin are teaching Cleveland some of the city's "best practices" for violence prevention.
"Understanding it didn't just happen overnight," said Stephanie Howse. "This takes time. It takes time. It takes work. It takes commitment."
The lesson comes amid troubling times. For the third year in a row, Milwaukee has set a new homicide record. That's why Moore says he's eager to learn from Cleveland, too.
"It's not a one-way conversation in terms of this type of visit," said Moore."There are things that Cleveland are doing well that we learn from, but also, being able to elevate best practices not just from Milwaukee, but also, from other cities from around the country."
The two cities hope to be partners in the fight to reduce gun violence.
In October, Cleveland received a $2 million federal grant for violence prevention. That's what brought them to Milwaukee.
On Wednesday, they'll learn more about 414 Life and review shooting data with Milwaukee police before heading back on Thursday.