Milwaukee pledge against violence, door-to-door community effort
MILWAUKEE - On doorsteps and sidewalks near 49th and Hampton, Tracey Dent carried flyers and a message for public safety Wednesday.
The Milwaukee community activist is joining mothers of homicide victims, going door to door with a request for families and entire neighborhoods to watch after their own to stop violence.
"It means more to people if you go door to door and talk to them," he said.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Dent isn't running for office or asking for votes. Instead, he sees an opportunity – knocking on doors, hoping conversation can spur change.
"It's saying, 'I'm tired of the reckless driving that's going on on my block and in my neighborhood. I'm tired of the shootings, and I'm tired of the killings, and I'm going to do something about it,'" said Dent.
Tracey Dent distributes flyers as part of a door-to-door community pledge against violence effort
Dent and a handful of volunteers crisscrossed the neighborhood near 49th and Hampton on Wednesday night. A block away, two weens were shot and killed earlier this month.
"It just broke my heart, and it's like, enough is enough. We gotta do something," he said.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android.
Shannon Allen felt a similar call to action because, for her, the walk is personal. Each step she takes and person she meets is another chance at closure. Her son, Deandre, was shot and killed more than six years ago.
"My world changed drastically that day," she said.
Tracey Dent and others go door to door for a community pledge against violence effort
Now, she hopes a community pledge to end the violence will keep another family from feeling her pain.
"We don't get a chance to heal," said Allen. "When this violence continues, and continues, it continues to open up that wound that we are already suffering, because we don't have justice. We don't have the answers that we're looking for, for ours."
Dent plans to keep doing the neighborhood walks in different areas of the city. He hopes Milwaukee police and elected leaders will do the same.