Milwaukee Water Street shootings; emergency meeting to address violence
Emergency meeting to address violence
An emergency safety meeting has been scheduled after a recent uptick in violence on Water Street in Milwaukee.
MILWAUKEE - It's a popular street known for bringing people together, but recently, shootings on Water Street have people concerned about their safety.
The violence and disorder in parts of Milwaukee's downtown area have neighbors pushing for safer streets. City leaders are too.
What we know:
Two separate shootings happened over the weekend near the intersection of Water and Knapp. They happened 25 hours apart, close to the time of bar close.
These shootings follow gunfire on Water earlier this month outside a club that killed two men and hurt three others.
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"It is scary. I still want to be able to come out here and, you know, have people enjoy it. I hope that it gets safer," resident Alecia Altstaetter said. "I just want the entire vibe of the city to improve so that everyone feels heard and has their needs met."
Milwaukee fatal Water Street shooting; push for more security, patrol
Two people were shot and killed in downtown Milwaukee on Saturday and a private security company is now pushing for change.
Alderman Bob Bauman and other Milwaukee Common Council members will hold an emergency public safety and health committee meeting Wednesday, focused on the downtown entertainment district.
What they're saying:
"We want to know what is going on," he said. "If you want to hang out at a bar or nightclub after 11 [p.m.], it is not safe [...] It's the first topic we want to hear from the Milwaukee Police Department at Milwaukee's meeting is, what exactly is going on? Who is causing the trouble?"
On Monday, July 28, police chief Jeffrey Norman told FOX6 news that police are planning on change.
"There’s no lack of effort on our part. We will continue to lean in. We will continue to put more resources there," Norman said. "You’ll see more officers in the area. That’s what it looks like."
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He hopes the community will do their part.
"We are putting out the plans and operations," Norman said. "It’s beyond even weekends, but there are going to be resources dedicated to the area."
What you can do:
An emergency safety meeting will be held at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, July 30 at City Hall. Business owners and neighbors are invited to attend.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.