I just get amazed when we as politicians get tough on crime, but are soft on economics.
The City of Milwaukee has a pathetic rate of growth in its private sector that is directly related to its crime rate. Unemployment and the lack of productivity in various census tracts are a good indication that we have neglected benchmarking reasonable economic growth by not targeting investments that could give a reasonable rate on return in the domestic and global economies.
We accept group homes, day cares, gas stations and corner grocery stores as a pro business growth strategy while other local communities are looking at us in the rear view mirror. I shake my head as the City of Kenosha has landed Amazon’s distribution center while the City of Milwaukee officials are sitting on the sidelines crying, “What about me?”
Now I know some may get offended by my assessment of our situation, but get over it; statistics don’t lie (unlike us!).
The illegal drug trade is the common way in the City of Milwaukee’s African American community of providing the basic financial needs of many residents, and its mere presence is creating instability that is directly related to our violent crime statistics.
We fight over minuscule issues that could unite us, but were are stuck in the past of Divide and Conquer. Now we want to spend $500,000 on police overtime, but fight not to invest the same amount in African American men and boys who will be the target of strict law enforcement because of our dismal local economy in their community.
Well, now the pressure is on. The clock is ticking, and the situation does not look good.
The question is: who has “The Right Stuff?”
Ald. Joe Davis Sr. represents the city of Milwaukee’s second aldermanic district.
