Racial Tensions in Milwaukee? (Wauwatosa, Fond du Lac: vacation, wages, jobs)

[cmb53208]

Originally Posted by watergrl

Quote:


Sorry for the ramble but I wanted to get my point across to anyone that would understand me. Am I the only one that feels this hard up to leave this town?? We bust our ass to get where we are today to what? have everything stolen from us or possibly shot by a stray bullet?

No you're not the only one who feels that way. I lived in Milwaukee for 13 years moving up from the American South. I got frustrated and fed up, and now live in Madison.

The sad fact is Milwaukee is perhaps one of the worst run cities in the country. If you don't live in one of the overpriced condos in the Downtown/Lakefront area you don't matter to the city. For example, as crime increased, Milwaukee hired 28 new parking checkers at bout $30,000 per year to enforce parking regs most people don't want. And they increased the property taxes. And they wondered why people leave.

Again, I really beleive that the "leadership" of Milwaukee doesn't give a f*ck about the people who live there-they expect them to just keep throwing money at them while their minds are stuck in the 50's reliving the good ol' days.

And a move to the suburbs? Forget it, many of them have racial attitudes out of 1950's Alabama. Given the choices, I moved 70 miles away to a city that had better job opportunities and much lower crime/

Sadly I would encourage you to leave.

[Nuclear_Art]

Originally Posted by mr_evergreen

Thank you for the insight on Racine. However, I am still looking for information and holding out hope for Milwaukee, because this is all disturbing news. I am not going to say Atlanta is the greatest city on earth because I have been dissapointed by it. I am hearing horrible things about Milwaukee. I would like more insight about Milwaukee.

There isn't so much racial tension as there is class tension mixed in with typical inner city problems. If you've ever watched Cops, you can see what typical inner city life is like in every major metropolis. Milwaukee isn't much different. To say it is worse or that it is the "Selma of the North" is pure inflammatory BS.

The police do have their fair share of bigotry which I do not condone. I think that is typical for many big city PDs. But police these days everywhere are notoriously heavy-handed and fascist. Milwaukee is better than most. The north-shore, white-lily suburbs tend to have more bigoted police depts.

Crime and murder in Milwaukee does seem high but for the most part it is either centered in the inner city or is the result of drug deals gone bad. Unless you spend a fair amount of time hanging out in the inner city at 2am buying drugs, you shouldn't have to fear for your safety.

The nature of my work brings me often to the streets of the inner city and it is a somwhat neglected place with many out of work people lounging about looking for things to do. I have had to do work in quite a few areas that are considered the worst in the city. There are quite a few wigged out victims of crack addiction but there are many honest people trying to eke out a decent living. From what I have seen, it isn't as bad as the media paints it. Granted there are times on hot evenings when I probably wouldn't want to be a lone white guy wandering around but that is a different story.

I have lived in the Riverwest area for about 8 years and the east side for several more years. The Riverwest area is racially diverse and is a great area. It is a little rough on the edges and you do have to use common sense with regards to personal security. I have only had my vehicle broken into once and I rarely felt unsafe. These days it is being patrolled more by the police. For it's richness I would have to say it is one of the better parts of the city in which to live. But I prefer diversity.

Any horrible things you are hearing about Milwaukee are most likely from frightened whites in the suburbs worried about the black menace. I did live in the suburbs of Detroit for a year and did quite a bit of exploration of the city itself. Detroit's rep is the worst in the nation and has some scary areas. I would never in a million years compare Milwaukee anywhere near Detroit.

[pirate_lafitte]

At least I have some insight on Milwaukee. I asked about Milwaukee's reputation because being a resident of metro Atlanta, I find Atlanta very overrated, and in many ways dissapointing. I believed that Milwaukee could be a better place. Then again, I only went there for vacation and I haven't spent much time there. I an glad to here some of the good in Milwaukee.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by mr_evergreen

I an glad to here some of the good in Milwaukee.

There is PLENTY of that in Milwaukee metro...by far.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by EnjoyEP

There is PLENTY of that in Milwaukee metro...by far.

I know there is some good things about Milwaukee. The thing is all of the good always seems to be overshadowed by the bad. Personally, I can't wait to leave metro Atlanta(and Georgia for that matter) . When I heard about Milwaukee and its "hypersegregated" reputation, it did make me reconsider whether or not to move to Milwaukee. Then I think to myself "the city of Milwaukee is no more segregated than the city of Atlanta"(keyword "city" not metro). I am glad to have some insight on Milwaukee. I just want to think things through before I move to another city outside of the South.

[ldeep]

First, thank you to most of the posters in this thread....you painted a very clear picture of reality regarding racial issues.....no BS. I wish Madisonites could tackle these same issues without their arguments devolving into their usual left-fringe rants.

I may be moving to Milwaukee from Madison for a couple years to finish my BS at UWM, and I feel pretty good about it as long as I move near UWM and keep all belongings of value in my car in the trunk.

I don't go to Milwaukee very often....but I happened to go last fall to a nightclub with a couple friends, and his car was broken into and our backpacks were stolen...my wallet was in there and the person tried to use my defunct check-card to buy gas. There was nothing of value in either of the bags, unless the person was looking for textbooks and a baseball cap.

Hopefully things work out and I can move and get to know the city better.

[fanaraj]

I can't decide what to make of all this conversation. Only that I am disappointed to hear that still so much segregation exists. I am not naive although I have been told different. So what are your thoughts on how a bi-racial couple with professional jobs would do in the Milwaukee area & suburbs?

[fanaraj]

Originally Posted by Nuclear_Art

There isn't so much racial tension as there is class tension mixed in with typical inner city problems. If you've ever watched Cops, you can see what typical inner city life is like in every major metropolis. Milwaukee isn't much different. To say it is worse or that it is the "Selma of the North" is pure inflammatory BS.

The police do have their fair share of bigotry which I do not condone. I think that is typical for many big city PDs. But police these days everywhere are notoriously heavy-handed and fascist. Milwaukee is better than most. The north-shore, white-lily suburbs tend to have more bigoted police depts.

Crime and murder in Milwaukee does seem high but for the most part it is either centered in the inner city or is the result of drug deals gone bad. Unless you spend a fair amount of time hanging out in the inner city at 2am buying drugs, you shouldn't have to fear for your safety.

The nature of my work brings me often to the streets of the inner city and it is a somwhat neglected place with many out of work people lounging about looking for things to do. I have had to do work in quite a few areas that are considered the worst in the city. There are quite a few wigged out victims of crack addiction but there are many honest people trying to eke out a decent living. From what I have seen, it isn't as bad as the media paints it. Granted there are times on hot evenings when I probably wouldn't want to be a lone white guy wandering around but that is a different story.

I have lived in the Riverwest area for about 8 years and the east side for several more years. The Riverwest area is racially diverse and is a great area. It is a little rough on the edges and you do have to use common sense with regards to personal security. I have only had my vehicle broken into once and I rarely felt unsafe. These days it is being patrolled more by the police. For it's richness I would have to say it is one of the better parts of the city in which to live. But I prefer diversity.

Any horrible things you are hearing about Milwaukee are most likely from frightened whites in the suburbs worried about the black menace. I did live in the suburbs of Detroit for a year and did quite a bit of exploration of the city itself. Detroit's rep is the worst in the nation and has some scary areas. I would never in a million years compare Milwaukee anywhere near Detroit.

I am glad to hear that someone else enjoys some diversity. Can a family of 3 on $60,000 yr. afford to live in River West?

[Nuclear_Art]

Originally Posted by fanaraj

I am glad to hear that someone else enjoys some diversity. Can a family of 3 on $60,000 yr. afford to live in River West?

You can still find plenty of cheaper rentals and properties throughout Riverwest. I think it is one of the cheaper parts of the city for families to live in. Being a single male I can't say for sure that it is going to be clear sailing for a family living on $60k but it sounds like it should be more than enough. It depends on your full circumstances to see how easily it will be.

Re, your other question, I don't think it would even come into play. When I lived in Racine, I dated a black woman for a short time. I never felt any problems or tension. Unless you regularly hang out at redneck bars or go to country music festivals, there should be no issues. There are so many places in Milwaukee where you look around and have to say, "Segregation? What segregation?". Ride the bus, go to Jazz in the Park, go to the lakefront, the zoo, etc.

[pirate_lafitte]

I have looked at Milwaukee's situation and living in metro Atlanta. To me I keep thinking that the city of Milwaukee is no more segregated than the city of Atlanta. The only difference is that Atlanta is mostly black and white while Milwaukee has more ethnic groups living there(German, Italian, Polish, Irish, Black, Mexican, Arab, etc.). There are blacks living in Milwaukee's suburbs. The only difference is that in Atlanta, alot of people, black and white, want to move to Atlanta area and most settle in the surburbs instead of Atlanta. Milwaukee, on the other hand, is a city that keeps losing its population and there isn't much demand to live there now, and the people who move to the suburbs are the people who can afford it, and most of them are white. Race plays a part in the situation. Economics is an especially big part. Blacks who can afford to live in the suburbs often do live in the suburbs. The thing that scared me is referring to Milwaukee as "hypersegregated". To me Milwaukee and Atlanta are suffering from the same problems. The difference is that Atlanta is considered the place to move to. Milwaukee is a city that very few people want to live in now, mainly because of crime. Actually, Atlanta has a high crime rate than Milwaukee. The things that made Milwaukee attractive to me came from my father's view. To me, Milwaukee is a city with rich cultural standards. I never viewed Milwaukee as bad, so it did make me sad to here such things about Milwaukee. At the same time, I try to keep in mind that numbers don't always tell the whole story.