I have to leave Milwaukee (El Paso: violent crime, unemployment rate, living in)

[arimor]

Originally Posted by michelle29

I will have more opporunities in a bigger city. In a bigger city if I find myself surround by "ghetto" people it's because I chose it. Here in Milwaukee it's very hard to find a place or hang with people without disruptions (getting shot at or the place getting closed down because of idiots).

I have family from my mother's side who live in Chicago all their lives and every now and then they come across ingorant people but for the most part they haven't really had any problems. They have their social spots and don't worry about whether it's going to it closed down because of idiots, they have friends with common interest and they aren't criticized because of the way they act or speak.

and its all due to who you hang out with and where you go theres plenty of places in chicago that get shut down due to gang violence and chicago is 10x worser than milwaukee if not more so maybe your being naive theres cities like newark which is slite smaller but almost = in population to milwaukee thats more violent.

as far as your mother having social spots and not worryingabout themshuttungdown so do my people club timbuktu which has hip hop, reggae/dancehall nights which can be extremely packed and filled with the ruffest toughess individuals but fights rarelybreak out there or shootouts and its located right off east of holton.

theres mad hip hop showsthat i attend at stonefly, quarters, you just have to know where to go, it seems you like hanging in those type of places but complain whenthey get shut down.

i got a word fo people like you, confused!

[Lisa Geneva]

Hello, I have my 19 y/o daughter off campus at UWMilwaukee. UWM has some major issues with assaults, batteries and now shootings. Her safety is our concern, call it what you want. She was 2 blocks and now 5 blocks from school. Any suggestions?
Thank you for your response.
Lisa Geneva

[EnjoyEP]

Lisa, I can understand your concern, however, I really think that you do not have a great deal to worry about. Overall, the UWM area is quite safe. It certainly is a big urban campus in the heart of a big urban area, so crime will always be somewhat of a consideration to pay attention to (eg: this isn't the middle of ruralville nowhere like UW-La Crosse is), however, crime in and around the UWM area is a little overblown - as it relates to impacting students' safety.

Here is the big one:

Originally Posted by Lisa Geneva

UWM has some major issues with...now shootings

While there was admittedly a shooting incident near UWM on Murray, what kind of got lost in the media reporting of that story is that drugs were found on the shooting victim. Thus, like the great majority of shootings in Milwaukee - and certainly the very few in the East Side / UWM area - these folks likely new each other / was drug related.

Surely, I am guessing that your daughter would not be participating in this type of activity / associating with this type of a crowd, thus it wouldn't be something to really worry about.

EG: This wasn't just some random mugging where the mugger got gun-happy...that really almost never happens in this part of Milwaukee...it was about drugs.

Originally Posted by Lisa Geneva

UWM has some major issues with assaults, batteries...Her safety is our concern, call it what you want. She was 2 blocks and now 5 blocks from school....

Overall, statistically, the areas in and around UWM are very safe. The crime stats just don't bear out UWM as being in even a semi-dangerous area whatsoever. Heck, Marquette University is in a more "dangerous" spot than UWM (and Marquette isn't exactly dangerous either).

However, I surely do not blame you for being a concerned parent - that is absolutely admirable, and when my daughter is older, I would feel the same way. UWM is an urban campus in a big urban area and thus is not immune from the chances for crime (even though those chances are relatively remote).

Living 5 blocks from campus - thus likely in the heart of Milwaukee's populated and urban East Side - should let you know that she is a statistically pretty safe area with lots of other students around, however, she should surely be versed to be smart.

I would suggest alot of the common sense stuff that I would want my wife to utilize herself if she were walking around commonly on MKE's East Side. If it is after dark, (especially say...after 6:30p or 7p), she really should always be walking with another person (or ideally a group - even more ideally a group including a male). She should of course always try to stay in more well lit, more well-traveled areas (eg: not dimly lit side streets and alleys). If she finds herself partying like most college students do, she should never get so drunk as to lose her wits and should especially always be sure then to keep with friend(s) in any walking around. She should always be aware of her surroundings (when doing stuff like walking, standing at a bus stop, etc.), should always have a cell phone / not flash any money, etc.

Stuff like that. Common sense streets-smarts things.

However, while the media likes to sensationalize any crime-like activity that occurs in this part of the city, you can rest assure that this is overall a very safe area and as long as your daughter uses some common sense which I am sure she does/will, she'll be fine.

[Empidonax]

Originally Posted by Lisa Geneva

Hello, I have my 19 y/o daughter off campus at UWMilwaukee. UWM has some major issues with assaults, batteries and now shootings. Her safety is our concern, call it what you want. She was 2 blocks and now 5 blocks from school. Any suggestions?
Thank you for your response.
Lisa Geneva

Hi Lisa, EnjoyEP has given good advice. That part of the city is generally safe, but certain kinds of crime have increased there over the past few years. That area used to be primarily owner-occupied housing and very safe, but with the influx of students renting over the past few years, the area has been seen by criminals as full of easy targets.

It would do the students well to take precautions. UWM has a service called B.O.S.S. (Be On The Safe Side), which is a shuttle/van service that provides rides between campus and dwellings in the surrounding area. If there are concerns about safety, she ought to use that service, especially at night.

Also, if she's out at parties or other activities at night in the neighborhood, she shouldn't walk alone. In general, the students really ought to remain vigilant and develop a way of noting their surroundings. If they see people who are suspicious, they should avoid coming across those people, and should be prepared to identify people and cars of a suspicious nature.

In the long run, the Chancellor of UWM is trying to get more student housing built on campus and at various off-campus sites. The hope is to relieve pressure on the surrounding neighborhood, as that area really was not designed for so many renters. If some students can be shifted back into university-sponsored housing, perhaps more of those houses can go back to being owner-occupied, and perhaps the criminals will be less tempted to comb that area in search of mugging victims.

And another idea.... If I were alone and feeling potentially unsafe in that neighborhood, I would be sure to use a cell phone to call a friend, and remain talking to that person throughout the duration of my walk. As a matter of precaution, I would provide that person with updates on my whereabouts ("I'm now at the intersection of Murray and Locust, heading south...."). This, combined with vigilance, may help deter muggers.

Also, sometimes in that area I see students walking around while wearing headphones and listening to music. At night, that's a bad idea! Unfortunately, people from other parts of the city have figured out that students have laptops, cd players, and credit cards on their person, so students need to remain awake and alert.

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

Originally Posted by Lisa Geneva

Hello, I have my 19 y/o daughter off campus at UWMilwaukee. UWM has some major issues with assaults, batteries and now shootings. Her safety is our concern, call it what you want. She was 2 blocks and now 5 blocks from school. Any suggestions?
Thank you for your response.
Lisa Geneva

I appreciate your concern, but having lived on Milwaukee's east side, I can attest that it really is quite safe. Living near UWM is as safe as most other big college campuses, including UW-Madison.

If I was in your position I would ensure that my daughter always walk down the street with other people, never alone, especially at night. I would make sure that if my daughter knows to always call a cab after a night out on the town, rather than walking home in the wee hours, no matter how close her home is to the nightlife spots.

Trust in your daughter to trust her instincts. Admittedly, having grown up in the city of Milwaukee, by the time I hit college I had some "street smart" instincts down cold. But every person has a "gut reaction" to certain situations, and we should always trust our gut. If something or someone doesn't quite "feel right," then she should leave.

I've lived in urban settings for most of my life. I'm hardly a "tough guy." But I really haven't had any significant problems with crime. I trust my instincts to steer clear of shady situations and people. I choose who to associate with carefully. The vast, vast majority of crimes committed in any major city are committed against someone the perpetrator knows. This means that if you associate with shady people, you will find yourself in shady situations. If you associate with above-board people, your chances of landing in a tight spot will be greatly reduced.

Stay aware, but don't rely on the local TV "news," as your sole source of information about crime and safety. Balance what you see on the "news" with your own observed reality. Always remember that the local TV "news" is not there to inform you. It's there to freak you out so that you're glued to your seat, ensuring that you watch their commercials. I'm not saying they fabricate stories, but the present them in a way that heightens their "scariness," playing up their supposed "randomness" and playing down the role the victim may have played in the crime.

[lioninaconcretejungle]

Originally Posted by arimor

chicago is 10x worser than milwaukee if not more so

Milwaukee actually has a higher murder and crime rate than Chicago.Do some research before you post on subjects.

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by lioninaconcretejungle

Milwaukee actually has a higher murder and crime rate than Chicago.Do some research before you post on subjects.

...because Chicago has done a swell job in exporting its gangs to Milwaukee!

[lioninaconcretejungle]

Originally Posted by south-to-west

...because Chicago has done a swell job in exporting its gangs to Milwaukee!

Poverty and unemployment fuels the violence,not gangs.

[ministers]

I totally agree any city that there are not a lot of economic opportunities are going to have a really high crime rate. Milwaukee barely has any good jobs anymore. It is so sad, and Milwaukee's youth have no guidance or stability at all. They are surrounded by violence all the time. They have no role models or leaders at home to show them the right path to take in life.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by lioninaconcretejungle

Poverty and unemployment fuels the violence,not gangs.

This highly oversimplifies a complex social issue. If this were the case, violence would have been rampant during the Depression when unemployment reached 20%-plus. Yet we'd gladly trade today's violent crime and murder rate for that of the 1930s. To deny that gangs does not fuel violence is to ignore reality staring us right in the face. Gangs are the primary source, if not the majority source, of aggravated violence in this country.