MILWAUKEE — It's a question we often ask: What can be done about the violence in Milwaukee? Pastor Marty Calderon has been asked that question many times.
"I feel that when there's more accountability and more structure, we won't see things like this happening," said Pastor Calderon @TheTable Monday night.
He's part of Team Unified through the Office of Violence Prevention in Milwaukee.
On Sunday, Pastor Calderon was calling for calm on the streets after nine people were shot near 14th and Burnham.
Hours later there was another shooting near 12th and Mitchell, where four people were shot.
"I've seen change and change comes with consistency, it comes with us going to a particular area, and being like a building block," said Pastor Calderon. "Allowing people to know, 'okay, there's Team Unified, we know they're going to be there all the time.'"
Calderon has been a fixture on Milwaukee's south side for more than two decades. He walks the streets trying to address guns, gangs, and drug violence.
"I've seen where gang members have opened up to us to where we're able to stop some violence from going on within the neighborhoods. So, I know it's that trust building, building and establishing relationships."
Watch the full conversation in the video at the top of this article.
Charles Benson and Shannon Sims interview key people in our community during TMJ4's @TheTable segment weeknights at 10 p.m.
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