MILWAUKEE — Business owners and workers on Milwaukee's Brady Street are calling for greater collaboration and increased law enforcement presence following a surge in crime and unruly behavior this summer, including shootings, fights, illegal fireworks, and a Milwaukee police officer who was injured during the Fourth of July weekend.
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Ashraf Mustafa has owned businesses on Brady Street for years and now owns NexGen Cards near Brady and Farwell. He says the recent wave of crime is directly affecting his bottom line and the safety of his staff.
"None of my employees want to close alone. None. Not one of them," Mustafa said.
He says he has already spent money on security upgrades to protect his business.
"I had to pay an extra $10,000 for those gates; I just installed gates on my back doors," Mustafa said.
Watch: Brady Street business owners call for unity, more police presence amid summer crime surge
Mustafa says the challenges on Brady Street may be bad, but they're not anything new.
"It's always been known; actually, my first job was on this street when I was 17 - at Walgreens. So, it's always been the same," Mustafa said.
He also said Brady Street has a deep history and significance in the city.
"That's why Brady is Brady. Because you can come down here, it's such a beautiful street, so historic, bars have been open for 20 years, everyone's watching the World Cup. It's a street of value to the city," Mustafa said.
He is now urging business owners to come together and take an active role in addressing the problems.
"The business owners on this street need to do something about it. Like, we need to get together and figure something out because it definitely affects the business," Mustafa said.
Mustafa says police alone cannot solve the issue.
"Police will help, yes. But they're not always going to be there. I think if the owners or the managers or the employees of the businesses get together and figure out a way to like do this," Mustafa said.
Amir Nazer, a barber who works on Brady Street, echoed concerns about late-night behavior on the street.
"After midnight it gets too crazy. A lot of people walking around for no reason just arguing with people," Nazer said.
Nazer also called for a stronger law enforcement presence.
"We just need more security or some more police in the street to keep it safer," Nazer said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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