MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee's efforts to tackle violence has gone to Capitol Hill. The city sent a representative to Washington to go before lawmakers.
“I’m proud of the progress, but I also understand that we have a road to travel,” said Reggie Moore, the director of Milwaukee's Office of Violence Prevention.
Moore was one of only four people invited to speak. It was a first-of-its-kind hearing to address community solutions to gun violence.
“This issue does not just affect one community or ZIP code but has an impact across our entire city,” Moore said.
To date, there have been 74 homicides in the city of Milwaukee — six fewer than this time last year. Thirty-six children have been injured as a result of gun violence this year, compared with 43 last year.
This year, two children were the victims of deadly shootings. These numbers indicate some progress, but when two women are shot and killed within two days followed by Monday night’s report of an 18-year-old on the receiving end of a bullet, Moore admits it’s hard not to be unsettled.
“This issue does not just affect one community or ZIP code but has an impact across our entire city.” — Reggie Moore, director of Milwaukee's Office of Violence Prevention
“It’s easy to become discouraged, and so I just want to encourage folks who are on the frontlines in our community to stay encouraged because progress is being made, and together we can actually do more,” he said.
According to Moore, there’s no acceptable level of violence and homicide, and he’s calling for support at the state and federal levels to pass bills related to addressing violence as a public health issue.
