MILWAUKEE — Various groups came together Thursday afternoon to connect with Milwaukee’s youth and try to put an end to violence in the city.
The Milwaukee Police Department (MPD), the Milwaukee County Parks, the Office of Violence Prevention (OVP), the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, and ComForce came together to engage youth and families at Sherman Park.
This comes just 48 hours after a shooting shut down the park this week. That shooting left a 16-year-old boy shot in the back.
The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office is hoping to provide positive events for the youth in the area.
Happening right now at Sherman Park!! A free event with 🍔🌭🏀🚔🛝! It’s going on until 6 tonight! See my story tonight at 10 on why having a positive event for the kids of Milwaukee is so important. Especially right now. @tmj4 pic.twitter.com/04gSz7DBoh
— Megan Lee (@MeganLeeNews) July 27, 2023
"Give them something else to do, a positive outlook, or something positive to do. And then we just enjoy ourselves, we communicate with them, show them some of our equipment. And we just tell them what we expect out of them out here in the park this summer,” Captain Charles Stowers said.
Many kids in attendance came from the Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee, which is located at Sherman Park. The kids say it’s nice to see the police officers out and about.
"It's like, it's somebody who cares about us, even though we not their family, they still care about us," 12-year-old Damarion Hunt explained.
Hunt says having police in the park makes him feel safe.
“I mean because like it be like a lot of stuff going on here. And there be shootings. So we got police officers here."
Police say there have been 95 shootings involving victims 17 and under in 2023. Some of those were homicides.
"We don't want to have a park in a community that the neighbors can't come and enjoy, right? So we want to put enough deputies and resources in place to assist those looking for an outlet other than violence,” Captain Stowers explained.
The event included many community resources, including members from Milwaukee Promise Keepers.
"We need to get out here more as we're doing now. Come together as a community and stick together and be a present force for our young people," Desilynn Smith passionately said.
The kids at the event said they want violence to stop.
"Put the guns down and stop shooting at young people. They still have life to live and grow up and stuff," 13-year-old Isaac Chambers said.
If you're a Milwaukee resident hoping to prevent crime in your neighborhood, Safe and Sound can connect you with the resources you may need.
Editor's Note: Captain Charles Stowers is a member of the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
