MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson on Friday announced new measures to combat crime in downtown Milwaukee following a string of violent incidents that have left multiple people dead and injured.
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“Downtown is and will continue to be a welcoming place for everybody who wants to come and to have fun. And we’re going to work to address these issues that really again a few rabarousers decide to make decisions and choices and come down here and ruin it for everybody else,” Johnson said.
In the month of July alone, nine people were shot in the busy entertainment district. Three of the victims died as a result of their injuries. Two women were also seriously injured when a vehicle crashed through a barricade in the area.
Watch: Mayor Cavalier Johnson addresses recent violence in downtown Milwaukee
During an emergency meeting at City Hall held last week, Milwaukee police said they would dedicate more officers to Water Street during the weekend; however, it has been noted that the police force is already short-staffed.
Community activist Shawn Moore told TMJ4 that all he heard at the emergency meeting were reactive steps rather than proactive solutions. He said he wanted to see plans for “de-escalation before the incident reaches that boiling point.”
At Friday's news conference, Johnson, accompanied by the Milwaukee Police Department, announced they will be implementing several changes to address the violence, particularly on Water Street.
“It’s only a small amount of folks that decide to cause havoc, that decide to cause destruction and disrupt the party and disrupt the fun for everybody else,” Johnson said.
These include increasing police presence downtown to manage crowds and issue citations, establishing a mobile booking facility to expedite citation processing, adjusting food truck hours to prevent loitering, and making changes to traffic light patterns.
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