There is no denying that Milwaukee is in a very fragile state this week following riots that left neighborhood stores looted and burnt to the ground, cars totaled, and vandalism throughout the cities North side. The national news coverage Milwaukee received several days ago has quickly moved onto the next election polls, leaving many throughout the state of Wisconsin wondering how things got so out of control and how to address the problem of longterm inequality that has crippled many of Milwaukee’s urban neighborhoods.
Jake Curtis, Associate Counsel and Federalism Litigator at WILL, suggests that the recent events in Milwaukee are a result of failed leadership, education standards, and the break down of family structures. Curtis wrote a compelling piece for the National Review, “Milwaukee Deserves Better”, suggesting that the liberation of urban Milwaukee must begin with the community demanding greater expectations of itself, its community leaders, and its educational institutions.
Curtis shares:
“The only thing that will truly change the city’s frightening trajectory is a return to the basics of what makes community success possible — education and family. All the taxpayer-funded resources in the world cannot replace a loving father and mother and an education that equips one to pursue one’s dreams. Without these basic building blocks, hopelessness, despair, and ultimately criminality fill the void.”
“But the reality is that we are seeing in real time the effects wrought on a community by a generation of low education expectations, crumbling family foundations, and dependence on an insufficient welfare state. Milwaukee’s leadership continues to ignore these obvious factors, with deadly consequences. Milwaukee deserves better.”
Milwaukee Pastor Jerome Smith shared, “I don’t think government is the answer. I think that faith and the community are the biggest part of this, and that’s what it’s going to take. It takes a community to take the community”. Urban neighborhoods in Milwaukee have continuously been ignored by its elected officials. Milwaukee DOES deserve better.
Read the full article here.