Map of Milwaukee with darkest
areas being the poorest.
See Enlarged Map below Last August when we published our three essays on theThe Catholic Church in North Central Milwaukee a few appreciated the research, one Catholic Peace and Justice Group censored it, but mostly it was ignored. In the essays we showed how North Central Milwaukee where the Catholic Churches have been reduced since the 60’s from seventeen to three now was the poorest area in Milwaukee, the fourth poorest city in USA and the most segregated area in Milwaukee, the most segregated city in the USA according to 2010 census information. Maybe the research was ignored because it was facts that many, especially the Catholic Church, did not want to hear.
So we had 38 people sign a Cry of the Poor Petition,calling on the Archdiocese of Milwaukee to use the 1.1 million dollars resulting from the sale of three Church properties in this area to establish a fund to be used for spiritual and corporal works of mercy in North Central Milwaukee. This petition got some small attention before it too was ignored.
A friend in Texas sensing our frustration to get the message out suggested we write a short story of what could happen if the 1.1 million dollars was used to establish a sustainable fund for people in need in North Central Milwaukee. So a friend and I wrote the parable Thy Kingdom Come…on Earth as it is in Heaven. Just to make sure everyone understood the parable we wrote a draft proposal from the parable showing how using the 1.1 million dollars to establish a sustainable fund for beds, stoves and refrigerators for people in need in North Central Milwaukee would make a long lasting structural change. We published the parable and proposal in booklet form and again it was censored or ignored.
Today, the Sunday Milwaukee Journal in a front page story called
Big Divides describes in an article and graphs how segregated and poor North Central Milwaukee is; but, also shows “Milwaukee’s black & white income gap to be among the nation’s largest. The article is the third in a four part series entitled, “A Time to Build” and this third segment is called, “Two Cities in One.”
Now, one would think that this article would set off a wildfire of calls for change in this racially divided city which holds all of us back from economic growth. One would think it would give the Catholic Archdiocese a pause to consider how to invest the 1.1 million dollars in a sustainable, long lasting change in the area, by doing the works of mercy as we were called to do by Jesus.
But, I doubt that will happen. Facts do not carry much weight these days in government, social or even religious circles. My only hope is that it will get some people to join us on our March of Works of Mercy over Works of War on April 30th; at least the first part of our journey, where we will deliver a letter to the Archbishop asking him, as Archbishop and President of the Corporation Board that holds the 1.1 million, to use it to provide beds, stoves and refrigerators, simple human needs, for people in North Central Milwaukee.
It is indeed a Time to Build but sadly no amount of information, even an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel seems to matter. For as history has shown over and over again, it is only creative nonviolent action that makes peaceful change. March for Works of Mercy over Works of War.
Percentage living below poverty line
>40 percent darkest area
25.1 – 40 percent
10.1 – 25 percent
.1 – 10 percent
0 percent
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