Driving Ms. Lucille home tonight after our meeting at the Center Street Library in North Central Milwaukee, I noticed many Milwaukee Police cars, some with their light flashing. One particular gathering of police cars even frightened Ms. Lucille, 87, and a veteran of the civil rights struggle in Milwaukee. I reminded her that we were behind the wall that separates North Central Milwaukee from the rest of the city. See M.A.P.S. for how this part of the city is the poorest in the city of Milwaukee, the second poorest city in the USA; has the highest incarceration of African American males in the State which has the highest rate of incarceration males and has extremely high unemployment and a very weak public school system.

I came home to read the email about the four prayer vigils for homicide victims tomorrow. All four were males, most likely African Americans who were shot and killed within the borders of North Central Milwaukee. Moderate whites and suburban people want to ‘help’ these people in North Central Milwaukee but dare not go into this area. As the people of North Central Milwaukee suffer more poverty and are more marginalized the more people outside of this zone talk but do very little. I like to tell persons there is a wall along North Avenue with Silver Spring on north, 60th street on the West and the Milwaukee River on the East. When they question me about it I explain it is an invisible wall that many us can see and feel.

Last week visiting my Grandson, who has probably never been in North Central Milwaukee called the area the “Ghetto”. At first I felt offended by this label but the more I thought about it the more I agreed. It is like the Jewish Ghetto in Poland and Watts in L.A. People of race or religion are isolated and ignored. Voices of these racially segregated people are seldom heard unless they act out with riots or nonviolent action. What will it take to hear the voices of the poor in North Central Milwaukee?

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