For a number of years I was fighting the removal of full court basketball playing in the County Park across the street which some neighbors wanted to stop when African American males joined the Asians and Whites who were using the full basketball court for years. Eventually those of us fighting discrimination against African American youth lost. It was after that I learned from the President of the ACLU about ‘recreation redlining”. I did some research last summer but sent the letter to ACLU, Country Executive, County Park Director, Mayor and others today.
Wednesday, September 291, 2015

Dear Mr.

Awhile back after a MICAH event we had a brief discussion about my concern that basketball courts were being taken down at Doyne Park because young adult African American males were playing basketball at the park. Two of the four poles, backboards and rims have been removed leaving not only full court basketball playing impossible but availability of basketball low. (See Resurrect the Rims for history and update) You mentioned that day about the concept of “recreational relining.”

The African American youth playing basketball in the park had told me they had come to Doyne to play because other full court basketball courts had been removed by City, Public Schools and County Park. I started to do research about how many full basketball courts were left, outside of the segregated, improvised area of North Central Milwaukee, (North Ave. to Silver Spring, 60th street to Milwaukee River.) See M.A.P.S..

Researching the city and MPS recreational system was easy. Officials from both recreational departments admitted that they had eliminated full court basketball playing, except in one place each, due to citizen complaints about persons (read African Americans) using the courts.

The County official, where I had the most experience relating to since Doyne Park is a County park said he had no list of full basketball courts in County Parks in the city of Milwaukee. He referred me to a list of County Parks and said I would need to email and/or phone call each park separately. First I tried emailing all parks that listed basketball courts being available. Only a few wrote back so I tried calling each possible park. A few coordinators of county parks called back.

So from these phone calls, emails and personal observation I was able to gather the following list of full basketball courts in the Milwaukee. (Below) Please note that outside of the redlined area of North Central Milwaukee to the far South Side there is only two full basketball courts, at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park, in the County Park System. . On that court there was an actual homicide of young African American male a few years ago but the neighbors, predominately African American insisted, like the city and people of Kenosha, that full court basketball playing remain.

You can find at M.A.P.S. some of the statistics of why Milwaukee is the most racially segregated city in the USA. I would be glad to make a map of full court basketball sites in city of Milwaukee. The North Central Milwaukee is the most improvised area in the second poorest city in USA and with high unemployment and high violence. There are many other ‘signs’ of racism in Milwaukee. Perhaps if ACLU could do something about “recreational redlining” it would help to expose the ‘racism’ in Milwaukee. Accepting racism is the first step toward overcoming it.

If we do nothing we are complicit in ‘recreational redlining.” If I can be of any assist to you or others in the struggle against racism in Milwaukee please let me know.

Sincerely,

Bob Graf

Full Court Basketball in the City of Milwaukee

City of Milwaukee Recreation Department

Ellen Park
1829 East Fernwood Ave. Milwaukee (Bayview), WI
Two Full Courts

Milwaukee Public Schools

Juneau High School
6415 Mount Vernon Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Two full courts

County Parks in Milwaukee

Dr. Martin Luther King Park
1531 W. Vliet
2 full courts

Rose Park
3045 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
Milwaukee, WI 532
1 full court

Zablocki Park
1 full-court
3500 W Forest Home Ave.

Barnard Park
3300 W Barnard Ave
3 full courts.

Atkinson Park
983 W Atkinson Ave
2 full courts

Pulaski Park
2677 S 16 St
1 full court

McGovern Park County
5400 N 51 Blvd
7 full courts

Jackson Park
3500 W Forest Home Ave
1 Full Court

Lincoln Park not listed in County Park director as having full courts basketball but driving by I observed there to be six of them??????????

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