Last night was the annual National Night Out against crime. More than 1,000 people gathered in Milwaukee for free food, raffles, and games–and a chance to speak one-on-one with public officials and local law enforcement, says the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.The kids were fascinated by the mounted police as well as a table full of guns from the Milwaukee Police Department’s Tactical Enforcement Unit.
A single event will not cure the violence Milwaukee has witnessed this year, but it’s a start. Some attendees wished the event had been more about discussing ways to curb violence and less about the free sodas and the dunk tank. “I would like to have seen some type of forum – to have panels and discussions about things they can do to change, not just showboating but really take this opportunity to talk to people,” said Fred Nelson, who attended for the first time with his daughters Fredisha, 8, and Nelita, 6. Said Carol Lewis: “This spin control stuff is not working when people are dying. You want to be supportive of the community and efforts like this, but when you see the parents, you see the crime, you see the young people dying and blood running in the streets we need something more.”