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Report: Gun violence down across Wisconsin, including Milwaukee [1]
['Edgar Mendez', 'Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service', 'More Edgar Mendez', 'Senior Staff Reporter', 'Wisconsin Watch', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar']
Date: 2024-12-06 12:00:00+00:00
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Gun violence homicides dropped by nearly 17% in Wisconsin over the first eight months of 2024 compared to the same time period in 2023, according to a report by the Center for American Progress, a nonpartisan policy institute.
The report, released in September, also found that gun violence victimizations, defined as all firearm-related injuries and deaths, dropped in Milwaukee nearly 20% over that same time period.
“I think this decrease is happening for a number of reasons, but one is due to community violence intervention measures that are working,” said Nicholas Matuszewski, executive director of Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, a statewide grassroots organization.
Local violence intervention efforts include 414 Life, a violence interruption program; and Project Ujima, which provides services to families and children who’ve been impacted by violence.
In addition, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced in late October the launch of the national gun violence program “Advance Peace.”
“Advance Peace is an investment in solutions to decreasing gun violence that will help ensure Milwaukee County is a safe and healthy community where families and children can thrive,” Crowley said in a news release announcing the program.
‘Numbers are dropping’
Matuszewski said Milwaukee and the state are national leaders in community violence intervention efforts, citing the work of the City of Milwaukee Office of Community Wellness and Safety and also programs supported statewide through Wisconsin Community Safety Fund grants.
The Wisconsin Community Safety Fund grants provided 10 organizations, including the Alma Center in Milwaukee, with $10.4 million in funding to reduce violence stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“After the pandemic, we had a huge increase in gun ownership and gun purchases which naturally led to more gun violence,” Matuszewski said. “Those numbers are dropping now.”
While many cities cited in the report have seen gun violence return or drop to pre-pandemic levels, Milwaukee is still on pace to experience more shootings this year than in 2019, the year before the pandemic.
According to data from the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission dashboard, there were 442 nonfatal shootings in 2019. Those numbers rose to more than 750 each year from 2020 to 2023. So far this year, the city has experienced 471 shootings, according to information on the dashboard.
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‘Too many shootings’
Travis Hope, a community activist who conducts street outreach on Milwaukee’s South Side, said gun violence still occurs at an alarming rate in the city.
“Too many shootings are still happening and impacting families, communities and especially young people,” Hope said.
According to data from the Milwaukee Police Department, there have been 119 homicides in the city so far this year, compared to 153 during the same time period in 2023 and 192 in 2022.
The number of nonfatal shootings in Milwaukee also is down significantly, with 471 so far this year, compared to 769 at this time in 2023 and 788 in 2022.
Officials address drop in gun violence in Milwaukee
During a news conference discussing the reduction in shootings, among other crimes in the city, Mayor Cavalier Johnson cited the work of the Milwaukee Police Department as one reason for the drop in shootings and other crime this year.
“The work that they do is a big factor, a huge factor, in making Milwaukee safer,” he said.
Johnson said that in addition to law enforcement, intervention efforts have also been key in reducing crime.
“When we prevent a crime through intervention, that makes each and every one of us safer,” he said.
Ashanti Hamilton, director of the Office of Community Safety and Wellness, said that while the decrease in homicides and nonfatal shootings is promising, more work needs to be done.
“Reducing violence is an ongoing process,” he said. “Sustainable change requires addressing the root causes of crime, and this means looking beyond the immediate crime reduction strategies and focusing on broader social, economic and systemic changes that contribute to violence.”
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[email protected] Report: Gun violence down across Wisconsin, including Milwaukee <h1>Report: Gun violence down across Wisconsin, including Milwaukee</h1> <p class="byline">by Edgar Mendez / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, Wisconsin Watch <br />December 6, 2024</p> <p>Gun violence homicides dropped by nearly 17% in Wisconsin over the first eight months of 2024 compared to the same time period in 2023, according to a report by the Center for American Progress, a nonpartisan policy institute.</p> <p><a href="
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/2024-sees-smallest-summer-surge-in-gun-violence-rates-in-6-years/">The report,</a> released in September, also found that gun violence victimizations, defined as all firearm-related injuries and deaths, dropped in Milwaukee nearly 20% over that same time period.</p> <p>“I think this decrease is happening for a number of reasons, but one is due to community violence intervention measures that are working,” said Nicholas Matuszewski, executive director of Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, a statewide grassroots organization.</p> <p>Local violence intervention efforts include <a href="
https://www.facebook.com/414LIFEMKE2/">414 Life</a>, a violence interruption program; and <a href="
https://www.mcw.edu/departments/pediatrics/divisions/emergency-medicine/Community">Project Ujima</a>, which provides services to families and children who’ve been impacted by violence.</p> <p>In addition, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced in late October the launch of the national gun violence program “<a href="
https://www.advancepeace.org/">Advance Peace</a>.”</p> <p><a></a>“Advance Peace is an investment in solutions to decreasing gun violence that will help ensure Milwaukee County is a safe and healthy community where families and children can thrive,” Crowley said in a news release announcing the program.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">‘Numbers are dropping’</h2> <p>Matuszewski said Milwaukee and the state are national leaders in community violence intervention efforts, citing the work of the <a href="
https://city.milwaukee.gov/doa/Services-and-Programs/staysafe">City of Milwaukee Office of Community Wellness and Safety</a> and also programs supported statewide through <a href="
https://www.mcw.edu/departments/comprehensive-injury-center/wisconsin-community-safety-fund">Wisconsin Community Safety Fund</a> grants.</p> <p>The Wisconsin Community Safety Fund grants provided 10 organizations, including the Alma Center in Milwaukee, with $10.4 million in funding to reduce violence stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.</p> <p>“After the pandemic, we had a huge increase in gun ownership and gun purchases which naturally led to more gun violence,” Matuszewski said. “Those numbers are dropping now.”</p> <p>While many cities cited in the report have seen gun violence return or drop to pre-pandemic levels, Milwaukee is still on pace to experience more shootings this year than in 2019, the year before the pandemic.</p> <p>According to data from the <a href="
https://www.mcw.edu/departments/epidemiology/research/milwaukee-homicide-review-commission/reports/dashboards">Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission dashboard</a>, there were 442 nonfatal shootings in 2019. Those numbers rose to more than 750 each year from 2020 to 2023. So far this year, the city has experienced 471 shootings, according to information on the dashboard. </p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>‘Too many shootings’</strong></h2> <p>Travis Hope, a community activist who conducts street outreach on Milwaukee's South Side, said gun violence still occurs at an alarming rate in the city.</p> <p>“Too many shootings are still happening and impacting families, communities and especially young people,” Hope said.</p> <p>According to data from the Milwaukee Police Department, there have been 119 homicides in the city so far this year, compared to 153 during the same time period in 2023 and 192 in 2022.</p> <p>The number of nonfatal shootings in Milwaukee also is down significantly, with 471 so far this year, compared to 769 at this time in 2023 and 788 in 2022.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Officials address drop in gun violence in Milwaukee</strong></h2> <p>During a news conference discussing the reduction in shootings, among other crimes in the city, Mayor Cavalier Johnson cited the work of the Milwaukee Police Department as one reason for the drop in shootings and other crime this year.</p> <p>“The work that they do is a big factor, a huge factor, in making Milwaukee safer,” he said.</p> <p>Johnson said that in addition to law enforcement, intervention efforts have also been key in reducing crime.</p> <p>“When we prevent a crime through intervention, that makes each and every one of us safer,” he said.</p> <p>Ashanti Hamilton, director of the Office of Community Safety and Wellness, said that while the decrease in homicides and nonfatal shootings is promising, more work needs to be done.</p> <p>“Reducing violence is an ongoing process,” he said. “Sustainable change requires addressing the root causes of crime, and this means looking beyond the immediate crime reduction strategies and focusing on broader social, economic and systemic changes that contribute to violence.”</p> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="
https://wisconsinwatch.org/2024/12/wisconsin-milwaukee-gun-violence-homicide-shootings-safety/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="
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