SITE OVERVIEW ♦ MILWAUKEE | WISCONSIN
Target Area: The Amani neighborhood • Population: 11,878
Fiscal Agent: Milwaukee Police Department
Research Partner: Dr. Kathleen Pritchard
Crime Concerns: Violent crime, gun possession, prostitution
BCJI Funding Year: 2016 Planning and Implementation
Neighborhood Profile
In 2014, the 53206 zip code, which contains the Amani neighborhood, was described as "the epicenter of social and economic disadvantage in Milwaukee,” by a University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Center for Economic Development study. The vast majority of Amani’s residents are African American (93 percent) and 51 percent live in poverty. The overall unemployment rate is 34 percent, and for men in some census tracts it stands at 65 percent. The neighborhood has the lowest performing schools and some of the lowest graduation rates in the city, and a quarter of residential properties are foreclosed and/or vacant.
The overall violent crime rate in Amani in 2015 was 38.6 per 1,000—and as high as 55.5 per 1,000 on certain blocks—compared to 14.2 per 1,000 citywide. Disorder rates, which include prostitution, illegal narcotics and weapons violations, were also significantly higher in the community.
Since 2012, Amani has been part of the White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative’s Building Neighborhood Capacity Program (BNCP), and the resident-led Amani United Neighborhood Association addresses safety, housing, redevelopment and other community issues. The Milwaukee Police Department has initiated a variety of crime reduction strategies, including hot spot policing, group violence reduction and dedicated foot patrol officers. From 2012 to 2013, as BNCP efforts have taken root, Amani experienced a reduction in violent crime more than twice the citywide decrease of 9.7 percent.
Planning and Implementation Process
Leaders in Amani are seeking to solidify and expand on the BNCP success in the BCJI planning process. A Leadership Team consisting of the Milwaukee Police Department, a researcher and other key partners is working to confirm crime hot spots, trends and drivers; assess perceptions of crime and police legitimacy; and identify evidenced-based strategies over a four-phase implementation.
- Phase 1: Data Gathering: The researcher explores existing crime and administrative data and the perspectives of residents who are most affected by Amani’s high crime rates. The Leadership Team creates a theory of change and works with neighborhood groups to design strategies.
- Phase 2: Joint Learning: The Leadership Team fosters community dialogue to create a shared knowledge base, build trust and establish relationships. Monthly Data Group and early action project(s) build community capacity and confidence. The Team engages residents in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design trainings and safety audit walks on key blocks.
- Phase 3: Continuum of Solution Selection: Stakeholders explore how to improve relations between community and police and build confidence in the process of reporting crime. Strategies around vacant houses and lots leverage the city’s Strong Neighborhood Plan, which enables the purchase of city-owned property at reduced rates.
- Phase 4:Strategic Plan: Propelling implementation forward with a continuum of strategies. Outcomes in the short term likely include increased resident capacity to address neighborhood issues and more offenders charged; increased resources and integration of services and improved relationships among residents and police in the medium term; and increased collaboration across partner agencies and increased resident leadership in the longer term.
Other Key Partners
Dominican Center for Women, Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, Amani United,
LISC Milwaukee, and Safe & Sound, Inc.
Featuring this Site
Amani residents tout crime decreases
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