Milwaukee! A Great City on a Great Lake! City of Festivals. Multicultural City. "How do you keep your city so clean?" "Milwaukee, a big city with little town friendliness."

These slogans and expressions of affection for our city belie an ugly truth that some citizens and "city fathers" would rather not own. When listening to people promoting Milwaukee you could begin to feel that perhaps a police force for our fair city is superfluous. Oh yes, they did catch the District Attorney jay walking and of course there was that Alderman who went more than a year with "License Applied For" on his car. But real crime? Nah, not in Milwaukee!

Since June 1, 1995 the Franciscan Peacemakers - two Capuchin Priests and perhaps two hundred suburban volunteers - have been experiencing an entirely different view of the city. Franciscan Peacemakers goes to the streets, alleys, houses of prostitution, detox center and institutions of recovery to meet people who are victims and perpetrators of various forms of violence. We too have great love for our beautiful city, but it is love tempered by the reality that some of our special brothers and sisters are suffering and it appears that without speaking about this suffering it will never end.

We go to the streets for one purpose: to encounter human beings who are considered the "dregs of humanity, the despised poor". We go to meet and serve people viewed as hopeless, despicable, dope fiends, whores, drunks, winos, lazy, no good people with no plan to change their lives. We go because we believe that the Church has to be with and for these hurting folk, because Jesus went to them, and because our consciences won’t let us not be there.

We encounter for one purpose: to rescue these good people from themselves - first of all -and from a way of thinking and feeling that has led, and will lead, to generation after generation of mined, broken, pathetically dependent people who have little or no desire to change, because they have lost or never had hope. Drugs and alcohol have enslaved them, led them to an irresponsible lifestyle devoid of inspiration and spirituality, much less of religion. A lifestyle in which every energy, every thought, centers on where and how they can get their supply or protect whatever drugs or alcohol they have.

Thomas is a huge, strong Black Male of 28 years. He will tell you frankly that he has no intention of working for a living. He feels that only afoot would work all day, five days a week fifty weeks a year. He honestly believes that housing, food and clothing should be provided for everyone. Money earned should be used for ones personal enjoyment, a car, a stereo, the finer things in life. Give him his drugs, his woman, and a good meal and he is perfectly fulfilled

Thomas saw his mother killed by a man with a 357 Magnum when he was a teen. His father had been murdered before that. He is full or rage. He never experienced anyone in his life who held a steady job, who wanted a better life for themselves or for him. Thomas has two children. He cannot care for them even on those rare occasions when he is not in jail or prison. What work ethic do you expect his, children will have?

Only in the most rare situations. those of genetic anomalies where a person is born multiply handicapped and in a somewhat "vegetative" state would there be no chance for change. Perhaps, also, not after a catastrophic illness or accident. Even a person like Thomas can change if there is a desire for it and he is helped infirm and just ways to change.

However, after years of hate filled rage a person like Thomas will take long term, aggressive care. If he does not receive that he will continue to batter people and will someday murder if he is not killed before then.

A number of years ago, for reasons many of us do not understand, someone in power decided that there were to be no more "Insane Asylums". Large buildings filled with hundreds if not thousands of mentally ill people. It was determined that it would be better to put them back in society. Unfortunately, such decisions do not contain healing within them. The mentally ill are still mentally ill. Now, however, many of them do not have someone to make sure that they take their medicines, get good nourishment, have healthy recreational expenences or are involved in some form of occupation that fills their days with meaning. As a result we see precious people who vacillate between being very ill, and having some good, almost "normal" days.

Gary is a tall, thin,joyful person who has no home and no one who takes care of him or looks after him. We encounter him in all parts of our city. When Gary is having a bad day, which is most days, he hears voices that bother him a great deal He is manic, shouts at the voices, and fairly runs down the street, chasing God knows what He panhandles to get cigarettes, booze or drugs. To the best of my knowledge Gary does not take medications. From time to time he will be picked up and taken to Mental Health where he gets stabilized and, most probably a prescription. He does not get it filled and does not take the medication. He is so often in dirty clothes and needs a shower. He is one of God’s very special people. Parishioners at St Benedict the Moor parish try to watch over Gary, help him, get him food, and take time to speak with him long enough to bring him back to a little bit of reality. When this happens Gary is a most kind and gentle man. Always very nervous and shaky, he will nonetheless carry on a good conversation and on occasion has even read at the Mass and participated in other ways at the Liturgy. It does not seem that being out in society is best for Gary. With lots of care, and if given his medicines, we believe that Gary would be a happy person who could enjoy a fairly decent life. He would most likely not be able to work and earn, but he could have a meaningful life.

Complex problems, compounded by years of dysfunction and generations of addiction leads to people for whom change is a most daunting task. Many child- parents today have not known discipline, never felt the consequences of their negative behavior. The fact is that small children are often taught to lie and steal in order to get what they want or what some adult wants the child to get for them. Women will have child after child even though she is too young, or too limited to care for and nurture even one child. The mother who has a child at 14 of 15 years of age seldom stops having children. Whatever emotional development and maturity she has at that time seems to be where she all to often gets stuck. So the woman of 25 or 30 years having the eighth or ninth child is no better equipped to mother the latest child than she was her first.

Barbara is a 29 years old mother of nine children from severalfathers. None of the fathers have ever been involved in the life of the children. The man who gave her the first of several children has been in prison. The past ten years. Alone, overwhelmed by her life, without the support of her family she became a heroin addict and prostitute. She and the children were constantly moving from one place to the next. She would go to the home of whatever man would exchange housing for sex Of all the families we have worked with, none so regularly were without food in the house when we visited For two years Franciscan Peacemakers supplied most of their clothes, and much of the food Barbara was never mothered and she has no idea how to mother. She screams at and hits the children, leaves them alone, occasionally for two or three days. Now the children are all in various foster homes. Think of the trauma they suffered before they were finally rescued And to this day Barbara is still a using addict and homeless, still exchanging sex for a place to stay.

Needless to say Barbara, and dozens like her have not worked They have relied on welfare and food stamps, their own and others. Theft and prostitution supplied whatever they could not get through food pantries, meal sites and whatever means they could find We feel Barbara is doomed to this miserable existence because there just seems to be no agency or program to do all that she needs to be rehabilitated

It would be sheer kindness, as a matter of fact, to hire many of the people we meet on the streets. Lacking skills, sometimes illiterate, often having an array of illnesses, missing teeth, with poor personal hygiene, they are often crude in language and actions. All of this in addition to what I call "ready rage". Ready at any moment to explode into verbal or physical violence they are not the ideal candidate for employment. Barbara and her children are habitual thieves. When they enter a room they quickly scan it for whatever can be easily taken. Since the children have been taken from her Barbara has had several jobs for a few days each. In every case, her sticky fingers got her terminated. Extreme need leads to extreme measures. Waiting for a week or two before they get a first check is often too much for our people. They act as though compelled to take what is needed for the present moment even when that means they will lose out on the help a full paycheck would give them. People in chaos live almost solely in the present moment--survival focuses on what is now, what needs to be done at this very second, who has to be dealt with, what is the escape route, who to look out for here and now! These questions are what occupies their minds, not whether it is right or wrong, or will lead to a problem tomorrow.

The power of addiction cannot be understood by a person who is not addicted. Never have we seen the depths to which a person will stoop to get their drugs as we have in the central city among men and women addicted to cocaine, crack or heroin.

Sandy and Louise are sad examples of how addiction takes over the person and controls all aspects of their life. Both of these women have a large number of children, 14 between them and another on the way. They have asked for help to get into recovery, have wept many times over how badly they feel about the lives their children lead because of their addiction. Still, they do not go into recovery. Give them food and you have to open each package to make sure that they do not sell it for drugs. The children come to us again and again begging for extra sandwiches because they have no food at home. The house they live in is unbelievably filthy. We could not believe that anyone would eat food that comes from the refrigerator or is cooked on the stove. In three years we have never seen Louise sober and we have seen her hundreds of times. Both women love their children and want good for them. Neither of them can give even the most basic material things to their families because whatever funds she gets goes for the drugs. Whatever love and affection they can feel has been numbed by their many personal tragedies.

Too many men in the central city see women as sex objects and little more. We know of not one family where the children are those of the one man and one woman who are married and are living together. Men speak of having children in other cities as well as in Milwaukee. They do not speak of them with love and affection, just as a fact of their lives. Men are not present to help raise the children, buy food and clothing, much less toys. Men do not pretend to be faithful to one woman, nor do they believe that the mother of their children is faithful to them. The fact is that the women seldom are. The male role model is that of a person who drinks and drugs, sleeps around, does not work and simply does not care.

Mark is a handsome boy of 14 - he is sexually active and his mother knows it. She only asks that he be supplied with condoms. Paul is 16 and has two kids, one in Madison. Betty had her first child when 14 and asked us for all kinds of help. She was so hurt that the father had nothing to do with her once she was pregnant She said she would never have another child without commitment She had her second child less than 15 months after the first Charles is a very handsome, talented young man with a most engaging personality. He admits that he has had sex because he was the only one of his group who was still a virgin. He says he always wears a condom. This boy could be such a great leader and I hope he will still be, but he does not have much inner strength, no moral compass to help him make the right choices.

When no one in a household has a job, no steady source of income, when money that comes in goes first for the drugs and alcohol, it can be no wonder that poor people are being evicted from their homes in alarming numbers. Rent does not get paid. Some landlords let a family pay a portion of the rent until they get several months behind and then they eventually have to evict them. This usually occurs in the winter months when it is more difficult to just throw a family out in the cold and the landlord has to appear "kind." This causes multiple problems. People who are evicted lose most of their poor furniture, some of their personal items and clothing, they lose important papers and identification. Schools have a difficult time keeping up with the correct phone number to reach a parent in an emergency and the children have the trauma of being suddenly uprooted from their home and neighborhood friends. The children do not understand why this has happened. When the Sheriffs Deputy comes he/she comes with a moving van. If the family can afford storage space they load the furniture and belongings and take them to the storage area of whatever company they use that day. However, if they cannot afford the storage or if the company decides that there are bugs or mice in the furniture they will not take it. Then it is taken to the curb in front of the house, the whole neighborhood knows what has happened and during the night whatever might be of value is stolen.

This is a scene we have observed a number of times. Recently we have wondered why the Sheriff is not required to report the situation to child protective services. There are four minor children in this instance that have not been properly fed nor clothed, and now it is doubtful that they will have safe housing. The parents in these cases clearly show that they cannot provide the kind of home that a child needs to grow and be well and happy and get a decent education. The reality is though that the Sheriff just gives his orders, locks the place up and leaves, after taking the keys from the various family members. S/he has done their job!
The lives of so many children in the central city are so bleak, so sad, so really awful that it is depressing to think about it. All can seem so hopeless, so beyond being corrected.

Jimmy is a strong young 14 year old Black male. He stands tall; with a look on his face that lets everyone know that you better not mess with him. He loves to fight It gives him pleasure to release all his anger on some other person ‘s body. His father lives in another city, his mother is a cocaine addict and prostitute.
Recently his mother has complained that Jimmy causes trouble when he comes home and finds her with a "john. "Earlier in life the men would slap him around and he would shut up, but lately he yells at them and threatens to shoot them. We had been talking to Jimmy and trying to befriends to him, someone he could talk to and get some of his rage out.
Jimmy’s younger brother came one day to tell us Jimmy was in Children’s Center, the jail for juveniles. Jimmy had beaten his mother. She claims he has done it many times before but this time he hurt her badly and smarted off to the police who came to the house. Jimmy told me that he could not stand seeing strange men come out of the bed room naked and walk to the bathroom to clean up. He said he and his brothers had seen that hundreds of times over the years and he was just fed up. He has no remorse for beating up his mother. He can wait to grow and get stronger so he can beat the men and his Mom.

It would be hard enough to hear this story if it was unique. The truth is that except for the beating of the mother, the story of free sex and prostitution, along with smoking, snorting, shooting, and drinking drugs and alcohol is life as usual for the majority of children in the neighborhood we minister to. As people whom we know move to other parts of the city, we have gone to visit them, to bring food or clothes and maintain contact. It is clear to us that these situations exist throughout the central city, not Just in our North side neighborhood. It is part of growing up in the central city to have to listen to people screaming at each other, cursing, threatening, physically fighting. A special concern for us is the thrill, the seeming pleasure children take in watching two people fight. They will cheer and push and shove to make the fight continue or spread to other bystanders. Empty drug sacks and used condoms are found all too frequently. Someone is always upset and yelling about some problem. There is seldom enough food, no chance to go buy new clothes. Seeing the doctor and dentist just does not happen unless there is some emergency or the school insists on vaccinations. Many kids never have someone say "I love you" in the loving expression of real affection that we all need. The children see and hear things that give them a very twisted idea of love, sex, and affection. The only stability they observe is the stability of living in an atmosphere of chaos wherever they might be.

We have all seen that little plaque in a child’s bedroom entitled: "Children Learn What they Experience." I could make a different kind, asking what a child learns living in the central city.

What does a child learn about family when he grows up with no father around?

What does a child learn when his siblings all have different fathers?

What does a child learn when everyone is yelling, cursing, being vulgar?

What does a child learn who sees mother naked or nearly so daily?

What does a child learn who sees Mom with many different men in bed?

What does a child learn when all the adults around him/her get high?

What does a child learn when no one in the house works?

What does a child learn when each teen sibling gets pregnant?

What does a child learn when adults fondle them from earliest childhood?

What does a child learn when no adult reads to them or makes them do their school work?

What does a child learn when no one insists that they go to school? 

What does a child learn when no one makes them get to school on time?

What does a child learn when no one goes to church nor speak about God?

What does a child learn when no adult in their life tells them about right and wrong, good and bad, about values and morals?

What does a child learn when they are never told that they are precious?

What does a child learn when they are told to lie to the police and teachers?

What does a child learn when they are told to steal if they want something, but do not get caught?

What does a child learn when no one speaks to them about having a dream, setting goals, making a sacrifice, having pride in the family, being responsible, of caring for others. of having respect for elders.

What does a child learn who lives in constant chaos?

What does a child learn when violence is always the FIRST reaction?

What does a child learn.....

The challenge we have is to try to get the right people to deal with the human misery of the streets as the physical, emotional and spiritual pathology that it is. There are no simple "cases" here. Addiction is but one problem, sexual addiction, violence, sexual abuse, the effects of living years in trauma, the absence of healthy role models, the lack of appreciation for education or the belief that it will make any difference for young Black men and women, the constant noise of the city, the lack of beauty in the neighborhoods, and the problem of preparing people to have a work ethic, to develop skills to make them employable are but a few of the needs. We have come to see that many people do not know how to shop to make the best use of funds, how to budget, how to make even minor repairs or to see the value of repairs, whether to clothes, the car or the house or apartment.

Janice is a small, emaciated looking prostitute who has been the victim of domestic violence, date rape and the ravages drug addiction and poor nutrition. Jan ice is one of the first women we met on the street and she has been a person who comes to the corner several times a year to speak with us, get some food and just "check in" as she says. A couple of months ago it appeared that she was moving in the direction of seeking treatment for her addiction. We set up the process for her but she did not appear. Then just a month ago Janice was standing between our van and a car of one of the volunteers. She motioned for me to come speak with her. What she told me astonished me, it is a problem I have never heard anyone speak on and have never read a paper on it She smiled weakly and said without even a hug or a "hello": "I just missed the thrill of it all - recovery was too boring. I need the rush of the excitement of not knowing what is going to happen, will I get caught, will he be rough, will I be able to rob him...I just need that, I could not be happy thinking about life without it"

Janice is one of only two people that I have ministered to who could not feel that any altemative I presented to them for their need for a thrill could even come close to what they say they need. The other person, a young man called me one night to tell me that he was in debt $40,000.00 from gambling. While it worried him as to what might happen to him if he can’t pay it, the idea of not having the thrill of thinking that this might be the time he wins big is much more powerful for him.

You might think that there is not much hope for change, for a good life for the children of the central city, for adults to get over their addictions and lack or morality. There surely is room for hope!

Franciscan Peacemakers has never had a complete list of the names of the people who help make this ministry possible. There are many dozens of people from parishes in Mequon, Wauwatosa, Thiensville, Hubertus, as well as students at high schools and Cardinal Stritch College who put together bag lunches and, more importantly, bring them and give them to the people, visit with them, play games with the kids, reaching out in real and practical ways to show that they care, and they believe in the value of their brothers and sisters here in the central city. The number of people getting involved grows almost every month and now includes a Methodist Parish in Brookfield that comes twice a month. This person to person ministry of people of means and power with the poor and disenfranchised gives great hope for the future.

Programs to deal with the difficult lives of children are being developed using schools as places for the child to spend extra time, be mentored, get nourishment and in some cases even get medical attention. The Safe and Sound Program in Milwaukee is one of having a number of centers through out the city where the children can enroll and get many of the services we have been speaking about. The more time a child has away from the hectic ruckus at home the better chance for them to catch a little of the opportunities white children in the suburbs take for granted.

Financial backing is beginning to come in the amounts that permit programs to offer opportunity for the woman who wants to be free of drugs and tum away from prostitution to do so. For such a woman and her family real change can occur.

More and more people who feel themselves privileged are awaking to their obligation to help those who are broken and in dire need. Whether the legislators and city authorities will have the patience to wait for results long enough for programs to have a chance to heal is not known. Even more unknown is whether or not we as a community want to do what is needed to help the thousands of afflicted people to make the changes needed.

What is NOT unknown is what the results of the status quo will be. Violence will grow in both the numbers of incidences and in the extent of the violence. In the world we have today it is not possible to feel safe and secure because we live far from violent people in some part of the city or state. We have experienced violent people can be anywhere at anytime. There are too many opportunities for anger and hopelessness to spill over to any part of the city. If we do not deal with the sources of the emotional excess that shows itself in violent, abusive behavior there will precious little security or serenity for anyone.

Churches have a great opportunity to be a wonderful part of the healing, of sowing the seeds of hope and peace. Persons of faith can make the difference that secular programs and Spiritless organizations have not been able to do. Let’s do it now!