Image via Instagram / 414HypeHouse
Water Street for many years has been a hub of nightlife in the city of Milwaukee. With thousands returning to the Downtown entertainment district as life begins to resume a sense of normalcy, the area has seen several violent incidents, as well as shootings, many of which have been captured and distributed via social media. On Tuesday, mayor Tom Barrett held a virtual meeting with business owners, as well as members of the Milwaukee police and aldermen to discuss concerns from all sides.
Recent videos on social media have depicted fights, reckless driving, and other illicit activities in the business district, which will only likely see increased traffic as the Milwaukee Bucks continue through the playoffs and nightlife events return to normal. Viral Instagram and Snapchat account 414HypeHouse recently shared footage of motorcycles doing burnouts as well as other less than savory conduct along the busy street. The account has nearly 30,000 followers, and already has backup accounts in place in the event that it were to be banned by the social media service for violating the terms of service agreement.
While the area often maintains a police presence at night, the ratio of police officers to patrons generally makes crowd control an issue. Much of the disruption stems from crowds that are not populating the Water St. businesses, but are congregating in the area to socialize. Business owners are calling for a plan of action to help clean up the area.
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Aldermen Bob Bauman, Nik Kovac, and Chevy Johnson were amongst the participants on Tuesday’s call with the mayor, along with representatives from the Milwaukee Downtown BID. The police will continue to prohibit parking on Water Street at night, as well as the already in place crowd control methods, but as of Friday, no new policies have been implemented. With two Milwaukee Bucks playoff games as well as numerous weekend festivities planned, business owners will continue to do their best to curb any misconduct downtown.
