Photo by Tom Jenz
Cavalier Johnson and Ajamou Butler at Heal the Hood 2023
Cavalier Johnson and Ajamou Butler at Heal the Hood 2023
The annual Heal the Hood block party is a peaceful respite for inner city Black residents. This year, the May 27 event occupied four blocks, 8th through 12th Street on Burleigh, which included vendors, partiers, leaders, politicians and performers. There is a lot of healing to do in Milwaukee. As of May 31, the city saw 53 homicides, 2701 aggravated assaults and 313 non-fatal shootings. The activist leading the charge is the poet and performer Ajamou Butler, founder and Director of Heal the Hood.
“Heal The Hood is about fellowship and good energy,” Ajamou said. “For too long, our neighborhoods have been impacted by crime and gun violence.” He told me the block party was a safe space for people from inner city neighborhoods to learn about resources for getting help, finding housing, food assistance and health issues. Business and nonprofit vendors lined the streets, a raised performing stage at the center.
Throughout the afternoon, I managed to spend time with the Black influencers in attendance. Here is what they had to say.
The Mayor
Mayor Cavalier Johnson was ending his journey through Milwaukee Peace Week (May 22-28). He told me, “Milwaukee Peace Week came about because it’s important for us to work in a collaborative spirit with our partners in violence prevention and the nonprofit sector in order to shine a spotlight on peace and unity in our city. During the week, we had a peace walk on the south side, a faith breakfast on the north side including all denominations, and a gun summit with Latino groups and others. We also partnered with Real Men, Real Talk, and we had a session on stopping domestic violence. Today, we are here at Heal the Hood, and tomorrow I’ll be going to various churches on the north side and south side to talk about peace and unity in the city.”
“You’ve had success in your brief term in office,” I said, “new development, the downtown being revitalized, tourists returning to enjoy fun and recreation, and spend money. However, you are still dealing with healing the hood, the Black communities where progress has been slow. Your thoughts?”
“It’s important we keep having these neighborhood events like Heal the Hood,” the mayor said, “efforts to bring folks together to create a sense of neighborliness. Neighborhoods can be familial units. That’s why we decided to make Heal the Hood a part of Milwaukee Peace Week. We also want to make sure families and young people know about the opportunities that are available.” He went on, “Yesterday, the mayor’s office partnered with all the Milwaukee youth-serving services. If you are a young person who likes basketball, swimming, food preparation, 3-D printing, and camping, there are opportunities for you right now. Our partners at Safe & Sound will be the connective tissue. If you are a youth and want to get involved in almost any activity or learning skill, just contact Safe & Sound.”
The mayor made it a point to stress collaboration. “As for healing the hood, it can’t just be on me,” he said. “It can't just be on the police, and it can’t just be on violence prevention organizations, and it can't just be on the school system. It takes all of us, a collective village, to make sure young people and residents are in the healing place.”
The Police Chief
Over the pounding sounds of a performing drum corps, Police Chief Jeffrey Norman told me, “Our city needs this kind of festivity to remind us we all should come together and support one another. Lately, I am seeing more collaboration between police and residents. There seems to be a growing connection between our elected stakeholders, the citizens, the business community and police officers.”
The County Executive
County Executive David Crowley came to Heal the Hood with his two young daughters, ages 3 and 5. He told me, “I think I’ve been to all eleven of the Heal the Hood block parties. For me, it’s coming back to the inner city where I grew up on 23rd and Burleigh not far from here. I want to support the businesses, the nonprofits, and the organizers. I want my daughters to experience what happened to me, where their dad and mom come from. That kind of history also goes into the healing process.”
The Office of Violence Prevention
Karin Tyler is the Operations Manager of the Office of Violence Prevention. The music and conversations had grown supremely loud. Talking had turned into yelling. Tyler and I ducked into an alley where she told me, “We’ve been a sponsor of Heal the Hood for years. I look at this event as a kind of healing that happens when the community comes together. This is also a part of Mayor Johnson’s Milwaukee Peace Week. The OVP has aligned with the mayor on several events around the city this week, and all to encourage peace and healing. We are trying to spread awareness of violence prevention, but it will take all of us to make a difference—from parents to community and youth organizations.”
The Black Talk Radio Director
Kyle Wallace is the Director of Content at 101.7 The Truth, Black Talk radio. He said, “The Truth got started in 2021 prompted by the murder of George Floyd. The owner of Good Karma Brands wanted to do more to expand the voices in Milwaukee where there are not enough Black talk radio stations. That is why he started the commercial station 101.7 The Truth. We have a talk show format, and our job is to uplift the Black voices in Milwaukee, tell our stories from our own perspective. Our Black talk show hosts are from Milwaukee, and they provide positive voices of the Black experience. This is our first time here at Heal the Hood, and it is a terrific event to draw attention to Black neighborhoods coming together in peace.”
“The Architect”
Tarik Moody runs HYFIN, Connecting the Culture, a media movement from Public Radio Milwaukee. HYFIN connects with the latest Black culture news, music and podcasts. Standing behind the main stage, Tarik told me, “We celebrate Milwaukee’s Black culture. Black music, Black stories, workshops and underwriting opportunities. I’m here because I care about the Black community. I grew up in a similar Black neighborhood in Atlanta. Milwaukee is the biggest economic engine in the state. We have to look at investment. So far, investments have built up the Downtown’s infrastructure. Now we have to do the same thing to build up the inner city.”
The Photographer
Mary Lee Agnew, sometimes known as “The Fox Lady,” is a noted photographer of Milwaukee’s urban wildlife. She said, “Heal the Hood is a good idea because any kind of positive connection can help bring peace to inner city neighborhoods. Violence has been taking its toll for too long, particularly on young Black men.
I grew up in the inner city in the 1970s, lived in the Sherman Park area. My dad was a minister, his congregation predominately Black. Back then, most Blacks lived in family units, the adults with good factory jobs. I always felt safe walking around my neighborhood. I would not feel safe now. But as we see here, there are good people and good leaders trying to help, and they need our help.”
Neighbors Heal the Hood
As Milwaukee Black activist Tracey Dent told a group of followers, “To heal the hood, we need to create peaceful neighborhoods. You need to motivate people on your own block, in your own neighborhood. Get to know your neighbor. If there are arguments, the solution is to talk it out, not to hurt one another.”
