Photo by Tom Jenz
Tracey Dent
For several years, I’ve been walking around the central city and writing stories about people I meet, everyday Black residents trying to make a go of it in these tough times. I became interested in Tracey Dent because of his organization, Milwaukee Coalition Against Hate. I found out that, like me, Dent hates hate. He’s troubled with the prejudice between the races underscored with incendiary language and social media rants. With a boxer’s body, he’s tall and muscular, which betrays his gentle demeanor.
Dent did not get involved in community action until he was in his late 20s and a McDonald's store manager. Because he’d been a successful Black man in the work world, local teachers would ask him to speak to their classes. Twenty years ago, he started working for BMO Harris, and the bank sponsored him to be a Black achiever at the YMCA, working with teens as a mentor. He found that he loved helping youth. In 2009, he set up his own non-profit, Peace for Change Alliance. His Milwaukee Coalition Against Hate later became a shell for the Alliance. He also heads up Voices Against Violence Coalition and has done a number of vigils. He talks to different ethnic types of people in order to reach a level of understanding.
Milwaukee has already broken a record for the most crimes in the city’s history. In an effort to find peace, Dent, along with churches and other organizations, declared October 15 as Milwaukee Police Appreciation Day. He soon found out that several Black leaders and politicians were upset with him. He argues that the Black community has to work with the police to reduce violence in the central city. By the end of October, there were 178 homicides. He explains, “That means there are 178 families who want justice and closure. If you’re cussin’ out the police, can you tell those 178 families that we’re not gonna support the police? If somebody breaks into your house, steals your car or beats you, who you calling? The beat cops, that’s who.”
What is your mission?
The mission of the Coalition Against Hate is to change the mindset of people when it comes to pre-judgements. Basically, I believe we humans are all the same. We all want to live a comfortable life. We all bleed the same. We all die the same. I think it’s the fear of the unknown that fuels hatred between the races. We don’t understand each other’s culture. Black people are very emotional, but just because we’re emotional doesn’t mean we all turn violent, only a small percentage. Milwaukee has a lot of violence, and it’s usually Black on Black violence. It rarely happens that a Black person and a white person are gettin’ into it where they hurt, shoot or kill each other.
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Black behavior is often emotional—in music, conversation, sports and politics.
Some people say it’s because of slavery, generations of Blacks passing down their anger. I don’t look at it that way. I say it’s because we Americans made some wrong choices. We all know what’s right and what’s wrong. We need to focus on the right things to do. Not all Black people are criminals. Not all white people are racists. Not all Hispanics are illegal immigrants. We need to stop putting labels on one another and get to know each other individually, try to accept our cultural differences.
Unfortunately, there’s almost an entrenched prejudice that prevents understanding between social and political cultures.
I think that if your family is racist, you will most likely become racist. The curse is passed along.
Maybe the goal should be to overcome ingrained prejudice, one person at a time?
Ideally, we’re not here to offend each other. We’re here to understand each person’s lifestyle and culture. The media paint a negative view of the Black culture in Milwaukee. Almost every day you read about a Black person who was shot or killed. Yet there’s also a beautiful side of the Black culture that the media seems to ignore. You live in a small town, you turn on the news, and all you see about the Black lifestyle is negativity.
I found that the vast majority of Black residents abhor crime in their neighborhoods. They don’t want gangs, drug dealers, car stealers and reckless drivers. I don’t think their anti-crime message is being heard by the politicians, even the Black politicians. I’ve found that most of them spend very little time in the crime-ridden parts of their own districts.
That’s the problem right there. You hit it right on the head. If you’re gonna be a politician, you gotta be a leader, stand up against the status quo.
You support peaceful protest, but think the message has to be softer, more defined?
You can’t say the Fuck 12 chant. You just can’t say that. It means you’re sayin’ not just fuck the police but also fuck all those families that need justice. Protesters should focus on the bad officers and also focus on police reform. In my lifetime, I’ve been called a nigger plenty of times. That makes me angry, but eventually I cool down and feel sorry for that person because his heart is filled with hatred. You can put in all kinds of government policies, but those kind of people will still be racist, won’t like people of color. We can’t change everybody, but we have to try to get to know each other. If we can change the narrative of the culture here in Milwaukee, then we’re winning.”
I’ve attended a number of grass roots events put on by Black activists and organizers. I hear the complaints that the media won’t do extensive stories about Black on Black killings. But if there is a tragic white on white killing, the media will give multiple coverage of the white family members suffering heartbreak. It’s only when a policeman kills a Black person that the media will finally give coverage to grieving Black family members.
Right. The media control the narrative. The more drama, the more attention. That’s also true with social media. If you post anything positive on your Facebook page, you might get a couple likes. Post something bad about a killing or assault, you might get 100 responses.
Milwaukee is on the edge right now. All it would take is for a white or Black person to shoot each other and all hell’s gonna break loose. Yet our Black politicians seem to be afraid to upset their core base of support. Some have nobody running against them. Data doesn’t lie. Milwaukee is ranked as the worst city in the country for Black people to live, over Chicago, Los Angeles, New York. Little old Milwaukee, the worst for Black people and the worst education system. Where are the Black leaders who will stand up to the old system and say enough is enough? I tried to run for office with that mentality, and I lost big. If you are not part of the status quo, you can’t get elected. [In 2016, Tracey ran for city council in the 2nd district.]
You graduated from North Division in 1986?
It was still safe back then—you could walk down the street. That all changed in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s when crack cocaine became popular and gangs took over. There were crackhead mothers having babies. Back then, North Division and Washington High were number 2 and 3 in the country for teen pregnancy. North Division even had a daycare center to help teen mothers. Today, Milwaukee still has a high teen pregnancy. Most of those girls didn’t know how to be parents, and that still goes on today. But I always tell people that you got to know their stories before you pass judgement. In the Black community, there is this old saying, “Whatever happens in this house stays in this house.” So there could have been sexual molestation or violence going on, and nobody would know.
Let’s go back to your own history. What happened after high school?
Back then, I was young and just living life. I went to UWM and flunked out ‘cause I was partying too much. I never paid attention to politics, but I was a hard worker. My mom was a single parent. I was the youngest of three brothers and three sisters. We all chipped in, got jobs. That was our family norm. When I was 16, I was going to high school and still working 40 hours a week. I got married in 1999, divorced in 2001. Got married again in 2013. We have a 14-year old daughter who goes to the Milwaukee Excellence Charter School.
I’ve gotten to know a number of the on-the-ground Black activists like Frank Nitty, Vaun Mayes and Tory Lowe and I respect their efforts to achieve equity for their supporters. But I’m concerned that they sometimes get identified with the wrong people. I think they need to stay away from Antifa, a group with some members who have practiced violence and destruction in certain cities. And many Antifa members are young white men.
After George Floyd was killed, I was out on MLK Drive that first night of the protests. I saw some of the protesters burn buildings, break into stores, trash the streets. Those people were not from Milwaukee. This kind of destruction is no good for Black Lives Matter. For Black lives to matter, Blacks have to feel safe.”
I wonder what Milwaukee would be like if people dumped the rhetoric and tried to get along?
A coalition against hate.
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