Illustration by Kristian Knutsen; image via city of Milwaukee

Series: Milwaukee Gun Violence

Milwaukee experienced a dramatic increase in shootings and homicides in 2015. This violence was concentrated in the poorest areas of Wisconsin's largest city, one with entrenched racial and economic disparities. The locations of most homicides correspond with the zip codes that have the highest poverty rates, the lowest levels of educational attainment, weak access to mental-health services, and high numbers of people struggling to pay rent. These issues are also connected to historical events like the city's urban-renewal programs of the 1960s, which displaced many African-American families from their homes.
 
Aerial view of Milwaukee, looking southeast
Series: Milwaukee Gun Violence

How Milwaukee's Economic, Social Disparities Correspond With Gun Violence

Scott Gordon
WisContext
Although crime, poverty and other social factors often overlap, mapping these factors in Milwaukee shows dramatic divisions that align with the city's racial segregation.
ShotSpotter screen view
Series: Milwaukee Gun Violence
Series: Known Unknowns
Series: Policing Practices And Accountability In Wisconsin

Milwaukee Committed To ShotSpotter But Outcomes, Data Remain Elusive

Scott Gordon
WisContext
As cities around the United States struggle to respond to gun violence in neighborhoods where residents may not trust law enforcement, dozens of police departments are turning to a gunshot-detection system called ShotSpotter.
Pretty Soon Runs Out
Series: Milwaukee Gun Violence

'Pretty Soon Runs Out' Film Captures Failures, Frustrations Of Milwaukee Urban Renewal

Scott Gordon
WisContext
"I mean business today," a Milwaukee woman identified only as Mrs. Taylor tells an official in the Department of City Development. "I've been put off long enough."
Series: Milwaukee Gun Violence
Series: Policing Practices And Accountability In Wisconsin

Sylville Smith, Violence And Racial Divides In Milwaukee

Scott Gordon
WisContext
Kristian Knutsen
WisContext
In the time since a Milwaukee Police Department officer shot and killed 23-year-old Sylville Smith on Saturday, August 13, 2016, Wisconsin has played host to a fractured yet familiar story.
Series: Milwaukee Gun Violence
Series: Policing Practices And Accountability In Wisconsin

Greeting New Year's In Milwaukee With Celebratory Gunfire

Scott Gordon
WisContext
When the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, people across the country celebrate by firing guns into the air. For a variety of reasons, it's not clear how many Americans actually do this.
Series: Milwaukee Gun Violence
Series: Policing Practices And Accountability In Wisconsin

What Milwaukee's ShotSpotter Sensors Hear

Scott Gordon
WisContext
An audio-based software system that helps police departments detect outdoor gunshots remains a mystery in many ways.
Series: Milwaukee Gun Violence
Series: Policing Practices And Accountability In Wisconsin

Gauging The Value Of ShotSpotter In Milwaukee

Kristian Knutsen
WisContext
Limited data about how the ShotSpotter alerts in Milwaukee between 2013 and 2015 shed some light on how this gunfire audio detection system is used by police.
Series: Milwaukee Gun Violence

Milwaukee Police Seize More Than 2,400 Guns In 2016

Ross Terrell
Wisconsin Public Radio
Officers took 2,419 guns off Milwaukee streets in 2016 according to the city's police Department, which amounts to more than 400 guns seized per 100,000 residents.
Series: Milwaukee Gun Violence

Cycle Of Loss Comes Full Circle For Milwaukee Family

Scott Gordon
WisContext
As Milwaukee grapples with increasing violence — against a national backdrop in which violent crime has steadily decreased since the early 1990s — there's no avoiding the multi-generational impacts of poverty and racial disparities in the city.