WTMJ: Mayor Johnson launches Adopt-A-Neighborhood initiative in Milwaukee

Julien Johnson, WTMJ

MILWAUKEE — Mayor Cavalier Johnson announced the launch of the Adopt-A-Neighborhood initiative Tuesday at VIA Community Development Corporation(CDC). The 12-week initiative will begin in the Silver City neighborhood as well as in a neighborhood on Milwaukee’s north side. The program’s aim is for the beautification, community engagement, and public safety of a designated neighborhood.

Mayor Johnson said the pilot program is functioning through allocating already-existing resources available in the city of Milwaukee.

“[In an effort] to support and enhance the neighborhood through infrastructure, maintaining public spaces, and supporting community activities,” he said. “Some of those services and resources include a neighborhood cleanup [and] neighborhood canvassing by the Milwaukee Police Department to educate residents on how to report crime and repair streetlights.”

Johnson said he hopes to expand this initiative all across the Milwaukee area and encourages all residents to participate in this program.

Silver City resides in the 8th District, and Alderwoman of that district, Jocasta Zamarripa, told WTMJ she’s happy the Mayor decided to bring this to her district.

“Here on the near south side, we have an issue with getting our people… our constituency… to reach out and make and report concerns to our police or to their local alder,” she said. “I feel like a program like this could help to instill and increase that civic engagement.”

Zamarripa said she hopes residents all across Milwaukee will see this as a “boom” for city until it is implemented in more neighborhoods.

VIA CDC

The announcement was held at VIA CDC, in Silver City, where they do an abundance of community work with residents and public officials.

Executive Director of VIA CDC JoAnna Bautch told WTMJ more about what they do to make an impact in the community.

“We try to do a lot of activity that increases civic engagement. We have coffee with the elected official, where we invite the [8th District] Alderwoman to come and meet with neighbors and have casual conversations,” she said. “We’re just trying to strengthen relationships between neighbors, city officials, city departments… in hopes that we’re strengthening communication so that Silver City is a neighborhood that is active… and has folks that are participating.”

Bautch said she’s excited for what the Adopt-A-Neighborhood project can do for Milwaukee.

“I think this will be a really great way of demonstrating to neighbors that the city of Milwaukee and Mayor Johnson cares about our neighborhood and about our community.”

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