‘We cannot heal when we are alone’
Promoting peace at 10th Annual Heal the Hood
Keondra Sanford walked down to a block party Saturday, one she had never attended before.
She weaved through the crowd with her children, ages 8, 6 and 3, who eagerly checked out the giveaways: crayons, bilingual books, stickers, sunglasses and more.
Sanford chatted with staffers from the city Health Department and learned more about free COVID testing.
“It’s been great,” she said of the event. “It’s good that they’re coming out into the community and doing something different.”
Now in its 10th year, Heal the Hood promotes peace and positivity. It’s part block party, part resource fair, and it goes where people need it. The annual event took place amid a continued rise in deadly violence across the city this year.
Heal the Hood founder Ajamou Butler said the effort has lasted for so long because of grassroots support.
“We couldn’t do it just off our own drive to do it,” Butler said. “If it’s not supported by the community, by the hood, by the people, it’s not going to happen.”
In the past 10 years, other groups and nonprofits have started and stopped, for various reasons, but Heal the Hood remains.
“I’m honored that God and the community has chosen Heal the Hood to say we want to bring that back, we want to support that, we want to pour into that,” he said.
City and county leadership also support Butler’s work. The event has had strong backing from Ald. Milele Coggs. Although the location changes each year, it always is in the 6th aldermanic district, which Coggs represents.
This year, it took place on Wright Street, between North 1st Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Police Chief Jeffrey Norman stopped in Saturday, while staffers with multiple government agencies sat at tables offering everything from gun locks to toothbrushes.
“It’s important for us to be a part of this, to show up,” Norman said. “We cannot talk about engagement if we’re not showing it.”
And it can help lower crime, too. A report four years ago examined the blocks surrounding where Heal the Hood took place. It found a drop in violent crime the week after the event, compared with the week before the event, said Jessica Butler, project manager for 414LIFE, a violence interruption program.
The finding was not surprising to Butler, who has helped plan Heal the Hood for eight years. She is not related to Ajamou Butler.
“It all works together,” she said. “Folks get resources, they get to be in community, they get to know what it feels like to feel safe.”
Heal the Hood one of many anti-violence efforts over holiday weekend
Heal the Hood was one of several community events planned for the holiday weekend, considered the kickoff to summer and a time when gun violence typically rises.
As of Wednesday, 85 homicides had been reported in Milwaukee, a roughly 42% increase from the same time last year when there were 60, police data showed. The violence has continued since then with two more homicides reported overnight Friday.
“This weekend in particular is a fullcourt press for public engagement around connecting families with resources and connecting with young people who are at highest risk as well as adults who are at risk,” said David Muhammad, deputy director for the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services.
The county’s Credible Messenger effort — a collective of nonprofit
agencies and others who are mentoring young people — will be present in neighborhoods identified by the city’s Office of Violence Prevention, Muhammad said.
The goal is to have 50 messengers on the ground throughout the weekend, he said. Their job is to give out anti-violence resources and connect with local families about upcoming opportunities, like learning how to de-escalate conflicts. Several were doing that at Heal the Hood, where Muhammad served as the event’s co-host.
“Giving somebody pamphlet is one thing, connecting someone is another,” Muhammad said.
He gave a recent example: A young person under county supervision had been part of an ongoing conflict between two groups. The teen’s home was shot up two weeks ago and several of his relatives, including his mother, were injured and taken to a hospital.
“The mother was terrified of going home and drove around the city trying to buy time,” Muhammad said.
The teen’s mentor through the Credible Messenger program and other county and city departments worked together to help get the family clothes, an emergency hotel stay, stable housing and the first month’s rent, he said.
“That’s what this kind of collaborative looks like,” he said.
Contact Ashley Luthern at ashley.luthern@jrn.com.