Face it, we all have things we love and hate about Milwaukee. But, complaining and focusing on the negative leads nowhere. So, in this regular This Sucks" column we highlight an issue that we think needs to be addressed, discussed and solved. Every "This Sucks" feature tells you why we think something is bad (sucks), offers commentary, opinions, solutions and, of course, gives you the chance to weigh in through our exclusive talkback feature.

What sucks: Milwaukee seems unable to support a peaceful, prosperous hip-hop club. Case in point: Two men were killed and a third man was injured in a shooting early Sunday outside Visions, 1013 N. Old World 3rd St. The incident -- and reaction to it -- prompted bar owner Gary Cash to surrender his liquor license, adding Visions to a long list of failed clubs -- Pure, City Club, Emerald City, Parkbar, Shangrila Lounge and Da Jungle (pending) -- that catered to younger fans of hip-hop music, many of them African-American.

Why it sucks: In the grand scheme, the closing of a nightclub or two in a large city is not a big deal. This specific case, however, has once again picked off a scab and perpetuated a seemingly eternal chicken-and-egg argument in which young African-Americans (and hip-hop fans of all races) complain about a lack of entertainment venues in Milwaukee -- particularly Downtown -- while politicians, talk-show hosts and other business owners counter by saying that the venues close because of the violence, mismanagement and other problems that are prevalent and seemingly inevitable when they open.

What we get is a lot of finger-pointing, blame assigning and saber rattling, none of which is conducive to constructive dialogue.

Club owners often blame the Common Council or Milwaukee Police Department, either for hassling them too much or not reacting quickly enough to problems. The Common Council and Police Department often respond by blaming the club owners for security and capacity and other issues. The editorial writers and assorted other navel-gazers will condemn the fall of "family values," the erosion of the black middle class and the emphasis on violence and bravado that permeates the hip-hop culture.

Law-abiding fans of hip-hop, however, will squawk about being lumped in with a few thugs.

Milwaukee TV personality and activist Troy Shaw says the city simply doesn't cater to its young African-Americans.

"You wonder why there is an increase and crime in certain areas of the city," says Shaw, who hosts the television show "Focus on Diversity." "We have an issue in this community with race. It transcends entertainment, it transcends politics, and it transcends business. Unless we are willing to address this in realistic terms, we'll always have these problems with race, and Milwaukee will steadily lose because of it. We'll lose economically and in terms of education and health care."

As with many issues in Milwaukee, race casts a large shadow over the debate. White politicians, radio hosts and citizens who raise the issue are often dismissed as "racists." African-Americans, particularly those toward the younger end of the club-going demographic, feel persecuted, picked on and excluded from the cultural activity that makes downtown vibrant.

Shaw says the troublemakers make up a vast minority of the patrons at a club like Visions.

"Those individuals are basically helping to align themselves with shutting down African-American-oriented business. Those types of people exist in every realm," says Eugene Kane, columnist at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

What you can do to make it not suck: Dialogue and an open exchange of ideas.

According to Kane, there are ways to curb club violence.

"(One way to fix the problem) is to get all the guns off the street, but nobody wants to hear that one," says Kane.

As for Visions, Kane and many others questioned the police response.

"I'm hearing different things about the security of the place. It's amazing when you get a sense of how long this altercation -- after it had spread out into the street -- was going on. It seems to me, how the hell was there not a single cop car in that particular part of Downtown on Saturday night? A lot of people have problems with the way the bar's security handled it, but there was a whole big melee in the street and you have to wonder, where are the cops? But, if you say that, people will say, 'Don't blame the cops. They can't be everywhere.' They can't be everywhere, but they should be in some of the real hot spots on Saturday night," he says.

But Anne E. Schwartz, spokesperson for the Milwaukee Police Department, says it's entirely possible to have a hip-hop club without violence, though personal responsibility plays a role, too.

Says Schwartz, "Violence at any licensed premise is an issue of personal responsibility on the part of the patrons and responsibility on the part of the establishment to keep those patrons safe by obeying the city's ordinances. Any club can be a violence-free zone. There just has to be a commitment to make it that way by those who go there for enjoyment and by those who provide it."
 Page 1 of 2 (view all on one page)

Next >>

130 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...