Case Study: Riverwest

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Hey everyone! You've got a bunch of really great contributors on this board. This is what American freedom is all about. Sorry I couldn't make it to the Shooter's Shop last weekend.

For those of you in the Milwaukee area, you're probably familiar with the Riverwest neighborhood just a little west of UWM. Violent crime is becoming atrociously high recently, both around UWM and even more so in the block of property just west of the river. In addition, the property prices in this location are ridiculously low...until you look at the violent crime statistics (robbery with a firearm for an example). I really think that this neighborhood could serve as an excellent example of what open carry can mean to a troubled neighborhood. If it were widely-accepted, the value of property in this part of Milwaukee could skyrocket (for those of you interested in makind money.

A visible presence of the ability of a US/WI citizen to protect their property and family in this area could possibly slash violent crimes and crimes against property in this geographic location very significantly. Right now, central city thugs are wreaking havoc on law-abiding citizens who do not exercise their right to keep and bear arms; despite the significant monetary investment that they've made with their properties in Riverwest. Criminals have been able to cherry-pick Riverwest residents (and more recently UWM students for nearly or over a decade now. MPD had better things to do than worry about law-abiding citizens bearing open carry weapons in this particular neighborhoos...I seriously doubt that MPD will be writing any CCW tickets in the area for those who have a decent reason to open carry, particularly in thei own neighborhood.

Just some thoughts. Getting late, so I can't write much more, but I'll have time for a couple follow-ups here and there as I free up a little more time.

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This is the neighborhood through which I commute from I-43 to the Eastside. They call it "transitional," I call it "anything but..." As the new MPD Chief picks up enforcement west of the freeway, I expect things to get worse around here. Funny, isn't it, how if a whole city is full of herd animals who won't protect themselves, then the wolves move about freely where ever the herders' coverage is thinnest? Last summer when enforcement and police presence was picked up in certain problem areas, the crime rates in those areas went down, but crime rates in neighboring areas went up. I call "duh," but the politicians and denizens honestly didn't see this coming; the police are a reactive force, they do not have the ability to infiltrate the criminals' respective decision loops.

I am not helped by my will to carry openly, though, due to the vehicle restrictions (which I may or may notignore if traveling through very early or very late).

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I'm a bit confused...

Pardon me if I'm reading your post wrong (it was a late hour...) but...it almost sounds as if you want to have forum members "make an appearance"...presumably armed..in Riverwest...?? Again, I apologize if that's a misread. Just the way it came across...You mention the neighborhood, state the problem and propose a solution under the guise of calling it a "case study" and a great "example"...

It also looks like you're suggesting someone buy a place, move in, and carry a gun to chase out the bad seeds to watch their investment soar...

I can't speak for anyone else...but my philosophy on the subject of carrying a firearm is as a last resort in ending a situation I wasn't smart enough or lucky enough to avoid...not ridding a neighborhood, even my own, of crime. The risks (legal as well as physical) are too high.

And if I did go there, I'd have to be very careful about where I carried. I'm not going to elaborate further in an effort to maintain the "plausible deniability" of anyone who wishes to carry in that neighborhood...

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Teej wrote:

It also looks like you're suggesting someone buy a place, move in, and carry a gun to chase out the bad seeds to watch their investment soar...

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I kind of read it the same way. If JRMD is looking for a private security force for a particular neighborhood, I don't think this is the place to find one.

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I took it as philosophical conversation, as in "let's talk about what could happen if these residents took a proactive approach to their community and armed themselves as a show of force and solidarityto discouragethe ne'er-do-wells in the area."

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Sounds like a plot for aCharles Bronson movie.

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I kind of read it the same way. If JRMD is looking for a private security force for a particular neighborhood, I don't think this is the place to find one.

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BNB & TEEJ The post was philosophical in nature with a whole slew of specific possible motivators (location, money, "saving college kids from evil-doers", police non-presence, personal protection) tossed in to add some flavor and kindle some ire. I don't live in that particular area, nor plan to anytime soon (or probably ever). The residents there are probably a little too laissez faire about a lot of different things, which doesn't help with the crime problem (not blaming the victims, however; just a general observation of property owners there).

Pointman is 100% right in that situation 1 can turn into situation 2 very quickly. This particular neighborhood is probably one of the best plausible examples of this possibility.

Not at all trying to recruit a police force; just trying to spark some conversation. Deliberately moving in to a bad area with the intent to really clean it up probably isn't going to work with a handful of "regular" citizens who aren't attached to huge political and economic connections that are going to support them. I don't like saying that last sentence, but it's probably true in most cases.

I agree w/ Rick in that I think that I understand the firearm transport laws currently on the books. However, they seem to make sense in some situations, but not in others. It's probably another law/policy that needs to be looked at along with CCW. It's a fairly clear law, but it just doesn't seem to make sense in certain scenarios. Then again, a lot of things don't make sense in WI.

Points' post script addition sums up a lot of my frustration with WI and Milwaukee. Where is all of the money going? Grrrr....

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JRMD wrote:

I kind of read it the same way. If JRMD is looking for a private security force for a particular neighborhood, I don't think this is the place to find one.

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BNB & TEEJ The post was philosophical in nature....

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Then again, a lot of things don't make sense in WI.

Points' post script addition sums up a lot of my frustration with WI and Milwaukee. Where is all of the money going? Grrrr....

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Taken as philosophical. Make sense?Yes, the sheep elected those that deny our rights because they think the police will protect them. Good question about the money. If it is like it is here then you're paying for consultants in addition to the people that are suppose to be doing the job.