Residents of the Wauwatosa and Milwaukee neighborhoods that surround Center Street Park have long known the park to be a treasured community gathering place, whether visiting the park for soccer practices, family cookouts, neighborhood celebrations or playground fun.
Then on May 30, violence struck. Neighbors were shaken by the news that a 22-year-old man was shot and killed and a 25-year-old woman arrested at an evening picnic party in the park. Community anxiety over the incident was hardly diminished by prosecutors’ decision not to file charges against the woman, based on claims of self defense. Little other information was released.
Now, residents, local officials, community groups and police agencies are discussing ways to encourage the public to return to the park, with events showcasing the park not as a crime scene but as a hub for positive community connections.
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The Friends of Center Street Park, a volunteer citizen group affiliated with Milwaukee County Parks, has scheduled a gathering at the park at 7 p.m. June 22 for the public "to join us and share their concerns, ideas and visions for the future of the park," according to Logan Glasenapp, the group's president.
And next week, on June 17, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, which investigated the fatal shooting at Center Street Park, has scheduled its next “pop up” community event there, featuring picnic food and opportunities to get to know neighbors and law enforcement officers. The event was planned with coordination from County Supervisors Shawn Rolland and Felesia Martin.