Today it was cold, dark, windy and rainy and the rest of the week is predicted to be the same. Keeping spirits high is difficult for me in this type of weather but I got a lift today from a call from a friend. My friend is a kindred spirit but visits Milwaukee, her home town, frequently or we talked by phone. But recently we both have been busy and there has not been much communication. So today, for me, was a good day to reconnect with my friend and catch up with our lives.

I am blessed to have as my best friend, my wife. We celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary last Saturday. I can share with her whatever is going on in my life and best of all, she is very forgiving.

When I was working in business or non-profits I knew a lot of persons but felt I had few of any close friends. Since I retired from working for money I have developed many good friendships with people of all ages, sex, income levels and races. Sometimes close friends come and go but most stay for life.

Part of having close friends is moving back to Milwaukee in 1995. Milwaukee is a big city but has a feel of a small town where everyone seems connected to everyone. This might be changing as the city becomes more transient and less long term residents but it is still there. Milwaukee, despite all its woes is a friendly environment where people can still talk to strangers and feel comfortable.

What worries me most about friendly Milwaukee is the discrimination by race that going on. Even during the heyday of the civil rights movement and open housing marches we did not have such racial discrimination as we have now, with separate neighborhoods for low income African Americans and low income Hispanics. The racism is not as overt as it was in the 60’s but it is extremely more powerful. People fear certain neighborhoods and the causes of poverty and violence, low employment, poor education, declining home ownership, lack of transportation; withdrawal of services seems to be spiraling out of control. If anything destroys the neighborhood spirit of Milwaukee it will be the failure to deal with root cause of violence and poverty. No one, not even the St. Vincent De Paul Society, dedicated to poor and marginalized, wants to be part of investing in these segregated low income neighborhoods.

Besides dealing with causes, not symptoms, of poverty and violence what can help save Milwaukee is friendship. Just like when I am low I can be picked up by a friend, so can Milwaukee rise again by friendships across and income levels and racial difference? Milwaukee needs to break down the walls of separation that are being built around North Central and South Central Milwaukee from the rest of the city and suburbs and declare friendship is what makes Milwaukee famous.

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