Gun violence continues to soar in Milwaukee and a Third Ward firm is accused of scamming customers

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·4 min read

Winter usually provides relief from gun violence in Milwaukee. Not in 2022.

  • Winter months are commonly associated with a downturn in violent crime, but 53 homicides were reported in the first three months of 2022. It’s a figure that more closely resembles Milwaukee’s homicide rate in warmer months over the last two years and it is double the number of homicides reported after the first three months of 2021, when the city broke its record for the second year in a row. Cities across the U.S. have been dealing with a historic rise in violent crime since 2020 and the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted the lives of hundreds of millions of Americans, and the murder of George Floyd, which some experts believe diminished police legitimacy in some communities.

  • In Milwaukee, the conversations around violent crime have not changed much. Public safety officials and activists are in agreement that the driving force behind the violence is a volatile mixture of interpersonal conflict escalating to lethal violence due to the easy access of guns. “They settle disagreements with a gun,” said Tracey Dent, a community activist. “There’s no way to sugarcoat it. It’s so easy to get a gun on the streets.”

  • The latest available data from the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission, from January through February, shows that arguments continue to be cited as the primary factor behind homicides and nonfatal shootings. They account for 43% of such incidents so far this year, up about 10% from each of the past two years, according to the commission. The primary cause behind roughly a third of homicides and nonfatal shootings go unexplained year to year. Blacks make up 86% of victims and 94% of suspects of nonfatal shootings and homicides. It continues long-held demographic trends because of decades of neglect, poverty and racial segregation in Milwaukee.

Customers say Cream City Restoration scammed money, furniture from them

  • Priceless family heirlooms are locked up in a south side warehouse, and angry customers say they're out thousands of dollars following the closure of a tony Third Ward furniture store. Siri Peterson thinks her $800 dresser is in that warehouse. Despite months of phone calls to Cream City Restoration, she doubts she'll ever get it back. “At this point, I don’t even want it back," Peterson said. "I just want my money.”

  • Many believe Cream City Restoration was a Ponzi scheme — with the owners selling furniture or restoration services but never delivering — and then reselling the furniture again to others to keep the business afloat. Owner Jason McGinnis deferred all questions to Milwaukee bankruptcy attorney Richard Check. “No other communication will be answered moving forward,” McGinnis wrote in a Facebook messenger post to the Journal Sentinel. Check said he's helping Cream City Restoration close down the business.

  • The Milwaukee Police Department has been called by several people who say they are owed their furniture or money from Cream City Restoration. Sgt. Kathryn Anderer said there is furniture in the warehouse, but at this time, nothing can be done about it. “Usually, if someone signs a contract for a service with a private business, it is a civil matter,” Anderer said, adding a criminal case could still be opened against Cream City Restoration.

  • Check, Cream City's attorney, said there will be four dates between April 18 and April 29 where property owners can make arrangements to claim their furniture. Check will also liquidate Cream City's assets in an attempt to make property owners whole.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Gun violence continues to soar in Milwaukee