Milwaukee Strong: Juneteenth was wonderful, don't let the 0.1% dominate the conversation

For 99.9% of the day, Milwaukee’s Juneteenth Day celebration was a wonderful showing of love, coming together, and entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, most people will only be talking about the 0.1% that resulted in a shooting just after the day’s events officially wrapped up.

Six people were shot, ages 14-19. All were taken to a local hospital for non-fatal injuries, stemming from an argument between teens that happened around 4:20 p.m. Monday.

I hate that we must discuss the 0.1% of a beautiful celebration, the violence stemming from using guns to resolve disputes that is causing most of our city’s problems.

I hate that we are not discussing a picture-perfect day along King Drive or the hundreds who marched in the parade or the beautiful cars that took part, from the late-model Corvettes to the 1934 Excalibur.

We should be talking about the great diversity of food vendors and the plethora of resource tables to connect people to much-needed services like mental health, medical care, and mentoring, like Running Rebels and Tru Skool.

We are not talking about the bonding over a friendly game of basketball between Milwaukee Police and the youth or the love and positivity that make the celebration unique. There is no other celebration like Juneteenth, a day to commemorate the end of slavery in America.

Instead, we now have some Black people saying they will never go to Juneteenth again. If you let that incident prevent you from attending, then you let that 0.1% win. You are also letting down your ancestors who endured the brutality of slavery. We owe it to them to not let violence win.

Bad news travels fast, but we can't allow it to taint a positive event

My wife and I arrived at Juneteenth around 7:15 a.m. to help set up the Journal Sentinel booth. As we worked, we watched others do the same. People were friendly. Many helped their neighbors set up their canopies. They shared stories and business cards. As the food vendors prepared meals, they encouraged people to return later, some proclaiming they'd serve the best rib tips in town.

I ran into my high school friend/college roommate from Marquette University, Robert Gayle, and his beautiful wife, and we made plans to have dinner. I saw Derek Mosley, director of Marquette Law School's Lubar Center, and his youngest daughter. They took a photo together at the Journal Sentinel booth.

We saw people learn about the power of the vote at the Souls to the Polls booth. We saw police officers taking pictures with youth and members of the community. We also saw young people learn about different programming they can be involved in.

It was a great day.

“It was a celebration of our ancestors. We learned about history, shared delicious food, and experienced the positivity of love that’s often not shown in the media,” said Lia Knox, a Black woman and founder and CEO of Knox Behavioral Health Solutions and Co-Founder of Black Space Inc., which provides research-based education, training, and workshops.

Knox attended Juneteenth with her fiancé, Keith Reid. They were at the event from noon until 4:15 p.m. and left minutes before the shooting took place.

She said she didn’t know what happened until she received phone calls from friends and relatives asking if she was OK. After the first reports came out, she knew the main takeaway from the day would be the shooting.

“Bad news travels fast, but we must tell our narrative. This was a very positive event, and the shooting occurred when Juneteenth was over,” Knox said.

This is a moment to be Milwaukee Strong, not turn away from Juneteenth

Violence can occur anywhere. The event was open to the public and drew in people from all over Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.

I understand a lot about trauma and triggers. However, boycotting Juneteenth based on the negative actions of the teens does not make Milwaukee safer. What makes our city safe is a strong, united stance against negativity.

After Darrell Brooks Jr. drove his SUV through the Waukesha Christmas parade in 2021 parade killing six people and injuring 62 others, residents united under the banner “Waukesha Strong.”

Instead of canceling the parade or not attending in 2022, Waukesha residents shared their stories and used that strength to grow stronger. They honored the resiliency of the residents of Waukesha.

Milwaukeeans need to do the same. We need to show that violence and terror will not be tolerated.

It will take all of us to make Milwaukee safer

"Milwaukee, what's going on with our children?" Police Chief Jeffrey Norman asked at a news conference following the shooting.

"Parents, guardians, elders, we need to engage and ensure that this violence that our children are bringing to these streets ceases," Norman said. "No handgun, no weapon of destruction, should be in the hands of our young ones. It's important that all of us do something."

He's right.

Unfortunately, the young people involved missed a great opportunity at Juneteenth to connect with organizations designed to keep them out of violent situations. Of the 400 vendors, dozens worked specifically with youth and young people to keep them safe; help them focus on life after high school; turn them into leaders; provide mentorship; job opportunities; anger management; and trauma-informed care.

When people say Milwaukee youth have nothing positive to do over the summer. I find that hard to believe because of the many opportunities available.

More: Camp Rise gives kids opportunity to earn and learn from mentors

Parents and youth must do a better job of connecting to these organizations. These nonprofits, mentors, parents, and grandparents can turn a youth’s life around and help save lives: theirs and ours.

In the end, though, we can't turn away. We need to be Milwaukee Strong and recognize, in Chief Norman's words, this is an "us thing."

"This is not a Milwaukee Police Department thing. Not the mayor's thing. Not just only community organizers. It's an 'us' thing," he said. "We need you, all of you to be part of this effort to make our city safer."

James E. Causey has been covering his hometown ever since a high school internship through the Milwaukee Sentinel. This column first published at the Journal Sentinel, where he now writes and edits news stories. Causey was a health fellow at the University of Southern California in 2018 and a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 2007. Follow him on Twitter: @jecausey

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Kids with guns cannot ruin Milwaukee's Juneteenth Day.