Milwaukee Police Department announces its new District 7 Sherman Park Policing Plan tonight at 6:30 at the Department of Public Works facility, 3850 N. 35th St.
Mayor Tom Barrett, Police Chief Edward A. Flynn, District 7 Capt. Patrick Mitchell and Ald. Willie Wade will join community leaders in announcing the plan for a neighborhood described in a statement as "not the most violent area of the city of Milwaukee, however, over the last several years incidents of violent crime, drug dealing and disorderly behavior (loud music, littering, public drinking and graffiti) have been on the rise."
The plan focuses on an area bounded by Center Street, Concordia Avenue, 35th Street and 51st Street. That area had six murders and 13 non-fatal shootings, as well as robberies, vehicle thefts and buglaries, according to the police department.
"If the situation in this neighborhood is not mitigated," the statement notes, "it is expected that it will continue to deteriorate with the result being higher levels of crime, fear and disorder."
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
