By Dave Begel Contributing Writer Published Feb 02, 2016 at 5:03 PM Photography: Brendan O'Brien

Matthew Desmond works in one of those "professor-like" offices at Harvard, but he’s really at home in Milwaukee and Madison.

Desmond got his doctorate at UW-Madison and has used Milwaukee as a laboratory for his groundbreaking work on poverty and the relationship to eviction from homes for poor people.

He has written extensively on the subject and has now written an article for The New Yorker magazine entitled, "Forced Out."

"For many poor Americans, eviction never ends," the subhead reads, as the article focuses on Milwaukee and paints a vivid and human picture of another troubling challenge faced by poor people in Milwaukee. Later in the piece, Desmond talks about what led to his research in Milwaukee.

"Between 2009 and 2011, more than one in eight Milwaukee renters were displaced involuntarily," Desmond writes, "whether by formal or informal eviction, landlord foreclosure, or building condemnation."

You can read the rest of Desmond’s New Yorker article here.

 

Dave Begel Contributing Writer

With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.

He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.

This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.

Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.