2nd:  Found another, smaller bunch of broken glass on the sidewalk this morning - presumable from a small, clear whiskey glass.  Were I a nightowl, I'd be able to catch whomever the scumbags are who are turning our street into a middle of the night club - assuming it isn't coming from drive-by cars.

4th:  Found a rubber glove amongst the litter on this morning's front lawn - usually an accessory of the prostitution trade when found near where cars park -- also found three aluminum cans in the gutters on either side of the street --- indicating last night was a party night out in front of my house, once again.

Caught a bird eating the cat food left out on the picnic table overnight - thereby explaining the sudden appearance of numerous droppings around there this morning -- moved the small pellets remaining to the bird feeder hanging from the back porch.

Today's Crime of the Day involved a falling down drunk being aided by both the police and fire rescue team up at the new Citgo station and convenience store at 37th and North.  Saw another drunk being questioned by two officers at the Love's Liquor store at 30th and North a little later but didn't take a picture - overheard something about "why did you take it?", though.  Sundays are a prime day for drunks all over the world.

5th:  Walked to the VA hospital for my initial visit to check-up on (and confirm that) my prostate is 'dead'.  Took a picture of the new stadium and the path to it from the VA grounds on the walk back.

7th:  Did my poll working stint at 38th Street School, yesterday, from 6:30 am to 9:00 pm with two breaks entailing a total of 45 minutes.  We had 1068 ballots cast and 1052 voters - meaning 16 tallying mistakes were made or 16 people managed to get ballots without having to be tallied -- what with the crowd of people coming and going through the polling place, I believe the latter is a high possibility --- several groups of young girls and boys coming and going at least twice.
    That 1052 voter number, including several hundred on site registrations, probably (I'm estimating 2100+ registered voters in the three wards [129 130 131] voting at 38th Street School) represents a less than 50% turnout - far less than the 72% predicted by election officials at City Hall.  The City web site shows we had a turnout of 47%.  I'd thought that the negatives surrounding all the bad financial and personal press regarding incumbant Mayor Pratt would motivate a lot of Black people to vote with their feet - meaning they'd just stay away from the polls -- a look at just who didn't vote, yesterday, in the Inner City wards would prove or disprove that theory --- something I may be able to do after this November's elections when I buy a detailed voting history of the wards in our neighborhood for the past decade from the City Elections Commission.

Noticed a real estate sale sign with the surname of one of the thousands of variations in the spelling of our family name on the way to the polls on 39th street, yesterday.  Also saw three squad cars and a MPD Supervisor's jeep yesterday - the jeep and two of the squads associated with the problem house across the street at 5:15 am yesterday morning.  The other squad blocked the street at 40th and Wright, just before noon, while inspecting the driver door of a tow truck - don't understand what that was about.

11th:  Only three of us attended last night's Block Club Meeting - me being the only person from our block.  I'm hoping more show up for this afternoon's alternative meeting.  (A few from our block could have been coaxed into attending had I spent a couple hours telephoning and/or knocking on doors, but then that would mean a lot more time also spent getting them to fulfill any committments made at such a meeting - a phenomenon evidenced by the history of past events on our block -- a reason why 'my attitude' has evolved into one where we communicate when we have time and resolve problems on an ongoing basis without the need and EXTRA TIME required for 'ORGANIZED' meetings such as these held last night and this afternoon.)

12th:  Well, not much has changed over 10 years on our block regarding block club meetings - nobody came to yesterday afternoon's meeting -- even with the extra enticement about how to spend the $2,000 mini-grant I'm supposed to get in June --- meaning nobody should care when that money gets spent outside our block.

Took a walk up North Avenue after the 'no-show' meeting to get pictures of the former Ritter-Larsen Bros funeral home at 53rd - for sale since at least the middle of last month -- a circumstance I'd already passed along to members of the Hmong Community looking for a church location for themselves.

13th:  Another among many duplexes in the neighborhood is for sale - this being one of the four well built older houses at 39th and North.

The Group Home drove a big U-Haul truck over my curb and sidewalk.

16th:  Another duplex on 45th had a fire this morning - identifying a sturdy old house that's going to become another empty lot some day.  This is the block where the Walgreens Drug Store is anchored at 45th and North Ave.

While bicycling up Center looking for dumpsters for our Saturday clean-up (found none down there), I took a picture of the empty lot where a new neighborhood park is going to be built - the energy and passion to do so coming from the 37th Street Block Club -- the primary group of 'movers and shakers' in the METCALFE PARK NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION.  [ Back in the mid- to late-1950s, us nascent teenagers used to buy our 'Lucky Strike' cigarettes at the Standard Service Station that used to be sited there - at 25 cents a pack from the vending machine -- the most popular brand of the time --- the owner and chief mechanic was almost always inside one of the two bays working on a car (or something) ---- ensuring that he couldn't witness our 'illegal' purchases. ]

17th:  The young women of the Alpha Xi Delta (AXD) Sorority at Marquette University provided the lady-power for this year's Hunger Day clean-up Four young women (Nicole Lexie Christina Katie) helped me clean our block, the empty lot at 40th and Wright and half of the rest of that next block north of mine - other crews, including neighborhood kids and adults, met us after finishing their clean-ups on 39th through 41st streets -- we then proceeding back to my house to take a group picture --- that group picture still lacking a couple dozen others involved with the clean-ups on 38th street and the area between Meinecke and North ---- there being 70 AXD sorority members involved in the clean-up.
   Pouches and boxes of juice and cookies were provided to volunteers courtesy of Second Harvest of Wisconsin and our local OUTSTANDING Community Organizer, Merrie - they being kept in my refrigerator (one recycled from the alley a couple years ago) overnight.

After the clean-up, I helped fix a couple bicycles for 'Cash Money' and a couple kids who used to live upstairs at his house a couple years ago but now live on 36th street -- me having to discipline 'CM' by taking a large adjustible crescent wrench away from him (and the others - the other, older boys giving him the wrench) after returning from my basement with another needed tool (6 cans rental fee per tool, of course) and discovering him using it to hammer away at one of the bikes they later left on my sidewalk after cannibalizing it of all useful (in their minds) parts --- me later moving that bike into the alley.

Then, while walking up to Jewel-Osco to buy a pail of ice cream as a treat to myself for all the hard work (the ice cream not helping my prostate problems but me wanting to 'live', too), I noticed today's Crime of the Day - three (or more unseen) handcuffed teenagers being questioned by officers at 39th and Meinecke -- most likely as a result of being stopped inside a stolen car (or possibly, though I doubt it very much, for being involved in drug sales at that corner) --- that corner seeing quite a bit of teen presence recently.

20th:  My garbage cart disappeared coincident with the collection crew coming through the alley - it may have been too heavy due to the gutter crud placed in it Saturday when the Marquette students were here.  Called DPW to request a replacement.  (The replacement finally arrived on May 24th - more than a month later -- me still having to pay garbage collection fees for two units during that month even though only one unit had a cart capable of being collected.)

21st:  A Group Home incident monopolized more time and energy this morning.

23rd:  Another picture had to be taken to document deleterious actions taken by the Group Home next door.

24th:  Noticed a stripped duplex on 30th while walking back from the latest School for Resident Leaders meeting - it showing the strong old wood used in these fine old buildings.  Also took pictures of works in progress along North Ave - one a privately owned and the other a government supported office and apartment building sited where the lots had long been empty - directly across the street from the Ralph Metcalfe Neighborhood Schoool and the Roger and Leona Fitzsimmons Boys and Girls Club.

25th:  Today's paper has an article about the School for Resident Leaders; the Hmong members of which held a clean-up this morning - me and some neighbor kids from 29th and Galena helping to clean the area between Cherry to Walnut and 28th to 30th.  (Metro, pronounced with along E as in SEE, his brother Germain and their cousin Man helped on their own and the last block - Shawn watched but showed up for a soda after it was all over -- they all knew their Block Captain, Ms Deeann, but she wasn't out.)
    Took a picture of the fire damaged duplex at 33rd and Lloyd while bicycling home - had taken pictures in that area exactly three weeks ago.  (A picture in the April 28th, 2004 Milwaukee Community Journal shows the fire damaged house and former occupants - it also hints that the Spirit Governed Church and Ministries may have taken over the old Mercy Memorial church on the corner.)

Also learned the Laotian word for hello, today, making my cumulative list of learned words:

27th - Tuesday:  The garbage cart has now been in front of the group home next door for two weeks - me not hearing the DPW truck this afternoon in time to move it around to the alley for collection -- last week's collection was on Monday --- the week before on Tuesday.

Mowed the lawn for the first time this year.

28th:  Another bunch of broken glass was found in the gutter and street this morning - the car from whence it came was nowhere to be found by the time I got out there.

1st:  Captured the uniquely decorated house at 34th and Cherry on the walk back from the 3rd annual Making Connections Milwaukee Family Event.  Took more pictures of the 35th Street School abuilding at 35th and Galena; as well as the 'very' old 37th Street School at 37th and Roberts that it replaces.

2nd:  Saw a good alternative treasure box (street dumpster) of a height tall enough to discourage all but contractors from being able to fill it - also discouraging others, like me, from recycling 'treasure' from it -- it being supplied by a private company instead of the city.

3rd:  The humongous pile of trash was finally picked-up behind the Group Home next door - as well as the single garbage cart misplaced on the front sidewalk -- the trash was in the alley 24 days!  And, this same afternoon, a worker from the group home began building yet another pile of trash in the alley!

4th:  Attempted calling the Mayor's office this morning at 10:20 am about this latest pile of trash abuilding behind the Group Home next door - nobody is answering -- is the honeymoon over?!

5th:  Took various actions regarding the Group Home next door.

9th:  After on and off rain yesterday and last night, fog greeted us this morning.  This year's annual dumpster, dropped Friday morning, is almost overflowing two days later.

10th:  Today's Crime of the Day appears to be another abandoned car parked along Meinecke - the first picture taken from inside my rear yard at the alley gate just after the officer had closed the driver's door and returned to his squad to wait for the tow truck.  The importance of noting these things, of course, is that the 'car borrower' lives in this neighborhood - someone who will evidence other behavior detrimental to our quality of life and about which we need to be 'en garde'.

11th:  More fog this morning after several days of rain - the mismatched pair of sneakers in my front yard presumably not dropped there by it - the rain, with some shoveling help from me, has also helped clean the gutters.

12th:  Last night's NewsHour with Jim Lehrer had a discussion about The Psychology of Abusive Bahavior relating to U. S. Military Police at the Abu Graib Prison in Iraq.  A psychology professor on the panel, Philip Zimbardo from Stanford U., conducted a landmark study done back in 1971 which had University students acting out the roles of prison guards over other student volunteers - resulting in them abusing their authority much as was evidenced in Iraq -- the conclusion being that it was not difficult to find people (educated or not) almost anywhere capable of the most basest of human behaviors.  But, that's not the whole story - I was part of a forerunner to that experiment at the U. of New Mexico in the Spring of 1971 -- one that was not designed to present the results attained.  (The U. of New Mexico experiment followed an earlier one of the same scope - I think that one took place at the U. of Hawaii.)

I don't know if it was the same professor, but the one who came to us had designed the experiment to display how it might be were the Nazi tactics of WWII replicated in our modern era.  Students were recruited to check individuals waiting in line against 3x5 cards for admission to the 'light show type movie' that was the draw to get mass attendance - with many being rejected outright and others pulled out and brought to private rooms for interrogation by other student recruit-leaders.  I was rejected for admission on my first attempt and brought in for interrogation on my second and final attempt.  (Saw the movie on the second attempt - it was not the memorable part of the event.)

The interrogation consisted of several male and female recruit-leaders asking increasingly personal questions, mostly of a sexual nature, while every now and then requesting me to remove some article of clothing.  I answered the personal questions truthfully without hesitation and also refused to remove any of my clothing.  When the recruit-leaders all left the room for some reason, I snuck out to watch the movie among the several hundred others in the main hall of the building where the event was held.

The next day, in one of the two sociology classes I had with a professor who was enraptured with this experiment and the professor bringing it to our campus, I made the comment that what I most got out of it all was how easy it was to recruit fellow students on our campus to go along with such detestable behavior - especially those asking the questions.  This professor didn't like my attitude at all - he eventually grading me with C's for both of this classes -- me deserving one but not the other (it should have been a B) --- those being 2 of the 3 C's I received during my entire undergradute and graduate college career ---- all three received that Spring semester when I took 27 for credit and another 6 not for credit classes ----- going to school from 9 to 5 each day just like a regular job, except with a lot of homework.

In other words, the people designing this experiment didn't intend it to display or discover the undesirable aspects of human behavior always present in 'all' of us - it wanted to present those aspects of that type of behavior in 'others' -- a typically bigoted and arrogant view of the world in an 'us versus them' sort of way.  (What separates those of us who evidence these behaviors and those of us who don't is probably mostly a matter of self-discipline, civic responsibility and pride, respect for our fellow human beings and courage in the face of peer group pressure.)

13th:  Yesterday's Crime of the Day involved a police chase and ramming that forced the civilian's car to jump the curb at 40th and Wright, uproot and destroy the one-way sign sign, scar the sidewalk and dent the fence of the house on the corner.  Also noticed the empty lot at 39th is still full of parked cars - many of them there while the half-dozen or more police were in the area after the chase ended last evening around 6:00 pm -- it being too dark for my Logitech Digital Camera pictures to turn out then --- took em this morning.

Found a note on the sidewalk this morning - indicating more partying ongoing on the street here -- or elsewhere if the wind blew the note here.

14th:  Still raining - will start building an ark if it keeps up much longer.

Heard a noise in the alley while a half-dozen of us 40th and 41st street neighbors were meeting to discuss our $5k Big3 Block Club grant proposal last night.  Discovered two kids riding on one bike traversing the alley pulling over garbage and recycling carts as they passed by each one - the taller passenger doing the grabbing -- he also being the one running off into the 'tri-plex' yard when I shouted a very loud HEY! at them --- the bicycle 'driver' coming back to say that he hadn't done anything, he'd just been 'driving' the bike.  I explained how that type of excuse wouldn't work when he got older and got in more serious trouble - that the prisons were full of people who said, "Hey, I didn't do anything!  I just drove the 'getaway' car."
    Without waiting for my response to his query about whether he should return the carts to their upright position, he started doing so - he being one of the newest kids I'd gotten to know on the block and whose name I couldn't remember -- his friend being someone who needed to come up with $2 or 100 cans to buy a combination bicycle lock from me to be able to secure his bike while visiting friends to play at the Auer Avenue playground --- me, coincidentally, having done the same thing at the same playground 50 years ago.

16th:  This week's walk along North Avenue found evidence of vandalism at the 39th street egress portals to the New Covenant Housing Corporation - only one of the capstones was intact -- don't know when that happened.
    Further along, at the We Energies building at 32nd and North, a little bunny was giving itself a dirt bath in the bushes - he or she not too concerned about my proximity and picture taking.

18th:  Today's garbage collection crew left my cart with some trash still in it - didn't recognize them as our regular crew.  Not only that, the garbage cart I requested a month ago on April 20th, the day after my 10 plus year old address painted one disappeared, simultaneous with the weekly collection, has yet to be delivered.  Called a second time on May 12th - the telephone person indicating that the crew had seen two carts and decided I didn't need another -- me explaining to her that the other cart has no rubber on the wheels and is non-functional until I replace them with others I eventually find --- she indicating that she'll pass that information along and make sure the new replacement cart is delivered ---- at this late date me figuring that I'm going to have to write another letter to the Mayor and all 15 Aldermen in order to once again get some respect from the Milwaukee garbage collectors.  (The cart was finally delivered the next week on the 24th.)

22nd:  Today's news confirmed that we've only had two days in the past 13 where it hasn't rained - building an ark is looking like a good idea more and more each rainy day.

Attended the latest Community Brainstorming Conference breakfast this morning to hear about Economic Development and jobs and network with fellow community activists and politicos who always attend these events.

Went to the Hmong ABC Radio Community Resource Fair at North Division High School a couple blocks away at 10th and Center after - obtaining a free case of 'hot' ramen noodle type soup in the process.  Also watched the Hmong youth dancers learned some more about community business activity at the various booths, networked with Senators Coggs and Moore (again - they also attending the CBC conference earlier) and shook Senator Feingold's hand for the first time.  (Also left the purse full of pictures I'd retrieved from the gutter in front of the Group Home next door on the 20th - the name on the ID being of a 14 year old Hmong girl attending Pulaski HS.)

23rd:  Today's recreational opportunity involved one bored child repeatedly smashing an old quarter-full paint can against the alley pavement - it fortunately being dry instead of very messy and spreadable wet paint -- he stopping when I began walking up the alley from my yard --- me asking 'what's happening?' as I passed ---- he, while beginning to scratch at a piece of concrete comprising the old cement ash box enclosure still surrounding the garbage cart pickup behind his house, saying he was trying to 'get out' a piece of rock.  He had apparently not noticed me watching him from my alley fence until I walked out into the alley to make my presence more obvious - thinking I'd not seen him smashing the can -- me making no mention of the can smashing but moving it from the pavement to a garbage cart on my walk back after he'd already disappeared into his yard.  In any case, all he may have needed to dissipate the anger directed against the can and pavement was some attention from someone who knew his name and recognized him as a fellow human worthy of notice and regard - methinks, anyway.

24th:  Finally received the new garbage cart requested around April 20th - more than a month ago -- me still having to pay garbage collection fees for two units during that month even though only one unit had a cart capable of being collected --- going to small claims court for a refund being too much of a hassle, this time.)

25th:  The stick in the trash cart was apparently preventing the bottom portion from being emptied - for the second week in a row -- I moved the stick.  The yellow truck is the double binned recycling truck that happened to come by, again, today - probably to pick up the garbage containing blue recycling carts not picked up with the normal recyclibles yesterday -- it's not the garbage collection truck --- each truck having unique grabbers accomodating the design of the differing carts ---- just one more reason the cost of providing services in Milwaukee is higher than need be were intelligent planning involving beforehand.

Noticed that the apartment/office building at 44th & North has scaffolding along the east side - indicating that, after a half-dozen years of 'rhetoric', it is being rehabilitated.

Also noted that the outdated voting sign is still in the windows of the old Finney Library at Sherman Blvd. and North Ave. - placed a call to Alderman Hines' office about 'em -- offering to remove them myself were I allowed access to the building now under city control.

Lastly, while sitting out front reading this week's Shepherd Express, a car drove up and a woman and young man got out and proceeded up the front porch of the house across the street to place a sign soliciting home sellers or those looking for re-financing help - an older man got out and stayed with me at my sidewalk talking about real estate, in general, in the neighborhood -- they seemed to be a family, an all White family in our mostly all Black neighborhood --- making me think the real estate transactions evidenced around here over the past year are really heating up and getting very serious.

28th:  Caught the seldom seen street sweeper driving up the middle of the street, once again - it not going along the curbs to collect the trash and litter there -- it having just come up the 2400 block alley between 39th and 40th and bypassing the leaves and litter in the gutter between the alley and 40th, even though there were no cars blocking its way.

29th:  Today's Crime of the Day involved a squad and paddy wagon visiting someone in the middle of our block - on my side of the street, apparently.

1st:  Today's Crime of the Day involved a four squads visiting someone at the corner house at Lloyd and 41st - one that looked like a rooming house but hadn't had problems I'd noticed while walking by dozens of times over the past 16 years.

Early this morning or last night, another crime happened to the fine old home at the corner of Grant Blvd and Locust - a 16 year old driver had been stopped by the police for 'suspicious' driving -- she taking off and the police giving chase --- chasing her into the tree and then into the entryway/mud room ---- leaving a piece of the car in the tree and pushing the west wall out off the foundation about six inches.  The handyman-neighbor who'd been helping the owner for years was already cleaning up and saving bricks and showed me the damage - all the houses on Grant Boulevard are on the National Registry of Historic Places -- meaning that the repair costs are that much more expensive for having to return the building to 'historical' status.  [ The last picture shows the crew finally completing the rehab job on 8/9/04. ]

3rd:  This morning's Wall Street Journal was delivered haphazardly - maybe my not renewing the subscription back in March is finally making the circulation people realize that I NO LONGER WANT TO RECEIVE IT!

Witnessed a drive-by bottle throwing incident yesterday afternoon.  While bicycling westward up Meinecke at 2:30, I witnessed a driver throw a bottle out the window toward the curb of a home on Meinecke near Grant - it breaking into pieces in the street and gutter between the house and the garage of the home facing Grant Blvd. next door.  Followed him up to Sherman Blvd to take pictures; and get his license plate number just in case anything can be done about this 'witnessed' instance of scumbagicity.

Lastly, on this pleasant June day, someone threw out a cheap but working wheelchair that made its way from the alley to our sidewalk; where it was abandoned after the kids had their fun - where I retrieved it after discovering its history and lack of ownership while delivering Block Cluster Club flyers to each household on our block (for a party at Butterfly Park this Saturday) -- the wheelchair now mine after having been thoroughly inspected and cleaned.

4th:  Recycled a couple more six by sixes to hold back the plants threatening to take over the front lawn - only one of the ten 6x6's obtained last year is left.

A positive sign of the times evidenced itself over on 39th today - Fire Department Training Exercise on a long abandoned former tri-plex that looks better today than it did a few months ago.  It appears we are having so few fires these days that the firemen must have training exercises - a very positive development.  Omar, Detrell, Quan and Walter enjoyed it all and had their pictures taken to boot - they also are eagerly looking forward to our party in Butterfly Park, tomorrow - Quan reminded me that I let him ride my bike around for a while after our Hunger Day Clean-up back on April 17th.

The house at the corner of 42nd and North has finally come down.

5th:  Today's Crime of the Day involved a driver failing to stop at the STOP sign at 37th & Meinecke - witnessed by dozens of people on hand for our party in Butterfly Park ongoing when it happened around 12:30 pm - the red car obviously failed to yield the right of way to the black car driving east along Meinecke -- the driver should have been driving more carefully merely for the number people in the area at the time.  Will recommend to our Alderman Hines that four-way STOP signs be placed at this intersection, especially since Butterfly Park is becoming more crowded with people taking ownership of it and this neighborhood --- thanks mostly to the pedestrian traffic along Meinecke associated with customers of Jewel-Osco and students attending the three new neighborhood schools in the area, especially the students of Milwaukee Urban League Academy of Business & Economics a block away on North Avenue who use it as their playground for recesses during each day.

6th:  This Sunday's walk along North Avenue captured the freshly broken fencing at 27th (by another lousy driver) and the sidewalk closed in front of the old Regent Lanes Bowling Alley at 40th - it closed but not secured from people able to just move the barricades to walk through ignorant of whatever reason the sidewalk was closed.

7th:  Well, the departing gift from the former residents of the condominium at the corner was loosely piled papers and other trash that's now spreading throughout our neighborhood - what's left may be picked-up tomorrow by the regular DPW crew.

On a more positive note, the 1030th web site just created by me is one associated with Butterfly Park at 38th and Meinecke.  Me making a couple separate trips to take the only pictures now online of the Egbo Sculpture by Muneer Bahauddeen located thereat.  [ The only negative associatied with that sculpture (there's a negative associated with almost everything in the Inner City) is the chipping damage done to the marble facing shown in the 4th picture - it probably the result of an angry kid working out his or her aggression on something nearby. ]

8th:  Today's Crime of the Day involved another stolen car abandoned early this morning in the back yard of a house across the alley - a neighbor reported that her Cadillac had been stolen Sunday and the kids caught -- we have new car thieves in the neighborhood.

Noticed a couple Black workers on the job site at the 33rd & North construction site - kudos to them.  Also recorded the progress of the other apartment building going up behind the old Ben Franklin five and dime store - that store, itself to be rehabilitated soon -- wonder which government or non-profit groups are going to be occupying all those offices?!

9th:  After stepping into a broken tree protective grate on the sidewalk next to the US Bank at 52nd and North, today, I called it in to 286-8282 this afternoon.

10th:  Another ambulance appeared on the block this morning - in front of the flat where new tenants have just moved onto the block.  A very slight drizzly rain has also terminated our almost week long dry spell.

11th:  Another ambulance appeared on the block this morning - in front of the flat where new tenants had moved onto the block a few months ago.  The slight drizzly rain has continued - through the weekend, most likely.

Good News:  A Family Dollar store has opened at the former Rent-A-Center and original Kohl's foodstore location at 35th and Garfield - a new store had just been built at 52nd and North -- I'd been under the mistaken thinking that the Rainbow store just around the corner along North Avenue between 35th and 36th in the old Woolworth's (dime store) location was another Family Dollar store.

Noticed one of the absentee owners on our block meeting what appeared to be a city building inspector in the alley behind their long neglected property - it appearing that the inspector was there to condemn one of the two seemingly abandoned automobiles parked behind theirs and the duplex immediately south of them -- don't know if a ticket was issued for the red car parked on the grass behind their property.

Also noticed that the homes destroyed for a parking building to be built for St. Joseph's Hospital last year are all gone, BUT THAT THE PARKING STRUCTURE HAS YET TO BE BUILT!  Last year, the contractors, politicians and others involved in the project didn't have time to allow anyone to buy and move those fine old homes to other vacant lots in the city - the demoliton had to move forward IMMEDIATELY!  Now, a year later, there's still just a big fenced, empty lot spreading dust throughout the local neighborhood.  Who wants to bet that the hospital will convice the city to allow them to use that empty lot as a 'NON-STRUCTURED PARKING LOT' in the next year or so - probably the original intent all along?!
    5/25/2005:  Hah!  Guess what?  The crews are beginning to grade the surface in preparation for what looks to be a regular gravel or cement covered parking lot in a previously very nice residential neighborhood.  (The Saint in St. Joseph's Hospital apparently has nothing to do with 'goodness'.)

13th:  Took a picture of the parking ticket still under the wiper on the passenger side of the red van presumably belonging to someone living in the boarded house across the street (12/31/03) - the ticket was issued 3 days ago, Thursday, and is still wet from the rain we've had since then.

14th:  Among the many misdemeanors happening daily in the Inner City are the moving trucks backed over curbs and sidewalks - extra weight for which they're not designed -- meaning they deteriorate faster than normal and result in unnecessary blight in areas already having more than their share of blight and deterioration due to uncaring attitudes by others.  Also noticed the french doors of the house at the corner of Garfield and Sherman has a couple missing panels - called it in.  The police called me the next night to ask whether I wanted a squad to visit - it took me a minute to realize that didn't mean a squad to visit me on 40th (the long time policing policy) but one to visit and check-out the property on Sherman -- after a couple minutes, I indicated, yes, I wanted a squad (to visit and check-out the vacant, open property.)  It was boarded by the time I walked by on the 16th - very efficient action by the police department.

15th:  A Special Pickup truck came through around 7:35 am - my neighbor had called about the entire alley last week -- less than a half-hour later, ?another? truck came through without the front end loader but didn't collect anything.  Then, the very same day, more loose trash was placed behind one of the homes where large items had just been collected in the morning!

While walking up North Avenue to collect more cans and photograph the progress of the office building abuilding along 35th; the foreman came across the street to ask whether I was with OSHA, the State, the City, some other company.  I said, no, I was just a resident of the neighborhood for 54 years - one of the activist leaders of the Hmong Community drove by and waved while we were talking -- he being one of the very few activists I've identified over the past couple decades who actually work to improve conditions in the Inner City --- as opposed to all the others who talk a lot (to get money) but really don't do much.

On the 3400 block of North, the third new empty lot has just appeared where the old Candyland and Smokeland shops used to be - the picture taken on 6/19/2001 shows the block with one empty lot that appeared sometime in the last decade before it was taken - that first empty lot at 3417 is where Murphy's Restaurant used to be.

Good News:  Also noticed another group of supervised kids in Butterfly Park - just after taking a picture of the almost empty playground behind the Boys and Girls Club at 34th and North -- that sports field used to have more activity when it wasn't blocked off to the neighborhood living north of it.

Finally, today's Crime of the Day involved something requiring two squads at the Day Care Center across the street - the DPW car being there for some other reason?!

17th:  My neighbor across the alley helped me pull another trailer load of 236 pounds of aluminum cans to the Start Recycling center at 32nd and Fond du Lac - those having been collecting since last April 1st.  They paid 50 cents per pound this time.  (I'd also guessed there was 240 pounds - only four pounds off -- sure am glad I can trust someone enough not to weigh them ahead of time to get more accurate 'guesses'.)

18th:  The store at the corner of 32nd and North is now for sale or lease - the building on the next corner over may have just been sold.

The rusty doors of the 'new' apartments between Meinecke and North are being repainted, again.

20th:  This Sunday's walkabout traversed 35th through 31st streets from North Avenue to Vliet - and from 35th up to 39th on Vliet -- noticing a well built brick commercial building at 37th that is being allowed to deteriorate to the point where the entry stoop is exposed to the basement.  One of several open and rehabbed buildings is the Hmong-American Friendship Association building on the next block across the street.

The Group Home next door had a worker come in this weekend to cut down their rear yard trees and shrubs.  The tipped garbage carts happened later that evening - many of them uprighted before the other picture was taken the next morning.

23rd:  Now, the trees are large enough to alleviate the need for energy wasting air conditioning.  Yesterday's emergency involved the house across the street at the corner.

A Crime of the Day occurred a few days ago up at the old Finney Library building - I overheard some adolescents glorifying the vandalism to the farthest window to the east with their peers while walking past them on the 21st -- the vandalism to the other windows happened after that --- don't know where the kids live or whether they are the ones doing it ---- possibly out of anger that there's an empty building that could be providing organized recreational activities in this neighborhood starving for same.

Also noticed an unusual sign placed inside Washington Park during yesterday's walkabout from Lisbon to Vliet between 24th and 40th streets - seems that religions are getting closer and closer to governments every day.

26th:  An unexpected dumpster was delivered to our block Friday morning - giving me a chance to clean out some of the 'treasure' that's been in the garage and up in the attic for years.  (I called for a dumpster the other day, but it's not to be delivered until Sep. 10th.  Coincidentally, this week's Smithsonian Magazine discusses those one piece plastic chairs that have a world-wide popularity - I'm noticing them all the time after reading that article.)

The nice weather on this Saturday gave me a chance to repaint the front steps, picnic table, upper rear porch deck and finish off that gallon on the unpainted portions of the upper flat's basement laundry room.  (The front steps had last been repainted on April 14th, 2003.)

28th:  Yesterday's walkabouts encompassed North and Garfield Avenues from 40th to 24th Place - didn't take pictures of all the numbered and encircled police markings relating to the hit & run and subsequent beatings of the driver and passenger by irate residents (no mention of it in the city newspaper!) up at 37th & Garfield -- an area still not friendly to my walkabouts along the 2100 blocks of 37th and 38th --- maybe even too unfriendly for the local newspaper reporters to venture therein ---- night or day.

The other walkabout was up Center to 48th, noticing the nicely redone Family Sweets store on the corner at 46th, up 48th to Wright, up Wright to 50th, 50th to Lisbon, Lisbon back to 46th, 46th to North and North back to 41st and home - collected about $6 worth of cans during the 2 walkabouts -- most from the streets and gutters --- a few from passing motorists and residents out working in their yards.

Today's walkabout to the bank and back discovered another bent signage pole at 49th and Meinecke - both being within a block of the District #3 police station.
    Took another 33 pounds of cans to the local recycling center on my bicycle.  Noticed that the duplex at the corner of 38th and Wright has been partially boarded - that location long identified with disruptive teens -- at an intersection long identified with drug activity --- on a block that had three murders in as many months several summers ago.

29th:  Today's walkabout found another building on North Avenue coming down - this one the fourth one along the east end of North at 34th.  Also noticed a few dozen red shirted kids playing in Metcalfe Park on Meinecke - the playground that used to be open to the neighboring residents, too.

Became one of the very few non-union, non-MPS affiliated citizens attending the final 2005 Budget Town Hall meeting held this evening at Washington High School - Mayor and his Department Heads in attendance -- reporting the bent poles photographed on the 27th and 28th to them.  [ The bent sign poles in Judy's Vienna Red Hot's parking lot was still there and bent on Aug 5th - 37 days later -- pointing to a level of non-service to which we in the Inner City have long become accustomed --- these types of damages not being allowed to go unrepaired in the neighborhoods within which the bureaucrats running our city live ---- neighborhoods they actually care about. ]

1st:  For the first time since 1998, I'm back in the For Rent business - not looking forward to another 80 contacts to find one good tenant over the next 90 days.

2nd: (GoodNews)  We have a Family Dental Clinic in the hood; Bad News: It doesn't accept walk-ins (see the lower right corner of the picture - taken of the sign on the glass entry door into the clinic.
    While picking up cans along 27th street on today's walkabout down North Aveue and back up Lisbon Avenue, there was a young adult jumping out of the way of a small kitten approaching him for some Tender Loving Care - wish I'd had a video camera -- he typified the crazy way many kids are being raised these days --- nobody bothering to teach them to pet small, safe animals ---- let alone to not also be afraid of fellow human beings ----- I have a hunch many a fatal    involves a kid like this who is even more afraid to show his fear.

3rd:  Today's Crime of the Day involved two squads responding to something happening directly across the street from the entry to Jewel-Osco at 36th and Meinecke.  (Some good news, in a left handed sort of way, is the presence of a half-dozen or more marked and unmarked squads patroling the area just south of North Ave and west of 35th where the hit and run beatings took place last week.)

Some more good news is evidenced at the former Up-North Food Mart along the 4200 block of West North Avenue - it having it's old ugly facade whitewashed -- hopefully in preparation for a more historically respectful rehabilitation to some sort of retail shop we can use in this neighborhood.

5th:  Built a resizeable, detached portico under the mulberry tree to minimize the amount of squashed fruit being tracked into the house off the bottom of my shoes - that shade tree will come down once the other 'fruitless' trees are large enough to make it redundant -- all of the walkway material came from recycled treasure thrown away by others, including the blue tarp.

6th:  A perfect example of what happens to trash carts sitting too long in the alley evidenced itself this morning - those carts were filled on the 1st and 2nd when the residents moved out -- the contents were spewn about last night, three days later --- probably by a raccoon or opossum traversing our neighborhood overnight ---- us neighbors will clean it up before the next 'July 4th Holiday delayed' city collection on Thursday, with one or more of my spare, empty carts containing the overflow.

The former Regent Lanes Bowling Alley at 40th & North has finally (after 13 months) had its rear alley double doors secured.

Someone up the alley finally threw out an axel with one good wheel from a garbage cart - with another wheel I found several days ago on Grant Blvd, the cart recovered from a treasure chest on April 17th was finally fixed and ready to collect excess trash from the alley each and every week.

7th:  Collected all the trash from across the alley and placed it in the   I had in my yard - preparatory to collection, tomorrow.

8th:  On the way to the VA for my sigmoidoscopy exam, I encountered three adolescents chasing and attempting to catch several geese in Washington Park.  After taking a picture of the geese and another of the oldest tallest kid with the large net (inserted into the picture to the upper right), the smallest said something I couldn't understand and then threw the white bucket he was carrying at me.  I turned around and chased them a little, but the biggest one was brave (and dumb) enough to let me get close enough to get a good look at his face - he also running off while covering his head with his sweater once I pulled the camera out to take another picture -- that picture not taken for his being too far away, but the camera did keep him from coming back at me, again.  (Last Sunday, a man was beat to death by a mob of 16 to 20 year old thugs - just where these kids will be in no time at all.)

The painters of the 3rd house from North (next to the alleyway) are even painting the filigree adorning the east face of that fine old duplex - very good work going on in our neighborhood!

The Group Home next door had their fourth Special Pickup, so far, this year.

9th:  Found a little blue bag in the grass immediately adjacent to the curb just south of the hackberry tree in front of my house this morning - possibly a crack bag and a sign that drug activity is picking up again overnight.

Had the honor of shaking hands with Art Kumbalek, satirical columnist for the weekly Shepherd Express.  (more)

10th:  Today's walk to the library and Walgreen's on North to get our best weekly Inner City newspapers, the Milwaukee Courier and Milwaukee Community Journal, discovered today's 'presumed' (in my very jaded and cynical mindset) Crime of the Day - a crew was boarding up after a fire earlier that morning at the Sound 1 specialty shop located in the middle of the 4400 block of North Avenue - it looking like it started in the basement -- the TV news later stating that it was of unknown origins.  (This is the same location associated with the six seemingly timed gunshots heard back on 10/21/01 when it first opened its doors - the store being empty for a few years before that -- the previous operator being shot and killed.  As stated in the 2001 diary entry, Walgreen's isn't the only 'drug dealer' in this locale - although a lot of the 'on street corner' presumed drug dealing at 45th and North seems to have diminished to almost nothing since last year.)

Also had some very positive activity and communications regarding the Group Home next door - me spending much of this nice Saturday outdoors -- some of it with the block kids doing likewise --- some of it playing with the new kitty cat, Sophie, from next door (that liked to run up and 'pounce on my hand' while I was dangling it as a lure, responding to the kids and trying to read the weekly newspapers) ---- part of it mowing the lawn after a 12 day hiatus and a bit creating my own bouquet of flowers cut from those growing in my yard.  [ Sad news came 9 days later around 7:45 am when I found Sophie laying in the middle of the sidewalk in front of my house - dead -- she still warm and showing no signs of any external injuries or frothing from poisoning --- she was laying in the corner on her porch next door an hour earlier when I'd last been out front picking up letter from the street ---- her people weren't home, probably having just left in the blue truck that was on the street earlier.  I placed her in a couple plastic shopping bags and in my clean garbage cart pending their return.

12th:  Today's Crime of the Day involved a stolen car pushed up into the middle of the alley by three teenage boys - they doing so and laughing a little as I exited my yard into the alley to bike up to the library -- figuring I'd point them out to a squad had I seen one.  Upon returning a half-hour later, there were two squads surrounding the now 'known to be' stolen car.  The three boys walked past me on the sidewalk a little later while I was sitting out front.  Seeing one squad still there a half-hour later, I told the officer, but he said there had been three boys standing next to the car when they came upon it, but the officers couldn't do anything about them since it wasn't obvious that they'd stolen it or even had anything else to do with it - I don't suppose they bothered to ask the kids about it.

13th:  The hearing delayed (July 20th, 2003) 24 hour gas/food station at 23rd and Fond du Lac appears to have been approved - with construction work ongoing while I passed during today's walkabout down North Avenue to Fond du Lac to Center and back to 40th and home.

14th:  One of our young and brave local squirrels is getting close while gathering the peanuts I throw down - me trying to get him familiar enough to pet or scratch.  By Saturday morning, he was taking the salted peanuts right from my fingers - took some video of him the next day coming right up to my toes to sniff and check me out -- I'd found the peanuts on the street by Miller Park when walking back from the VA on the 8th.  (This squirrel is training me to gather nuts during my walkabouts in the Inner City!)
    He's (you can tell from the picture) getting accustomed to being fed by me - although he did bite my finger instead of the peanut once when getting excited about my hand being out for him -- no blood.

17th:  Updated the 1994 diary to include the scanned photo of the New Covenant Housing Corp. apartments being built in Sep. of 1994 - the 10th anniversary of that first group between 38th and 39th and Meinecke and North fast approaching -- wonder if they'll celebrate?!  (The empty lots where the second group of apartments were built a couple years later are shown in that historic photo - 'us' kids from the 2400 blocks of 38th, 39th, 40th and 41st used to play football, volleyball, softball and horseshoes on those empty lots until they disappeared.)

Took pictures of an old square trash box repainted yellow with child hand prints and some names all over it at 29th and Juneau - it being exactly the kind we need for our block.

Spent 3 hours helping one of my fellow Making Connections Milwaukee School for Resident Leaders participants move from her home on 28th and Garfield to another two blocks north at 29th and Meinecke.  Her husband wasn't looking foward to doing it alone and was glad for the help - he having already rented the trailer for the day -- it took longer than I had anticipated since a lot of clothing and other stuff hadn't been cleared from the floors and on top of the appliances and furniture needing to be moved and their two adolescents, like most these days, hadn't been trained to be of much help.  (They had been throwing their cans away but will save them in a bucket for me from now on, or so she says - I'll believe it when I see it the next time walking past their new house.)

18th:  The porch of the duplex I sold in 1998 across the street has a completely 'recycling material' built handrail that was designed to be child-proof - the neighborhood kids helping me install it when I rebuilt the porch steps back in 1997 - the summer Princess Diana died in France.  The activities of the two little 3 year old girls swinging from it yesterday evening prove that it was indeed built to be child-proof - it has withstood theirs and other children's energetic activities on it for seven years, now.  (The main handrail is merely a piece of chain link fence piping found by me already bent at the two places needed for handrail purposes.  It is anchored into the ground by two stumps of fence posting - with the curved handrail bolted into them with stainless steel bolts.)

19th:  Found tough little Sophie dead this morning - more heart-breaking news that's lessened by no longer having any heart left to break.

Noticed 4 unmarked (but obviously police) cars with 4 uniformed police officers in each driving south down 42nd to turn east up Lloyd just after taken pictures of the 'Smooth Jazz' (is that White Jazz?!) sign and geese at Washington Park after leaving the library - maybe the officers were on their way to crack down on some known thugs somewhere -- tonight's news didn't cover it.

Finally got back to take some pictures of the crime scene markings at 37th & Garfield related to the beatings reportedly involving up to 60 people that took place on June 26th.

Noticed eight Black workers on the job site at 33rd & North and nobody at the 35th & North office building across the street from the newly opened Family Dollar Store.

20th:  Photographed the various flowers in the side yard for posterity.

21st:  Took another 35 pounds of cans to the local recycling center on my fully loaded bicycle.

Today's Crime of the Day involved a shooting at the corner house at 38th and Meinecke - at least a half dozen police vehicles were there with almost a dozen officers -- didn't see an ambulance or other emergency vehicle, though --- did notice that the electric meter for the upper flat had been removed and red tagged.  (Heard about it being a shooting the next day after hearing about another shooting just happening by someone with a gold gun who calmly walked west through the yards after doing it.)

Bob Clark of MCM SRL brought by my Community Organizer Minigrant check for $1,900.00 this afternoon.

22th:  There are some very interesting mushrooms growing on the old stump by the garage - the stump from the lightning struck crotch of the tree that used to be out front - wish I knew more about which mushrooms are edible.

Got an email about a Parks Forum to be held at 6:30 pm at the boat house in Washington Park - attended same and also took more pictures of the geese in the park on the way -- the forum is about getting more kids than geese into the parks so we can stop wasting money on prisons for adults who didn't spend enough time having fun when they were little.

23rd:  Another in a long history of seemingly abandoned cars is parked in front of my house - thereby preventing the street sweeper, which just happens to be in our area, today, from cleaning the gutters surrounding my home.  It belonged to someone visiting the house across the street and was gone after 2 days.

24th:  After ordering 8 from MMSD and looking at various models being sold in other cities, I found just the rain barrel we need for our block down on 17th and North - that being the same community garden, house and block party visited two years ago after the Charlie Young mob killing.  This model barrel has a screw-on/off top, the overflow valve and tube and the spigot at the bottom to which can be connected the standard garden hose - the overflow connection allowing barrels to be lined up next to each other to fill during extensive rainfalls.

27th:  Well, after several months of efficiency, the Department of Public Works Special Pickup crew has reverted to the old time wasting, neighborhood disrespecting policy of only picking up large items in the alley that have been called in - passing items obviously needing to be collected, like those pictured across the alley from me and the mattresses further up the alley.  The crew man indicated that they'd pick up the closer mattresses in response to my request but wouldn't pick up the items across from me.
    I told him that was why I supported 'privatizaion' of the garbage collection process - we'd have someone to sue for non-performance and wouldn't constantly get excuses from people paid with and always wasting our property tax money.  He said the private firms would charge $25 to pick up each mattress.  I responded that we could then charge the owner that same amount to do so.
    Called Mike Engelbart, Manager-Sanitation Services, and discussed it with him.  He seemed surprised the crew refused to go back for the batch of items across the alley from me.  He had given me his card on the 29th of June at the last Town Hall forum Mayor Barrett held for citizens to provide feedback regarding the proposed 2005 city budget.  I'd spoken up at that meeting about the lack of service delivery to our area - this instance, once again, proving how we are disrespected by DPW.  Mike also indicated he'd call the Department of Neighborhood Services regarding the properties in our alley constantly requiring special services.
    Called Alderman and President of the Common Council Willie Hines office and left a message on his voice mail - no one being there to take it in person.  Also left a message on Scott Gunderson's voice mail in the Mayor's office -- both messages being left around 9:00 am.
    The stuff across the alley was picked up while I went up to the library to use their faster computers - undoubtedly in response to action by Mike Engelbart -- the 3rd picture above shows it all gone.  The 4th picture shows another Special Pickup crew in the now clean alley the next morning around 6:35 am.

28th:  Took pictures along Lisbon of the 'Hot Boys' graffiti associated with the arrest of more than a dozen teenagers the other day - hadn't realized the connection the first time I passed it until reading that the gang name included the 'Hot Boys' terminology.  Noticed some more graffiti at North and Sherman on the trash container - don't know if that's supposed to be 'Jazz Rocks' or what -- doesn't look like gang stuff but who knows what teens are up to these (or any ) days?!

31st:  The evidence that prostitutes may be working on our block overnight is the rubber glove and lipstick smeared soda can found laying in the grass next to the gutter across the street this morning - me not thinking one needs a rubber glove to drink the soda.

CLick here to see the entries from August 1st through the rest of 2004.

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