MILLENNIAL TASK FORCE

200 E. Wells Street City of Milwaukee Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 Meeting Minutes MILLENNIAL TASK FORCE CHAIR: MARQUAYLA ELLISON Nick Carnahan, Nicole Behnke, Jordan Donald, Tenia Fisher, Jeremy Fojut, Adam Gabornitz, Michael Hostad, Amelia Kegel, Noel Kegel, Kacee Ochalek, Jason Rae, Ger Thao, Tiffany Henry and Sam Woods. Staff Assistant: Chris Lee, 414-286-2232 Legislative Liaison: Alex Highley, 414-286-8661 Monday, December 14, 2020 3:30 PM Virtual Meeting This will be a virtual meeting conducted via GoToMeeting. Should you wish to join this meeting from your phone, tablet, or computer you may go to https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/854408957. You can also dial in using your phone United States: +1 (571) 317-3122 and Access Code: 854-408-957. 1. Call to order. Meeting called to order at 3:35 p.m. 2. Roll call. Present 11 - Ellison, Fisher, Gabornitz, Fojut, Behnke, Hostad, Donald, Ochalek, Woods, Rae, Noel Kegel Excused 3 - Henry, Thao, Carnahan Absent 1 - Amelia Kegel Also present: Alex Highley, Legislative Reference Bureau Bernadette Karanja, Common Council-City Clerk’s Office Workforce Development Section 3. Review and approval of the previous meeting minutes from October 26, 2020. The meeting minutes from October 26, 2020 were approved without objection. 4. Assessment, analysis, and setting of priority goals, objectives, outcomes, and recommendations. A. Review of City legislation, programs, or initiatives 1.) Universal Basic Income City of Milwaukee Page 1 MILLENNIAL TASK FORCE Meeting Minutes December 14, 2020 This item was not discussed as the presenters on these items, Ald. Chantia Lewis and Sharon Robinson from the Department of Administration, were unable to appear. 2.) Other There was no other discussion. B. Task force priorities 1.) Health and wellness Appearing: Arnitta Holliman, Office of Violence Prevention Jamaal Smith, Office of Violence Prevention Ms. Holliman and Mr. Smith gave an overview. Their OVP office is centered on addressing comprehensive and systematic violence in the City through prevention and intervention strategies, reimagining public safety, and implementing their Blueprint for Peace. Their office was created in 2008, initially was focused on domestic violence, and later was expanded to focus on all violence as a public health issue. The foundation of their work is their Blueprint for Peace, which was crafted with robust community and grassroots input. The blueprint is the voice of the community, the framework, and requires collaboration from all participating organizations. Goals include efforts to address youth violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, suicide, segregation, homelessness, poverty, mass shootings, and other systematic issues. Additional efforts include expanding the network of mental healthcare providers of color, collaborating with Milwaukee County law enforcement on responding to mental crisis situations, and reducing mental illness stigma. They were awarded the ReCAST grant in 2016 due to civil unrest at that time. Goals included reducing barriers and increasing access to mental and healthcare wellness and providers in targeted communities. Some core collaborating partners include Employ Milwaukee, Parenting Network, My Sister's Keeper, Running Rebels, and UW-Milwaukee. These partners help with programming, social learning, trauma prevention, parenting skills, building health relationships, and providing additional support. RFPs have been done to provide summer programming for youths at risk to trauma. The ReCAST grant is in its last year and will expire. Their office is working on sustainability and finding alternative funding sources to continue their work. Members inquired further about OVP, their exposure, outcome and successes, OVP funding, collaboration with other government offices, and what the task force can do for OVP, Millennials, and Generation Z. Ms. Holliman and Mr. Smith replied. OVP is a City government office. OVP is not a community organization and direct service provider. Offices like OVP have been happening elsewhere under different names. OVP is part of the Milwaukee Health Department. They do try to respond to incidents. They sponsor and bring community organizations together to do programming, events, utilize grassroots efforts, and help enhance them. Funding from OVP has been significant for participating community organizations. ReCAST funding has been $5 million total for 5 years with $1 million for each year. Outcomes are the efforts and results with the community organizations. There has been decreased City of Milwaukee Page 2 MILLENNIAL TASK FORCE Meeting Minutes December 14, 2020 violence in the last few years. Successes have been the foundation and community participation built from the blueprint. The blueprint is not a bureaucratic policy, but rather a community policy. Work has to come from grassroots, stakeholders, and communities to change violence in the neighborhoods. What is lacking is political will to implement the blueprint plan and investment. The Health Department only receives 2 percent of the City's budget, and OVP receives only a small fraction of that 2 percent. Greater capital and funding is needed for OVP and the Health Department. OVP is exploring other funding sources with the SAMHSA ReCAST grant expiring. The task force should continue to have advocacy, conversations, connection, promotion, and support for its priorities as well as those from OVP and the Blueprint for Peace. The task force needs to elevate the voice of youths. Millennials are impacted by systematic violence, and older people sometimes need to get out of the way. OVP and prevention efforts have contributed to cost savings. Reducing violence and trauma on the frontend can save money and reduce costs. One gun shot incident may cost up to $1.6 million dollars with all the responders involved (police, hospital, prosecution). The task force should help raise awareness of OVP, their information, events, and resources. Normalizing seeking help is important. There is cooperation and partnerships with outside law enforcement. There were challenges at the start, but the relationships have gotten better. Some naysayers still exist. Collaboration with other entities include the Public Policy Forum, the City's new Office of Equity and Inclusion, the County's Office of African American Affairs, and Community Advocates. Efforts are ongoing to increase partnerships at all levels. Ms. Holliman and Mr. Smith added comments. Violence has been trending down over in the last few years, but the current COVID-19 pandemic-plagued year has uniquely seen increased violence nationwide. There may be a correlation between increased violence and the pandemic. Media focus on negative stories are a problem. The media needs to better focus on the good aspects of the City. The task force should keep up its advocacy, including the Blueprint for Peace. Ms. Karanja added that the goals of OVP aligns with the goals of her Workforce Development Section office. Chair Ellison said main takeaways were to support OVP, improve the City's narrative, empower people, advocate for more resources, and advocate the Blueprint for Peace. 2.) Other There was no other discussion. C. Reasons Millennials and Generation Z leave or stay in Milwaukee Ms. Holliman and Mr. Smith commented. Reasons for migration out of Milwaukee relate to professional opportunity, civic engagement, social experience, and safety. The historical and systematic black disparity combined with safety issues and the cold weather in Milwaukee has been major deterrents to retain and attract people, especially black professionals. Milwaukee has been coined as the northern version of Selma, Alabama. Unsafe conditions (psychological, physical, and emotional) and violence needs to be addressed. Violence is happening elsewhere (such as Atlanta, Georgia) where people are migrating to, and there needs to be investigation to reveal what those cities are doing different to attract people. The landscape of the City needs to improve and the community needs to be better served. A MMAC 2018 survey found that City of Milwaukee Page 3 MILLENNIAL TASK FORCE Meeting Minutes December 14, 2020 racism is an issue for the City. There are some who wants the status quo, but there needs to be change. The City and the task force needs to fight for change, not be complicit, and must endure opposition. D. Research, speaker, or presentation requests There was no discussion. 5. Review of task force final recommendations report. This item was not discussed. 6. Next steps. A. Extension of the task force Members discussed and advocated to extend the task force to the first quarter of 2021, preferably, or an additional 6 months. Mr. Highley said that he will inquire with Common Council President Cavalier Johnson on moving forward with legislation for the extension. B. Agenda items for the next meeting(s). To be determined and to include review of final recommendations draft. C. Next task force meetings and structure To be determined for January 2021. D. Other There was no other discussion. 7. Adjournment. Meeting adjourned at 5 p.m. Chris Lee, Staff Assistant Council Records Section City Clerk's Office Meeting materials from past and present meetings can be found within the following file: 191649 Communication relating to findings, recommendations and activities of the Millennial Task Force. Sponsors: THE CHAIR City of Milwaukee Page 4