Solutions for Water Street

It’s no question Water Street is crying for help. It’s news of outbreaks in violence, gunshot exchanges and even homicide by far overshadow the front pages of news channels over the busting college-age club scene. However, despite the recent breakouts of violence, Water street is still known as the go-to stop for those who are looking for a good time. With officers lining the streets on foot, bike and horse, illegal activity is still at large on one of Milwaukee’s busiest streets for nightlife. This does bring the question of how far will Water Street finatics go for a beer before putting their life in danger?

With two recent shootings in the past month, Milwaukee is looking at an economic decrease and a safety issue among its citizens if security measures are not changed. Rather than continuing being a down-stream society, Milwaukee needs to call upon their city to enforce better security for its citizens.
For such a complex subject, there may be a simple solution: create a pedestrian area along Water Street, increase security before entering a bar and until a reasonable curfew.

Mimicking other large cities such as Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado, creating a pedestrian area during the weekend on Water Street would allow for those enjoying their night on the town to be able to do so with ease on the street. This would also allow for greater control of the area for the officers patrolling the street. Closing the street down would also allow for vendors to set up their food trucks on the street itself, again, which creates greater control for officers to keep an eye on people who may be intoxicated.

Secondly, increasing security at the doors of the bars itself by installing metal detectors will improve security within the bars themselves. This could increase safety for those who enter the bar, especially if any citizens engage in any fights within the bar. Like the previous shooting, a bar fight was continued outside the bar once the tho subjects were kicked out. Ensuring that they do not bring any weapons within the bars, will also ensure that they do not have anything to weaponize if they are kicked out of the bar and into the streets with unsuspecting citizens.

Lastly, creating a curfew after bar close will ensure that intoxicated and/or disgruntled party-goers will not be loitering Water Street after hours. With a curfew of 3 A.M., officers will be able to crack down on loitering and open intoxicants after bar close, while still giving citizens ample time to close out their tab, get one last taco-to-go and go home on their merry way.

By increasing security, setting higher standards for Water-Street goers and creating a more responsible environment, Water Street is likely to return to its original glory of being a safe, enjoyable environment for Milwaukee natives to gather with their peers. However, without increased safety, Water Streets success is within the hands of those willing to risk the danger it may bring.