In Milwaukee, some residents are concerned about crime and violence in their neighborhoods while continuing to embrace racial diversity.
By contrast, residents in the city of New Berlin are more concerned about being portrayed as a bunch of racists in a federal lawsuit over their opposition to a low-income housing development.
In many ways, it’s the same ages-old issue:
How do people of different races learn to live together?
Last month, the U.S. Justice Department accused New Berlin – a city of 39,000 in Waukesha County – of blocking the housing project last year in violation of the Fair Housing Act. Some residents were stung by accusations in the federal lawsuit, saying all they wanted to do was preserve what they liked best about their community.
According to comments and emails from New Berlin residents gathered in a complaint by the government, many expressed concern about minorities from Milwaukee moving to the area and bringing down the quality of life. Some expressed fears about who would live in the 180-unit development for low-income residents and seniors, with some using racial slurs to describe possible clients.
Even the mayor of New Berlin emailed a friend about his disappointment in the city’s prejudice and its “bigoted people” who were opposed to the project. The mayor later apologized for his comments. William Tisdale, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council, said the issue wasn’t that New Berlin – or any community – wasn’t allowed to restrict undesirables from their community.
It was the method used.
“You can’t put people into categories,” said Tisdale, who has been in fair housing battles for 30 years.
“If you have a reasonable objection to exclude someone from housing, it has to apply across the board. You can’t just make it one group.”
Tisdale, who is working on another federal housing discrimination lawsuit that involves Waukesha County, said some comments from New Berlin residents demonstrated unfounded racial attitudes by those with unrealistic fears about racial diversity, including the most negative stereotypes of black families.
Read more at Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
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