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The process takes less than a minute. And

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thank you. Have a great Memorial Day. Hi,

1:20

I'm Jose Del Real, a reporter for The

1:23

Washington Post. I wrote a

1:25

story as part of our Deep Reads series,

1:27

which showcases narrative journalism here at The Post.

1:30

This is a story about race

1:32

and class and representation, and

1:35

it's set against the backdrop of

1:37

a historic presidential election in which

1:39

Wisconsin could decide the

1:41

outcome. This

1:43

story unfolds in Milwaukee, and it

1:46

follows a community organizer and several

1:48

residents of public housing as they

1:50

try to get attention from their

1:52

representatives in government. So

1:56

I do immersive narrative journalism.

1:59

That means that When I write

2:01

my stories, they are

2:04

based on days, weeks, sometimes

2:06

months of spending time with

2:08

people on the ground, in

2:10

their homes, in their communities,

2:12

following them around for days

2:14

at a time, sometimes it's

2:16

a 16-hour day and I

2:19

part with them just to sleep and then I go back the

2:21

next day. What

2:23

that allows me to do is to write

2:26

about the texture of everyday life in America

2:28

and to

2:30

interrogate not just

2:32

these big national themes

2:35

but to really see how they play

2:37

out in people's everyday lives. I

2:39

think that is one

2:41

of the very best ways that

2:43

we can try to understand an

2:45

electorate, actually being with them in

2:47

their lives every day, to try

2:49

to understand how political messaging is

2:51

reaching them or not reaching them

2:54

and why they might be skeptical of

2:56

that messaging from the ground up. This

3:00

story will be read here by

3:02

a narrator from our partners at

3:05

NOAA, newsoveraudio.com, an app offering curated

3:07

audio articles. A

3:10

note to listeners, this story includes

3:12

profanity and descriptions of violence. Okay,

3:15

here is their story. Their

3:19

emails to government officials had gone

3:21

unanswered. Their request to

3:24

testify at City Hall had been

3:26

ignored and now 14 residents

3:28

of Milwaukee Public Housing were

3:30

gathered in a pink linoleum common room

3:33

to brainstorm how to get attention from the people

3:35

with power. A

3:37

woman got robbed in the hallway, one

3:40

woman said. I don't feel safe here. I

3:43

need to get the mold out of my apartment. I

3:46

can't breathe, said another. There

3:49

are mice everywhere, said

3:51

a man. Kevin

3:54

Solomon, a 25-year-old community organizer,

3:57

listened quietly as the tenants began yelling

3:59

over one another. grasping

4:01

for the opportunity to tell someone what

4:03

daily life had turned into inside

4:05

the 251 unit college court

4:08

apartments. Its

4:10

two brutalist towers were managed by

4:12

the city's public housing authority. Y'all

4:16

got to calm down. We can't all talk at

4:18

once, said Charlene Bell, 55, from

4:20

the back of the room. Peaches,

4:23

as Charlene was called, was

4:26

one of the tenants rallying others to demand

4:28

changes. Although she

4:30

moved haltingly without her walker, Peaches

4:33

spoke with a firmness and clarity that

4:35

forced others to react. Scrappy

4:38

by nature, she burned with the belief that

4:40

things could get better if people

4:42

worked together, and Kevin saw on

4:44

her the makings of a great organizing partner.

4:49

The group quieted down for a moment before the

4:51

din of shouting erupted once again. Another

4:54

woman got attacked coming back from

4:56

dialysis. My ceiling

4:58

has been leaking for two months. There

5:01

is no evening security anymore. For

5:05

the past year, Kevin had gone door to

5:07

door in public housing developments across the city

5:10

as an organizer for a small

5:12

advocacy group called Common Ground of

5:15

Southeastern Wisconsin. Tenants

5:17

complained to him about units without any

5:19

heating, about fire alarms that

5:21

rang for hours, about bed

5:24

bug infestations. Most

5:27

startling were the violent threats posed by

5:29

drug dealers and trespassers who moved

5:31

freely through the buildings and especially

5:33

since the pandemic, volatile

5:36

newcomers with mental health issues who

5:38

were younger and stronger than the physically

5:40

disabled seniors historically given preference

5:43

for public housing. One

5:45

week before this latest meeting on March

5:47

6th, Kevin had drafted an email

5:49

signed by 21 college court

5:52

tenants that summarized their

5:54

frustrations and suggested solutions

5:57

which included hiring two security guards to patrol

5:59

the building at Night. The

6:02

message was addressed to Willie Hines. The.

6:04

Housing Authorities Executive Director. And.

6:06

Forwarded to city leaders, federal

6:09

bureaucrats, and national politicians. Instead

6:12

of a response, the residents had a work

6:14

in a few days later to find a

6:17

padlock on the gate to the buildings patio.

6:19

Limiting. Access to the only outdoor space

6:21

or ten could gather in the evenings

6:23

to grill or visit with friends. Building.

6:27

Management later said the lock was needed

6:29

to keep out trespassers. To.

6:32

The tenants. It felt like an act of

6:34

retribution for speaking up. Instead

6:36

of hiring an additional guard, it seemed

6:38

there were no longer any security officers

6:40

in the building at all. In

6:45

the run up to the Twenty Twenty

6:47

Four Presidential election, low income black voters

6:49

like the ones that college court. Are.

6:51

Often discussed by political sundance as

6:54

key the President Biden Three election

6:56

against former President Donald Trump. Especially

6:58

those who live in swing states such

7:00

as Wisconsin. But.

7:03

Recent polling suggests many of those

7:05

voters nationally are disappointed in Bidens

7:07

presidency, even as a majority dislike

7:09

Trump and now a smaller share

7:11

than and Twenty Twenty are sure

7:13

they will vote in November. If.

7:16

Enough black people sit out the election

7:18

in Milwaukee. one of the country's most

7:20

consequential urban battlegrounds. Are they

7:23

are thirty nine percent of residents, a plurality.

7:25

Biden. Said lose an election, the President

7:28

often cause a battle for the soul

7:30

of America. Among

7:32

many democrats, the idea that anyone would

7:34

sit out such a consequential election. Seems.

7:37

Beyond explanation. Here.

7:41

Are some of the voters everyone was talking

7:43

about? Haven't realized and still they couldn't get

7:45

anyone to listen to them. He

7:48

often found himself wondering why he was the

7:50

only one here. Haven't

7:53

sat calmly and a plastic chair now.

7:55

legs tightly crossed as he wrote down

7:57

the tenants words on a white legal.

8:00

That. He. Looked up occasionally

8:02

the scam. The room is blond, hair

8:04

pushed back at the crown and tidy

8:06

on the sides. The.

8:08

Tenants had grown to trust and even

8:11

like haven't because of simple overtures. He

8:13

listened to them. He came back regularly.

8:16

He remembered things about their lives and

8:18

share things about his own. It

8:21

was enough to override the suspicions many

8:24

public housing residents eighty six percent of

8:26

whom were black. Carried about

8:28

an unknown white man showing up at

8:30

their doors asking questions. The

8:33

only thing different from prison this we don't have

8:35

the shackles yet. Said. Another

8:37

tenant nicole been soliciting nods.

8:40

These. People don't care. Said.

8:43

Lucy My Be. Dog Sydney

8:45

have enough to live like this. Said.

8:47

Ricky right? In

8:50

the winner of twenty twenty four, life at

8:53

the College Court Apartments might have been a

8:55

story of diminishing ambitions for tenants. The.

8:58

Bedbugs: the violence, the public

9:00

spillover of mental illness, the

9:02

backlogged maintenance issues all seemingly

9:05

intractable to and overwhelmed housing

9:07

authority. The

9:09

promise of public housing or rent with

9:11

capped at thirty percent of tenants incomes

9:14

appeared to no longer include safety. The.

9:17

Reasons lay in a tangle

9:19

of acronyms and funding streams,

9:21

regulations and Deputy Director's. Good.

9:23

Intentions followed by fine print

9:25

and excuses. Why?

9:28

Don't we do next? Haven't asked.

9:30

his voice getting higher as he spoke. Would.

9:32

You want to do? as

9:35

sit and someone said. A

9:37

Picket. Said. Another. There

9:39

were murmurs of a rent strike, Have

9:42

a new. They needed a victory. What?

9:45

About for now simply asking for management

9:47

to reopen the outdoor patio. How

9:50

about we get them to? Open Up Those doors.

9:52

Haven't said. What?

9:55

Kevin really wanted to do next was a

9:57

public spectacle. Something to draw the it's and.

10:00

The whole city and the same

10:02

public leaders into action. And.

10:04

So Common Ground had planned to rally

10:07

residence at another public housing development. sell

10:09

side terrorists. As part of

10:11

a broader campaign to have the housing

10:13

authorities executive director fired. But.

10:16

Huddled now in a conference room downtown

10:18

with his boss, Jennifer here in mid

10:20

March. Haven't looked deflated

10:22

reading confirmation of a rumor they had

10:24

heard the night before. Biden.

10:27

Was in town. Common

10:30

Grounds cofounder Bob Connelly was sitting next

10:32

to them looking irritated. The.

10:34

President was in Milwaukee to announce thirty

10:36

six million dollars to renovate a stretch

10:39

of six straight. A major

10:41

traffic artery. The

10:43

White House emphasized the money would benefit

10:45

black and Latino residents. As

10:47

part of a three point, three billion

10:49

dollar national infrastructure plan. To. Help

10:51

low income and minority communities

10:53

that were historically displaced by

10:55

mid twentieth century highway construction

10:57

and misguided urban renewal policies.

11:01

Why? Is this the. Thing. They're doing in

11:03

Milwaukee. Haven't. Said. This.

11:05

Is just one of those things that's an easy.

11:07

Quick List: Jennifer said they come here

11:10

to get votes and to be on

11:12

the news. to get votes is so

11:14

transactional. Exasperated,

11:17

they read that the President was

11:19

hosting a news conference at Hillside.

11:21

Terrorists. There. Would be

11:23

a security perimeter around the event and they

11:25

could not compete with a presidential visit on

11:28

such short notice. They. Would have

11:30

to counsel. I

11:32

didn't really assess. Bob said. If

11:35

they were sour on the news, they was

11:38

not because they opposed funding better streets, of

11:40

because the visit would usurp their plan to

11:42

get public housing tenants some attention. Their.

11:44

Best recourse for effecting change over the

11:47

past year. Thanks

11:49

in part to local news coverage. Common

11:51

Ground had managed to get heat fixed

11:53

in some units get as a slight

11:55

manager transferred from one public housing property

11:57

do another. And. Prevent a few

12:00

ten from evicted of our accounting mistakes

12:02

made by the housing authority. On

12:05

any other day, the administration's actions

12:08

might be welcome, even celebrate it.

12:11

Today. with another reminder of the

12:13

gap between elected officials and the

12:15

people they represented. Haven't

12:19

had been drawn to common ground in

12:21

part by his belief that governments and

12:23

corporations needed to become more responsive to

12:25

everyday people. And. In that way,

12:28

he was part of a tradition of

12:30

progressive populism. Ford's tear in Wisconsin. That.

12:32

A profoundly said the New Deal policies

12:34

that expanded the American social safety nets.

12:37

But Wisconsin in the twenty first

12:40

century remained a state of vast

12:42

inequalities. On. Kevin's bookshelf at

12:44

Home where titles that explored the

12:46

profound class and racial inequities in

12:48

Milwaukee. Which. And Twenty Twenty

12:50

Four with still often described by

12:52

social scientists as the most racially

12:54

segregated city in America. And

12:57

Wisconsin had shifted some reliably

12:59

democratic to a deeply divided

13:01

states where the conservative run

13:03

state legislature. After

13:07

Kevin's home life and St. Petersburg,

13:09

Florida was convulsed by alcoholism. A.

13:12

Friend's family took him in during his final

13:14

year of high school. It.

13:16

Was an act of empathy that transformed

13:18

his life and relationships. And

13:20

he wondered what would have become of him if he

13:22

hadn't received a hand up during the most vulnerable years

13:25

of his life. He.

13:27

Had hated feeling like the world was acting upon

13:29

him. After

13:31

finishing college at Duke University, Where.

13:33

He to help organize within a local Hispanic

13:36

community. He. Had moved to Milwaukee

13:38

to be with his then girlfriend. So.

13:40

That a teaching job at a public school in the

13:42

city. He. Worried

13:44

that America's myriad civic institutions

13:46

little leagues, recreation centers, churches,

13:49

Were. In decline and he felt that the

13:51

way to counteract their decay was by

13:54

building relationships. This

13:56

was the overlooked work he thought of

13:58

nursing a democracy. For.

14:01

Two months in a row, Kevin had

14:03

requested five minutes or ten. It's to

14:05

make the case that the monthly housing

14:07

board meeting at Heinz, the authorities executive

14:09

director of should be fired. This.

14:11

Plan was stored it in February when

14:14

the meeting was abruptly made virtual deflating

14:16

the energy of dozens of tenants who

14:18

had car pulled from across town to

14:20

City Hall. Now.

14:22

The March meeting had been cancelled. All. And

14:25

Biden was in town and would be holding a

14:27

public event. Haven't. Wonder

14:29

if the housing authorities leaders would be there?

14:34

The. Agency struggles for well documented and were

14:36

made public through records obtained over the

14:38

past year. By. The Milwaukee Journal

14:40

Sentinel. The. Federal Department

14:42

of Housing and Urban Development. Had.

14:45

Recently found the agency's financial records

14:47

riddled with errors. That. Left

14:49

it at risk for serious fraud,

14:51

waste, and abuse. Including

14:53

leaving sensitive tenet information like

14:56

social security numbers. Lying

14:58

unattended and hallways and other

15:00

publicly accessible areas. Kevin

15:02

and Common Ground had also found

15:04

countless maintenance issues. That went

15:07

unaddressed by managers for months and

15:09

sometimes even years. Based.

15:12

On what they had seen. They. Believe that

15:14

has said take over the city's housing authority.

15:16

Or. At least that there should be a

15:19

nationwide search for new Executive director. Their.

15:22

Advocacy had pitted common ground.

15:25

This. Funding came from a coalition

15:27

of multiracial faith organizations. Against.

15:30

The democratic establishment that publicly

15:32

supported Heinz. A. Former City

15:34

council president. There.

15:36

Was an unspoken racial dynamic to.

15:39

A public housing. Tenants were predominantly

15:42

black. Several. Of Common Grounds.

15:44

Organizers were white. Some.

15:46

Tenants felt betrayed by their representatives.

15:49

At. some milwaukee and were hesitant to

15:51

call for the firing of black leaders

15:53

or to embarrass cavalier johnson milwaukee's first

15:56

elected black mayor the one the office

15:58

and twenty twenty two In

16:02

the face of such disillusionment at the

16:04

city's elected leadership, Biden's visit

16:06

felt like a blow, not a blessing. But

16:09

now, Jennifer and Bob began to sense an

16:12

opportunity. Wisconsin

16:14

was an essential swing state, decided

16:16

in the past two presidential elections

16:18

by about 20,000 votes,

16:21

less than one percentage point. Without

16:24

Wisconsin's 10 electoral college votes, winning

16:27

the White House would be nearly impossible for

16:29

either candidate. With

16:31

this campaign being here, we can

16:33

try to get them to pay attention, and if

16:35

they don't, we need to ask why,

16:37

Jennifer said. He is here

16:40

trying to get voters. He needs to

16:42

respond to this issue. We can't

16:44

just give him a free pass coming in and

16:46

pretend things are great. We

16:49

need to tell them, we think HUD should take over

16:51

the housing authority, Bob said. Just

16:54

do the math. They're very worried about

16:56

this state, and now they're vulnerable, and we should

16:58

take advantage of it. Poor

17:01

people of color is the constituency they take

17:03

for granted, and it is the

17:05

constituency that really has the power to shape

17:07

this election, Jennifer said. But

17:09

are people going to be ready and willing to call

17:11

out Joe Biden during an election year? He

17:15

needs the African American vote in this town,

17:17

and that's what carries the state, and they

17:19

know that, Bob said. We just

17:21

want human beings to get what they deserve for paying

17:23

rent. We're not crazy people. Kevin

17:27

turned the conversation back to the locked patio

17:30

at College Court and other issues that had

17:32

sprung up, including the closure of

17:34

the downstairs community room. It

17:37

doesn't cost people any money to keep those

17:39

rooms open, Jennifer said. It's

17:41

just the housing authority being mean. Some

17:44

tenants compared to being in a prison, Kevin

17:46

said. What

17:49

if they send an email to the mayor to ask him

17:51

to visit one of the properties, Jennifer asked? Maybe

17:54

they could still find a way to work with

17:56

the local Democratic establishment. Later.

18:00

as they follow the news coverage of the President's visit,

18:02

they spotted all the people common ground and the

18:04

tenants have been trying to reach to no avail.

18:08

Heinz, the executive director, the

18:11

chairwoman of the Housing Authority's Board of Commissioners,

18:14

and Johnson, the mayor. Now,

18:17

the day after the President's visit, several

18:20

tenants gathered around Kevin at College Court

18:23

to tell him that the Housing Authority's

18:25

property manager, Greg Anderson, had

18:27

walked through the building with a security person

18:29

who some tenants thought might be a HUD

18:31

representative. Peaches

18:33

tried to talk to the man, she said, but

18:35

was told by Anderson that it wasn't any of her

18:37

business, which the Housing Authority later

18:40

denied. Peaches

18:42

shoved her pointer finger into the air as

18:44

she recounted the exchange. She

18:46

hated when people talked down to her. She

18:49

resented building management for infantilizing her and

18:51

other tenants. I

18:53

told them they only start fixing things when

18:55

HUD comes into town, Peaches said.

18:58

I live here too. Part

19:01

of Kevin's end goal was to identify

19:03

leaders within public housing properties who

19:06

could build a tenant-led movement, and

19:08

Peaches was a natural. She

19:10

and Kevin shared a disdain for bullies.

19:15

Peaches, who adopted the nickname as a child,

19:17

had grown up middle class in a suburb

19:20

of Chicago to parents who moved from

19:22

the South. Her mother,

19:24

from Mississippi, had little formal

19:26

education but obtained her GED in

19:28

adulthood, and Peaches recalled with

19:30

pride, helping her study for the exam. She

19:34

said her mother, who was a Union steward, had

19:36

shown her the power of collective action, and

19:39

she credited her fighter's disposition to her

19:41

father, an Army veteran from

19:43

Kentucky, with brothers also in the service.

19:48

Though she did not wear vulnerability easily,

19:50

Peaches had known a lot of anguish. She

19:53

was derailed from finishing her college degree after

19:56

her youngest son, Gregory, died in

19:58

his crib in 1992 when he... was

20:00

about six weeks old. She

20:02

found work in office jobs, including selling

20:05

life insurance, and led a

20:07

comfortable life even after a painful divorce, until

20:10

a spinal illness in 2010 limited her

20:12

ability to work. She

20:15

had moved into the building in 2018 because

20:17

it was what she could afford on disability benefits.

20:21

At first, there were community programs and the

20:23

building felt safe. But

20:25

the pandemic had brought a crush of new tenants

20:27

with mental illness. Sometimes

20:30

aggressive men called Peaches a bitch

20:33

for no reason, and other times people

20:35

who didn't even live in the building camped

20:37

out in the stairwells doing drugs or having

20:39

sex. And because

20:41

of her mobility issues, Peaches already

20:43

worried that if a fire broke out, she

20:46

would be trapped in her 11th floor apartment. Through

20:50

a spokesperson, the Housing Authority of the City

20:52

of Milwaukee told the Washington Post

20:55

that the agency had a $200 million

20:57

backlog in non-emergency

20:59

capital needs, which

21:01

it noted was part of an

21:03

estimated $70 billion backlog gripping public

21:05

housing authorities across the United States

21:08

due to decades of disinvestment by

21:10

the federal government. It

21:13

noted that the Housing Authority's security services

21:16

were severely limited by a lack of

21:18

available funding, which was also

21:20

true for social services for its at-risk

21:22

tenants. This is

21:24

not a local issue, but a national one, said

21:27

the Housing Authority's Chief Operating Officer for

21:29

Program Services, Ken Barbeau. But

21:33

Peaches had not given up on the idea

21:36

that life could be better for her and

21:38

her neighbors and across Milwaukee's public housing developments.

21:41

She admired that there was a method to how Kevin

21:44

and Common Ground went about organizing

21:46

for change, escalating their

21:48

protest tactics over time. It

21:51

was an approach that resonated with her instinctively.

21:55

Not everybody across public housing properties was

21:57

interested in working with Common Ground and

22:00

not everyone believed change was possible.

22:03

There was uncertainty around Common Ground's decision

22:05

to target Heinz that sometimes

22:08

came up among tenants. Still

22:11

others saw the political math in

22:13

exceedingly blunt terms. Heinz

22:16

knows people and the people he

22:18

knows have money. Daener Williams, a

22:20

tenant at another property, had told Kevin,

22:23

I'm not saying you're going to lose but you're dealing with

22:25

a person with a lot of power and

22:27

they are powerful with African Americans and

22:30

they are not going to turn on each other because of

22:32

the racism in this city and

22:34

the racism they have

22:36

all endured. Kevin saw the

22:38

situation in a more straightforward way. It was

22:41

not about black and white, it was about

22:43

haves and have-nots. Peaches

22:46

saw it with additional clarity. I

22:48

don't trust them, they aren't for us, Peaches

22:51

said of the Housing Authority leadership. At

22:55

College Court, much anger was reserved for

22:57

their building manager, especially among

22:59

black tenants whose umbrage was tinged

23:01

with betrayal. She

23:04

looks at you like you're dirt, said Mary and more,

23:06

a woman in her 70s who

23:08

had lived in the building for decades and

23:10

had never felt such disdain from building management.

23:13

And I'll tell you, I've never met a

23:15

black woman like her. For her to turn on

23:17

her own people, that's

23:19

ugly. Other tenants

23:22

nodded. Who wielded power mattered

23:24

less to them than what they did with

23:26

it. They said, don't

23:28

talk to Kevin because he doesn't do anything

23:30

for you. Ricky told the

23:32

room now with mirth, which the Housing Authority

23:34

later denied in a statement to the Post.

23:38

They said that? They said don't talk to

23:40

common ground? Kevin asked. Kevin

23:43

took a breath and let out a sigh. Peaches

23:48

Fumed that there had been local news

23:50

coverage of the conditions in Housing Authority

23:52

properties for more than a year, And

23:54

still, politicians weren't motivated to make a

23:56

more significant change. Heard

24:00

were promises and news conferences that

24:02

things are improving, a story of

24:04

success simply did not match what

24:06

she saw every. Even.

24:09

So Peaches believed in democracy and

24:11

rallying people behind a common cause

24:14

and sticking together for justice. Peaches.

24:18

Would vote against Trump in November she said

24:20

because he thought he was racist and dangerous.

24:23

Even. Amid growing distrust for local

24:25

democratic leaders. That. Although they're

24:27

did not appear to be much support for Trump

24:30

among public housing tenants. It was

24:32

also true that there was very little excitement for

24:34

Biden. The. Election itself

24:36

seem to take a backseat for voters

24:38

who had more pressing personal emergencies to

24:40

navigate. Peaches.

24:42

Was interested in helping more for

24:44

neighbors register to vote so they

24:47

could mobilize enough electoral power within

24:49

public housing. To. Make a local

24:51

politicians mindful of their needs. Which.

24:53

Was to say that in another circumstance,

24:56

Peaches can be immensely helpful to a

24:58

political campaign. Instead.

25:00

She and her fellow tenants were fighting

25:02

to regain access to their small outdoor

25:04

patio. The.

25:07

Outdoor space itself was mostly paved over

25:09

with the man. That. Had seating

25:11

and a grill for residents to use. It.

25:14

Was a place to escape the problems within the

25:17

building. Peaches. Felt

25:19

nervous he said congregating and other

25:21

people's apartments because of the bed

25:23

bug infestations. That. Even

25:25

something so. Simple had become so complicated,

25:28

and in this way they're fraught

25:30

interactions with building management over the

25:32

patio. Had. Come to represent their

25:34

interactions with government itself. Have

25:37

locking the patio gate and closing

25:39

community rooms early. Did. Not

25:41

prevent trespassers from walking into the building

25:43

through the unattended front door lobby. The.

25:46

Battle for the soul of America. It

25:50

was stirring rhetoric. But. What about

25:52

the battle for college? court? taken

25:56

the padlock on the gate was about more

25:58

than just the patio itself for peaches and

26:00

the other tenants, it was about

26:02

dignity and respect. What

26:04

if we call Greg Anderson? Do

26:07

you guys wanna call Greg Anderson? Kevin

26:09

asked the room. Anderson

26:11

was the vice president in charge of property

26:13

management. Nicole, another

26:15

resident Kevin was cultivating as an organizer,

26:18

volunteered to make the call. Peaches

26:21

and Kevin watched as Nicole dialed the number and

26:24

put the phone on speaker. To

26:26

everyone's surprise, Anderson picked up. I

26:30

would like if we could get the front patio

26:32

gate unlocked. Nicole began speaking

26:34

quickly as she listed other issues

26:36

at college court. Slow

26:39

down, slow down, Anderson said. We're not

26:41

opening it up. I locked

26:43

it down. We're having folks from outside the building

26:45

get inside. That's not going to happen.

26:49

How are you going to tell us what we can and can't

26:51

do in our own residence? Nicole asked.

26:53

Because it's our building, ma'am. That's

26:56

why, Anderson said. Nicole

26:59

began to shout as others in the room let

27:01

out gas. She hung up. Watch

27:04

them send security on us. That's how they

27:07

do, Ricky said. Okay,

27:09

let's strategize, Kevin said. Take

27:12

a breath, take a breath, move around, get it

27:14

off your chest. Peaches

27:17

suggested a rent strike, but Kevin wanted

27:19

to go slower and to consult

27:21

a lawyer first. She nodded

27:23

in agreement. For

27:26

now, they would send a follow-up email to

27:28

the city's leaders from Peaches email account. She

27:31

would become their spokesperson. Kevin

27:33

began drafting it, reading the words out loud

27:36

as tenants chimed in with suggestions. Their

27:40

requests were straightforward. Two

27:42

security guards in the evenings, one

27:44

to monitor the door, one to walk the halls.

27:47

A new building manager who treated tenants with

27:49

respect. And a written apology

27:52

from Anderson. They also

27:54

demanded for the patio to be reopened. Director

27:58

Hines and public officials. We are... Stream

28:00

We disappointed that not only have

28:02

you not responded but also things

28:04

have gotten worse. The email said.

28:07

This. Is our building to. Who.

28:10

Wants to sign this? Haven't asked.

28:13

Everyone raise their hands in. Several people followed

28:15

up with him on their way out of

28:17

the room to make sure cabinet spell their

28:19

names correctly. And tomorrow

28:22

if we don't get a response. Less do is

28:24

sit in. Cabin. Sat. What?

28:26

If they bring the police someone else in the

28:28

back of the room. Then.

28:30

Let's go to the media. Let's embarrassed the

28:32

sit out of them. I

28:34

hope they had the audacity. They'll lose that argument

28:37

with the public any day of the week. Haven't.

28:39

Said. A room was

28:41

excited Now. You. Go Kevin!

28:44

Marion. Said. There.

28:47

Was still no response the next afternoon

28:49

from housing officials, And so now Kevin

28:52

and a group of ten tenants gathered

28:54

in a community room to plan a

28:56

protest, a tactful act of civil disturbance

28:58

to register their ongoing frustration. Peters.

29:02

Walked into the room waving a piece of paper.

29:05

Hey. Hey, we got something here she

29:07

said. It was

29:09

a letter dated March fifteenth and side

29:11

by Marlin Davis, the Housing Authorities Chief

29:13

Of Public Safety. It.

29:15

Offered a few concessions: the ineffective security

29:18

guard would be replaced, though it appeared

29:20

there would still be only one guard

29:22

and only in the evenings. But.

29:25

As for the patio, The. Padlock would

29:27

not be taken off. This.

29:29

Measure as intended to prevent outsiders

29:32

from accessing the patio area are

29:34

entering the building. unauthorized said the

29:36

letter. Haven't asked

29:38

if that was good enough for if they wanted to

29:40

ask for more. Not.

29:42

Everyone was satisfied with taking incremental

29:44

steps. A. Few people wanted to

29:47

continue escalating. I. Don't

29:49

like a lot of talk. I wanna see some

29:51

action. Said. A man who was new to

29:53

the tenants group. I'm. With

29:55

you. Here's what the City says: They don't

29:57

have enough staffing. They don't have enough money.

30:00

Haven't. Said. There's. A narrative

30:02

of excuses. And we've got a

30:04

pop that narrative. This is about the

30:07

manager not treating you would dignity. Opening.

30:09

The patio. Kevin. Hold on!

30:11

Peaches. Interjected. The. room

30:14

turned to her now. They.

30:16

Are reacting to our actions?

30:18

Peaches, explain. This. Is what

30:20

they did during the Civil Rights era. This.

30:22

Is about claiming our space, holding

30:25

our ground, But. We have to go

30:27

step by step. There. Was a chain

30:29

of command. You have to do things the right

30:31

way. As

30:33

the group debated, the building manager walked in.

30:36

Three. Security officers employed by the Housing

30:38

Authority were behind her. The.

30:41

Manager most into peaches and told her to

30:43

join them in the front office. He

30:46

just took halting steps. Face. Scrunched

30:48

with irritation. Haven't

30:51

looked com at first but now he sprinted

30:53

after her. Peters. You do

30:55

not have to go in there if you don't want to.

30:58

He said out a brass. We.

31:00

Just want to talk to Charlene and

31:02

private. That's all the manager said. Is.

31:05

This about my rant. Pizza said because

31:07

if this is not about my rant than

31:09

I don't know what's the point of private

31:11

for. She ain't going

31:14

in there by yourself said Nicole, who had

31:16

followed Peaches out as well. He.

31:19

Just turned away now and walked back to the

31:21

table refusing to meet alone with the building manager

31:24

and the safety officers. Kevin

31:26

and a call follow behind. The.

31:28

Group looked second and several people scam

31:30

the ceilings for cameras. The.

31:33

Security Guards. That is. This

31:35

is a single out peters. It felt like

31:37

an act of intimidation. A just

31:39

been sitting together calmly talking. Here's.

31:43

A good learning moment. One. Thing Power

31:45

does as they try to make it. so instead

31:47

of a group, it's one person. They

31:49

were going to have three guards against one person.

31:52

It's a power thing. This. Is

31:54

all about power? Haven't said? My.

31:56

Colleagues said the only thing that could go wrong

31:58

here is if they. This off and one of

32:01

us reacts out of rage. You. Are

32:03

in the right here. Outside.

32:06

The Window Now or to Milwaukee Police

32:08

Officers. Peaches. Watch them while

32:10

picking at her nails. They

32:13

were there to follow up on a report of flat

32:15

tires in the area. That for a moment

32:17

people in the room wondered if they would be called

32:19

the next. Haven't

32:21

pulled out his cell phone to record video

32:23

testimonies about what it just happens. You're.

32:26

Told things are getting better. Do you

32:28

believe that Have announced. Know.

32:31

Several. Senate shouted, it's getting

32:33

worse. They. Refused to

32:35

treat us with dignity and respect

32:37

like adults. He just said. Kevin

32:41

rallied them around the idea of inviting the

32:43

mare to come see College Court for himself.

32:46

Without. Housing Authority managers acting

32:48

as middlemen. Haven't.

32:50

Pulled out his Macbook air. Dear

32:53

Mayor Johnson, will you come listen to us

32:55

and see are terrible living conditions. You.

32:57

Can see are broken appliances, busted

32:59

tiles and mold. The email read.

33:02

We. Look forward to hearing from you and

33:04

showing you the truth about college court. Peaches.

33:08

Rearranged the terrorists include the tables, leaving

33:10

the space tidy or than she found

33:12

it. He. Want

33:15

my vote? He need to come see me.

33:17

I vote every time Pizza said to the

33:19

other tenants as they walked out. And

33:22

biden came and cancelled. Our downtown of and

33:24

want to talk to him to? How about

33:26

he come down here to see me? For.

33:30

The third month in a row, Common

33:32

Ground and dozens of tenants have requested

33:34

five minutes to present at the housing

33:36

authorities monthly gathering at City Hall. And.

33:40

As before the April meeting with moved

33:42

from in person to virtual. Of

33:44

ending the potential for show solidarity at the

33:46

city seat of power. Now.

33:49

Kevin his mentors that Common Ground and

33:52

a dozen tenants were gathered outside the

33:54

home of the chairwoman of the board

33:56

who lived in Hillside. Terrorists. They.

33:59

were less than a block from where Biden recently

34:01

held his news conference. Three

34:04

weeks prior, Peaches and the other

34:06

tenants had awoken to find the

34:08

padlock unexpectedly removed from the front

34:10

patio gate without any additional explanation.

34:14

It was a victory, if only a quiet one, a morsel

34:17

of proof that things could change. But

34:20

that same day, a response to the tenants

34:22

from the executive director was less

34:25

than reassuring. He

34:27

took their other concerns seriously, he wrote,

34:29

but offered no tangible fixes. Hines

34:33

responded. Kevin texted Peaches.

34:36

Lappable. She wrote back. And

34:39

then a letter came for Peaches from

34:41

the housing authority. She

34:43

violated security, it warned.

34:46

Her transgression, an unauthorized,

34:48

sick, meeting with common

34:50

grounds, sick, in the

34:53

community room. At

34:55

the end, it threatened that additional actions could

34:57

result in the termination of release. On

35:03

April 2, Johnson won reelection as

35:05

Milwaukee's mayor against a Republican challenger

35:07

with about 80% of the vote. Three

35:10

days later, a member of the mayor's staff responded

35:13

to the college court tenants invitation to

35:15

tour the property. Johnson

35:17

would not be visiting. The

35:19

mayor and our office are closely following the work at

35:21

these properties and take

35:24

the responsibility of ensuring quality housing

35:26

for Milwaukee and seriously, said

35:28

the email. Now,

35:30

outside the chairwoman's house, common

35:33

ground set up a mobile podium. Peaches

35:35

hadn't come. She said she was sick.

35:38

She needed to prioritize her wellbeing to

35:41

save some of her energy for herself. Several

35:44

tenants held posters with photos of maintenance

35:46

issues and pests printed with

35:49

messages. Water leakage

35:51

with exposed wires, breeding

35:53

ground for rats, gaping

35:55

holes under sinks. A

35:59

television crew. from a local news station was there,

36:02

as was a reporter from the journal Sentinel. A

36:05

woman named Stacey Rehm addressed local leaders

36:08

when she described how moving into public housing

36:10

had left her more housing insecure than before

36:13

because of disability access issues and bed

36:15

bugs. Since you don't

36:17

want us to come to your meetings, we invite you

36:19

to ours, she said. Come

36:21

talk to residents. Come listen to the neighbors. Come

36:24

see the mold, the rat problems, the

36:27

broken appliances. Now

36:30

a tenant named Chris Logan was speaking, making

36:32

an appeal to Biden himself. They

36:35

rushed you into a little boys and girls

36:37

club and you didn't see anything. You didn't

36:39

want to, she said. We voted

36:41

you into office, but you don't want to talk to us.

36:44

You don't want to hear from us. Cameras

36:47

in tow, the group walked to the chairwoman's front door

36:49

and knocked. Sometimes

36:52

when people are hiding, you need to

36:54

try these more guerrilla tactics. We

36:56

need to get them to react, Kevin said. No

36:59

answer. Another knock. Still,

37:02

no answer. They

37:04

taped a note to the chairwoman's front door that

37:06

invited her to meet with the tenants and

37:09

then they left to wait for a

37:11

response. You

37:14

were listening to the Washington Post where Jose

37:16

Del Reyal writes the battle

37:18

for the patio of college court. This

37:22

article was published on the 25th of May, 2024 and was read by

37:24

Adrian Walker for Noah.