The inner core: City within a city; Inner City Development Project

From an intensive week of broadcasting on Milwaukee's inner core city within a city w AJ at the University of Wisconsin presents a discussion of the relationship between residents and the various service organizations in the inner core. Today Ralph Johnson of WAGA radio talks with six advisory board and staff members of the inner city development project. I see DP. Their conversation begins as a staff member Hank fully explains the purpose of ICD inner city development project is a delicate agency of the community relations social development commission of Milwaukee. It came about in 1965 when the United Community Services decided it would try to reach a multi problem families when the project was set up. It was realised that in practice many many of the poor were not reached at all and that all the families were multi problem. There has been a myth mostly coming out of middle class society that there are many many agencies in the community of Milwaukee both in the north side and south side that

are reaching people and that service is already duplicated it was experience of inner city that most of the people weren't reached by any agency. And so in the process of asking the question how could people be reached it was realized that if you're going to set up a project in order to have people participate to help themselves they have to participate in the decision making that goes on in the project. What kind of services that they want and how they want them delivered and what kind of resources they want brought into their area. So it was with this philosophy that the inner city project began by setting up residence advisory councils that elected delegates to a Board of Governors for the city to decide what kind of projects should go on in the centers. What we try to do through the centers is to have neighborhood Workers Outreach into the neighborhoods they usually have a geographical area of about 10

10 by 10 square blocks and they saturate the neighborhood with information on what social services are available and try to elicit from the resident how they want those services delivered and what are their needs rather than prejudging what the needs are. This means that you have to have the services available to the residence. And we have found in the past in this community that the social service agencies were centrally located and the poor generally did not go into these agencies and felt that they had been traditionally screened out for many reasons because they were poor or because they were black or they were Spanish American. Other reasons. And so we found that we had to decentralize the services rather than centralizing them decentralize them into the neighborhood centers and coordinate those services in order to change the traditional way that social service agencies had reached out to the poor. Generally it's been a very in a very patronizing fashion. And

having seen that this was a bankrupt way of doing it we began to demand from the agencies to really work with the residents to work in the in the area itself helping. In the process we've had to expand more agencies into the center. And this in turn forces the wider community to expand its services to the residents means a greater expenditure. But this is an expenditure that by and large the middle class community has generally tended not to give in this in this country let alone in the Milwaukee area and has put the responsibility on what I would call the dirty workers they have put saddled social workers with a task that is nowhere proportionate to the resources that they have at hand. So by decentralizing the services we get services closer to the residents so instant service can be given hopefully in most cases primarily people come into our center at least seven out of 10 for employment. And it's from that as a starting point that we begin to give them other types of services so

that in a given center they may have available to them vocational rehabilitation market nursing department. They were sky's a state employment service. Family Services Catholic Social Services the vocational school. And various other programs and we will increasingly get more agencies out station in the centers and this has forces not only the workers outstation to work with our staff and to work with the residents and be put in a situation of words. It's really an equality basis rather than having the resident dependent on the worker because they are subject to the decisions of their councils and the residents advisory board for the whole city and outputs the worker really where he is responsible for his decisions to the people that he's serving. And this hasn't been true in the past. Well it seems like one of the problems has been that some of the more traditional social

agencies have not done what they were supposed to do. Have you run into specific instances of this in your work. Briggs Yes most definitely. One of the major roles that we see in the project is that of serving as an advocate for and with the people who come in for services. Prout in a city being set up in the Unocal Milwaukee residents have to resolve whatever their problems and their conflicts were with the Department of Welfare County Hospital another one of our large institutions primarily on their own and would happen more often than not with the per person user on a one woman basis was usually subordinated because the slap down and never got any kind of meaningful results from one point from their activities. The presenter and when a person comes into the center for the welfare problem one example rather than having the person go down to the department try to

take care of by himself. We now have a stair person along with a world representative in the Senate who now serve as an advocate for that person. So whereas before a person who might come in who qualify for a telephone but because their tools are part of a caseworker who who thinks that telephone nowadays is a luxury resort there's really a need in the home so you can't have it. Now we have the means to challenge this and the person has to act if we have a valid argument. On the other hand you have a person to come in and go out to the county hospital to sit for hours and hours and hours at a time to see one peel only to be told they have to come back two weeks later is almost to say that people's people who are ill can lay the illness for two weeks and come by for an appointment and take at that time to get around this particular thing we have work as the minutes have to accompany persons out to the county hospital at the castle staff know where we are from in a development project and we are there to help this person to give whatever kind of medical

services they need and this regard the person they used to give a meaningful service they don't have to wait all day be told to come back in return just to keep examples of. How in a city in terms of working with residents help them to make the most used the services that are available to them in their community. The other problem that many residents are fine with is the fact that because many agencies a very large very structured and very much bureaucratic bureaucratic red tape comes first you shuffle the papers you know you go to the various routines to satisfy administrative personnel in these very institutions and then in the long run you know what if in the paperwork you get around a given service then fine. But people's problems started in more than eight in that for when there's a need for standards other than the very briefly one of the neat things about the inner city is the advisory board which has a good deal of power. What you talk about on this hall and also I think I mentioned something before we started taping

about the good feeling that people have coming to inner city as opposed to some other agencies. Well I was born in Milwaukee and I'm raising 13 children and I was going to and. Used to be on time agency and one day someone knocked on the door and going to the door. It happened to be a neighborhood worker from inner city tragedy and I was kind of surprised because they're just now people knocking on your door as they do offer services for the youth. They would talk about the housing and employment and they were creating your dashboard Dan. So they asked me would I attend a meeting in this personal thing I said well sure. And going up there got to know other people in the community and their needs and we were able to plan things for this inner city it wasn't that the staff was there planning for us we were right we were involved ourselves. And I've been on this board and I have been working part time and I've also been going to the employment office. But

they knew that have a vision of our family our needs and things and they give you this personal thing the worker follows through and you feel confidence and have heard about inner city so much and knew that I would get some kind of a service and help. And sure enough. I got a telephone call that a job was needed down in the central office and they felt that I was qualified and that I was going down there just because I had been sent but I didn't have the talent to do the job. And this is how I got my job knowing that I wouldn't get this type of job through the employment office because it's just like a rubber stamp to come in and stamp you when you go back. What about police community relations. Have you had any experience with this. No personally I am here. No experience good or bad with the police. Friends and neighbors may have heard them do it which sensitives in the episode yesterday I was going to class I was getting a

six street bust a youngster had just got out the brass on Wisconsin Avenue and got on a six street burst he had a school players but he didn't have the holder he said it lasted two police tapped him on the bus and wouldn't let him on and it was a kind of a little commotion a sort of handle him roughly and a negro woman came up and said well I'll pay his fare because the boy had to get home in the bus travel the night which was just as bad said I don't want him on my bus. And so they need to take him by his arms and wrapped him up and taken him outside of the bus and we pulled out. So what happened after that. So they're let alone. I mean it's just like a every day occurrence. From the point of view of another long time worker resident. How would you react to these comments you just heard is that the same sort of poor relation which I sense between the police and the people in the south side of the Spanish behaves. Again this came up primarily because of the language barrier

and color. The police not having any Spanish speaking individuals on the force. Some 10 years ago they may have a few and now of course just assume that because of their color their dark skin color they are just. Another group of people that we can handle it without them getting out of hand. And as one more policeman did tell me at one time if I ever get one and now they while I will Club them down if it gets out of hand. But he wouldn't try to bring out the understanding that is necessary in a police officers. Point of view that we should be communicative if you can or try to be understanding which I feel that many of the Marquis police officers are lacking and perhaps this comes about because we have to change some of that structure and teaching of the police as we do have to also change the structure of other

agencies here. That they have to come down to the level of the people and try to understand them. Such as the inner city project is doing. They have people out in the field doing that because these people who are out there working for inner city are part of the city. They understand the same problem they have the same problems themselves but here they have an opportunity to express themselves and try to help their fellow man because they immediately upon hearing of another person's problem they too might have sense or have experienced the same problem they have immediately a better understanding and communicating communication and understanding is perhaps two of the most vital things that have to be undertaken by every agency in this in the city like the walking. Seems to me that a lot of these problems may or may not be solved in this generation.

What do any of you think about the feelings of young people teenagers and people in their 20s as far as the future is concerned. Well I'd like to respond to your your last statement I think if we start with the premise that very little or nothing can be done. It's too defeatist I think that there's still a possibility for Americans in their urban areas to start to change their environment I think that we're talking to a group of people in the whole state to give them the magnitude of the problem which you can't get necessarily by simply listening. If you're talking about the north side of Milwaukee and the what the project the area the project tries to reach and I reach is a small section geographically of that you're talking of a population as large as a city of Madison. And these people in this geographical area both whites and blacks you have about 50 percent white and 50 percent black on the north side. Have not been reached.

And on the south side we're talking about approximately the same size of an area. In both sides of the city inner city has a total staff of 70 people and a volunteer staff of approximately 18 to 20 with only three centers on our side and two on the south side. And if this project which is set up to work itself out of existence becomes an excuse for the wider community to say whether the wider community be the metropolitan area of Milwaukee or the state that at least we have something going there whether it's privately funded or federally funded. I think that this is a real disservice to the residents and I would be the first to advocate the abolishment of this agency that this agency is totally ill equipped or under-equipped rather is a better word to meet the real needs of their of the people in both the north and the south side and that if we begin not only in this agency but in other agencies to decentralize the services to put the workers naming druther workers from the resident

areas themselves. I think we've been a much more healthy situation and we could begin to meet the problems that we talk about so defeating Lee as not possible to solve in our generation. I think the tragedy is there very possibly not possibly that could be said. We know they could be solved within our lifetime within 10 to 15 years if we would simply really allow and accept the right of residence to participate and to determine their own services and to provide those resources. I don't have a reaction a little bit earlier I think that it's it's not exactly correct to speak that these agencies should come down. They may view it that way however I think it's more that they're accepting the culture of the people that that they're dealing with. And these people may be right they may be black they may be a Spanish-American they may be Afro-American but it's not a question of coming down I think if this is a mentality that any agency has in this community or the residence or the middle class community hands

we're not going to begin to solve the problem because we always are then considering the people as dependents and we're very patronizing to them. And there's a whole philosophy is against what the inner city is all about. But I again I would say if if people think that because such a project exists in the north and south side that the residents the hundred eighty thousand The Northside in approximately 100000 in the south side. Are being reached are far mistaken. You can't possibly do it with a staff of 70 people and volunteers of 18 20 and with five centers. You see part of your function as an educational function to teach people educate them to the fact that they do have certain abilities and powers and they can call on agencies to do service and I think it's partially part of the teaching function I think is more expedited. I think with these people the people that were working with the residents in both the north and south side already many of them have this awareness what they are. They are blocked by various by the economy and by the institutions in the community both the

political institutions and social institutions from actually implementing the programs that they want. I think one of the another myth that is that is prevalent in middle class society is that the poor do not want to help themselves they do not want jobs. We have seven out of 10 people coming into the centers for jobs. The outreach people are going to residents are going out and telling people about jobs these people are coming in for jobs and the jobs are not there. They either have nothing. Third grade to eighth grade education. They have a low literacy or they have been put into a poor educational system whether it's from the south or in the north that has cheated them over and over again so that they do not have a high school of diploma. And the business has continued to require high school the diploma for employment. So we screen out the poor again. What we have what I'm saying in their words is we have set up an economic system in which we can screen out a large mass of people through our hiring practices in the fact that we do not create jobs for persons and then we turn right around and blame them

for that process which we participate in and say These people are indigent or that they're lazy or that they really don't want to help themselves. And I we are finding out in particular in the last five months that over 50 percent of the people coming in for employment are being rejected and they're being rejected sometimes by standards that are artificial or by standards that we will not be flexible enough to adjust to the needs of the people that we're working with. Crewed you were just going to say something about this. Yes. Oh. I want to make the point that one of the ways that the present system has for maintaining itself and one of the handicaps involved in getting was an organizer. To handle their own problems the fact that many agencies will not tail. Unocal Redlands what their rights are what things of before them what things are they have a right to and so what happens often times when a person

comes into one of the inner city agencies to complain about a certain problem with a certain age and what agency for example. We often find that if the very thing they're complaining about they have a right to have in the first place. So what do you come in contact with again and to the part of the person whom. You were instructed to talk to the agent says they look very much very conservative a traditional exam if you don't tell will proceed in the actual amount and Christmas time to buy food toys for chow. She didn't know she's in town if you don't tell a person who was moving to a better home. There is a wire that has the fire in the ceiling to alone to live in peace or. Red lights. She doesn't know she isn't even on. This is one of the ways of this intrusion. You know used to be reserved for this really well you know these cute little within the abilities legal army functions then is to

assist residents in learning and knowing about things are valuable for them and well things they're entitled to as a matter of right rather than out of fear a little bit some of the other two of you should or should not have. Because I think you should or should not have. To add to that I think and many of the residents along with because the system is selling green feel that to receive welfare is a privilege. Therefore whatever they give me I should be grateful for it as opposed to knowing that they have certain rights because laws establish rights for them to receive certain things. And caseworkers perpetuate this idea. I've had a caseworker personally to say to me over the telephone Well if those people would start marching down there and clean up their backyards then we give them what they. Dessert kind of thing and this is the attitude of a caseworker Wesa taken by their client every day at the welfare department and our residents

unfortunately believe this that if they would be what the case worker wants and the beat and they could get things and we have to combat an attitude on the part of the people we work with because the system has effectively brainwashed believe that they're there in that position because they did something somewhere in their life time to make them for I know you all have a point when what you have to get to and I'd like to finish up by asking you to all answer one question in a sentence or two there's been one word which has been continually popping up. And in pejorative terms I'd like to know. It's used by many many people and it's the system. What do you mean when you say the system and what. And usually you don't like it. What specifically do you mean by the system you know. Why don't use the word because I don't believe in the Word and mainly because I don't know what it means. Frankly everybody I know uses it and I never. Used it once

upon a time until somebody asked me the same question and I was mute. So from that day and I just haven't used the word. Either that or the establishment or similar words which tended to lump everything together so you could have something to hate. I think that the the way things are operates because of you know a number of people becoming victimized I think that you know that in a sense we're all victims at least from my viewpoint of values. I think the white people on the south side who are called bigots are victims of a system which exploits them and which plays upon their fears and uses their fears in the same sense that the people on the north side of victims. But they're victims of what goes and. And it tends to perpetuate itself. When I refer to the term a concept system a reference to

the power structure the persons who control the money of the prison who control the programs who make decisions and the part of that will affect people who receive the services this is what I mean about a system the power structure of the persons who are in does the authority who controlled this it is wealth and resources in control that they are in and their goals rather than to the in the persons who need them. You mean essentially government. Where you can blow down the government if you want to. Government is elected by people and it's something that something's wrong here isn't are many of these people are. People in the in the city government are state level but we're speaking primarily of people in the city government who many times represent agencies and boards who have never come into the area. They are trying to help. Whether it be the north side or whether it be in the south side. They have never First of all they've never lived there. Second of all of that it's their own choice.

However they haven't even come down to speak to the people and engage in conversation find out directly from them. They assume from other agencies or other departments within the city and taken their viewpoint what problems exist. So when you use the term the system you mean government as well. Yes. Essentially what do you mean when you talk about the system. When I talk about the system generally I mean. The whole corporate structure of our society. Which perpetuates a certain kind of value system which allows certain forces to take place. I not only include government I include the church I include part of the agencies are social service agencies. Just about everything the general value you might say particularly Madison Avenue which has a great force in creating values and wants and desires here is a part of what I consider to be the system.

Just finish it off here what do you mean when you said the system. Well I think Jack has a good point that it's a word that we can tend to be very flippant about or same as regards the word establishment I mean very specific things when I when I tend to use a term some words I've indicated and some of which the group here as indicated I think regards to business. We have set up. We have set up a base aid economic. The approach. Which has a lot of merit but which is not flexible enough. We have not learned to see how the profit motive can also be in the area of a social profit motive and industry has yet to begin to move. I think from the laissez faire attitude to a real commitment of in the social area. I think in regards to government as Mr Tippett says in the case I think we mean specific not just specific types of governments this may not be the instant it may be the people who are now in these positions whether in point positions or elected positions they don't really represent the interests of the geographical areas are

supposed to be represented. I found last summer after the incident that we had here in Milwaukee that I was showing one of the agencies around in the community the one of the key housing agencies which happened to be a federal housing agency in which the two or three staff members that I took who were in very. Strong position of power within the agency had never been into the north side area at all. This was the first time that they had been there and I had been in the community for some time at least two of them. I don't see how they can adequately represent their needs I think that this is when they eat. For example have certain movements at this time that have pointed to this. The hippies have said you know we want to cop out and turn on for a while because what you have done is to. Develop a computer AI society in which the person has lost sight of I think what they mean is that what we find is we can deal with some bureaucrats. Some politicians some heads of agencies who look only at

statistics and numbers. And never actually have been in the environment. I have never actually worked with the people themselves and so it. If anything it's it's a term that can be I think specified. I think hopefully it will be continually now in the American. I think the American community of Milwaukee. This is very threatening to both the bureaucrats when you become very specific in the politicians. I think it's going to have to become more specific. And I would. I would like to close by suggesting. That the people listening would question whether in their own area this. People are being truly end of Thord hate of positions or in positions of responsibility are really being responsible to them to the people listening and to their needs. I think that then they will have a proper I think they might see what we're trying to say when we use the word

system that the system has cheated people. By and large we mean people. Who have been in positions of responsibility who failed to restructure. Their you know their businesses or their governmental agencies or their school systems or their education and that in through television and radio to the needs of the people in American society you have been listening to a conversation between Ralph Johnson of WAGA radio and a six advisory board and staff members of Milwaukee's inner city development project. This was another in the series of programs originally heard over w AJ at the University of Wisconsin. During that station's intensive week of broadcasting on Milwaukee's inner core city within a city began almost speaking this is the national educational radio network.