Red Cross Redlined Milwaukee's Black And Latino Community Areas From On-site Fire Aid Services

Lack of diversity training and employees of color in the Wisconsin Red Cross, especially in the Milwaukee area could be a contributing factor and not safety that resulted in redlining the Black and Latino predominantly community areas from providing on-site fire, disaster relief and assistance.

By H. Nelson Goodson

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

December 28, 2017

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - The American Red Cross Southeast Wisconsin Chapter (ARCSWC) just redlined ten Milwaukee area Zip Codes, 53204, 53205, 53206, 53208, 53209, 53210, 53215, 53216, 53218 and 53233, according to a new policy announcement by Patty Flowers, the Regional CEO of the American Red Cross of Wisconsin, TMJ4 dot com reported. Flowers says, that the Milwaukee Fire Department members will be able to provide victims of a fire in Zip Codes mentioned with a card to contact a Red Cross volunteer to apply for aid and then the volunteer would arrange to meet the victim at a local police station or at Red Cross headquarters for face to face contact instead at on-site fire incidents as a safety measure for the volunteer. If a victim needs a ride to meet a Red Cross volunteer, the Red Cross has made arrangements with local taxi cab services to transport the victims free of charge to meet a Red Cross volunteer or to apply for aid, according to Flowers.

The ARCSWC offices are located at the 2600 block of W. Wisconsin Ave. in Milwaukee where the surrounding neighborhood is predominantly African-American. Will Flowers now decide to move the headquarters, since safety has become a factor for implementing the new redlining policy and move it to a White predominantly suburb? 

Milwaukee Alderman Robert "Bob" Donovan released the following statement on his Facebook (FB) account and blamed criminals, Mayor Tom Barrett, Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn and Milwaukee County District Attorney John T. Chisholm for their failed strategies and policies in dealing with crime.

Ald. Donovan's FB statement, "The Red Cross serves in war torn countries such as Iraq, Bosnia, Somalia, Chechnya and Afghanistan—but out of concern for its volunteers' safety, the Red Cross will no longer serve a large part of the City of Milwaukee when it comes to on-site fire and disaster relief and assistance!"

"The  American Red Cross Southeast Wisconsin Chapter's decision not to enter ten City of Milwaukee Zip Codes is a clear and appalling indication of the FAILED public safety strategies of the Barrett and Flynn administration as well as the weak, mollycoddling policies of DA Chisholm's office towards reckless, violent criminals!"

What Donovan failed to understand is, why the Red Cross actually goes into war torn ridden countries and recently to Puerto Rico's rural areas where it was more dangerous to the safety of the Red Cross staff and volunteers due to lawless areas then the Milwaukee predominantly Black and Latino communities? 

There has been no Milwaukee police report that any Red Cross volunteer who are mostly White volunteers and many come from the suburbs including Milwaukee have become victims of any crime in the predominantly Black and Latino communities. The Red Cross of Wisconsin and the ARCSWC need to revise their policies and include diversity training and adding Red Cross employees of color including management since, the Black and Latino communities due generate funds and donate to the Red Cross itself. If the Red Cross continues to redline inner city communities then these very communities including surrounding communities should begin to redline the Red Cross itself and begin to boycott it.

The American Red Cross Southeast Chapter serves communities across the following counties: Dodge, Washington, Ozaukee, Waukesha, Milwaukee, Walworth, Racine and Kenosha, according to its website.

The Board of Directors of the American Red Cross Southeast Wisconsin Chapter

Bill Kellner - Chair - Michael Best & Friedrich LLP

John Griffith - Treasurer - Park Bank

Beth Anderson - Secretary - Laureate Group

Patricia Ackerman - A.O. Smith Corporation

Iain Boyd - Snap-on Incorporated

Bill Carollo - Big Ten Conference

Marti Croak - U.S. Bank

Joann Eisenhart, Ph.D. - Northwestern Mutual

Rebecca Fitzgerald - Johnson Controls Power Solutions

Tami Garrison - MillerCoors

Lisa George - We Energies/Wisconsin Energy Corporation

Toni Holland - Time Warner Cable

William Jessup - Milwaukee Police Department

Tom Kissinger - The Marcus Corporation

Molly Lueder, CFP, CLU, ChFC - Northwestern Mutual

Janet C. Protasiewicz - Milwaukee County Circuit Court

Kelly Savage - State Farm Insurance Companies

Francis Schmitz - Law Offices of Francis Schmitz

Srini Seshadri

Sue Shimoyama - Rockwell Automation

Michael Stull - ManpowerGroup

Laura Timm - Briggs & Stratton Corporation

Ellen Trytek - Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLC

Mary Voelker, Ph.D., SPHR - Consulting on Change

Gerard Washington - Milwaukee Fire Department

Emeritus Members

Gwen Jackson - Chair Emeritus - Retired

Linda Cutler - Retired

William (Bill) Murgas - Retired

Gregory Oberland - Northwestern Mutual

Edward O’Connor - Retired

Mark Petrarca - A. O. Smith Corporation

Steve Tews

Red Cross Staff Members

Patty Flowers - Regional CEO

Nicole Gulatz - Regional Chief Development Officer

Rachel Bennett - Executive Assistant