Show us the Money: Milwaukee’s Occupy the Hood

Where are tomorrow’s leaders who will stand up to city hall politicians and demand economic justice? Well, if you’re in Milwaukee, they are likely in the ‘hood.

According to a study by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, fewer than half of black males living in Milwaukee, ages 16 to 64 were employed in 2010. These are staggering unemployment statistics, possibly the worst in the nation. Milwaukee’s Occupy the Hood, a youth-led movement for economic justice, is led by young black men who are demanding power for the people.

Recently, local members of Occupy the Hood stormed city hall and demanded full transparency from the government regarding Community Development Block Grants that were funded and supposed to be used to rebuild poor neighborhoods. Khalil Coleman, our Milwaukee-based GCP filmmaker, also happens to be a leader within the city’s Occupy the Hood movement and his micro-doc on this issue is very revealing.

How often in mainstream media do we see young brothers “from the hood” organizing and articulating their economic concerns face-to-face with city hall politicians? Watch the film to learn more about how young black men in Milwaukee are changing the game.