The Milwaukee Mitchell Court Residents Council organizers invited a local pastor including three representatives of the Common Ground organization and Milwaukee Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa from the 8th Aldermanic District, she was unable to attend a meeting with local Mitchell Court residents, but Patricia K. Doherty, Zamarripa's Legislative Assistant was present on behalf of Zamarripa at the meeting.
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
October 19, 2022
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Wednesday, members of the Mitchell Court Residents Council (MCRC) that included more than 35 other residents as well were having a meeting in the community room with multiple guests that included Kevin Solomon, Francisco Enriquez, Ben Gordon, Pastor Thad Winkle from Bethel-Bethany UCC, all with Common Ground and Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa's Legislative Assistant Patricia K. Doherty when City of Milwaukee Housing Authority (HACM) Public Safety Officer Acevedo walked into the meeting under the directive of a social worker (and unknown other) of HACM claiming that Solomon and the guests needed to leave disrupting the meeting with the members of the MCRC and other residents attending the peaceful organized gathering.
In a recorded video, HACM Public Safety Officer Acevedo is seen talking to Solomon and telling him that he needed to leave the building. Solomon responded that he was invited by the MCRC and other residents from the Mitchell Court Apartments, which is managed by the City of Milwaukee Housing Authority.
Some of the residents are heard telling Acevedo that they had invited Solomon and the other guests to help facilitate their concerns with the management at Mitchell Court and the Housing Authority staff.
Acevedo handed his cell phone to Solomon who identified himself and asked the person on the line to identify herself, she told Solomon that she was a social worker for the HACM and that he needed to leave the building with Acevedo and claiming that she didn't know any resident council that was mentioned who held the meeting. Some residents were heard telling the social worker who was on the loud speaker that they were Mitchell Court residents and had invited Solomon and other guests to their community residents meeting and the social worker was violating their rights to hold a residents meeting.
HACM Public Safety Officer Acevedo complied by letting Solomon know that the social worker didn't want any guests to meet with the Mitchell Court residents, which by tenants rights, they do have the right to have guests.
Solomon told the HACM social worker while on the loud speaker that he and other guests were invited by members of the MCRC and they had attempted to register as guests with the management office at Mitchell Court and were told he didn't have to sign in.
It seems that the HACM social worker violated the rights of Mitchell Court residents to have guests or invite guest to a meeting without management being present. Some of those attending the meeting claimed that Carmelia Harris, from Willie L. Hines Jr., Secretary-Executive Director of the HACM's office was behind the HACM social worker's call, but Harris's name was never mentioned during the call with Solomon.
It is not clear, if the alleged HACM social worker has any authority to order a HACM Public Safety officer to remove invited guests of Mitchell Court residents from the building without doing anything wrong or in violation of the HACM lease with tenants.
In this case, the HACM worker and who ever was behind her call certainly seemed to have attempted to violate the tenant rights of residents at Mitchell Court who are organizing independently from the HACM management to partnership with them in order to help improve a safe environment and better living conditions including advocating for certain concerns to be addressed.
A MCRC member on Wednesday received a resident lease violation for unescorted guest(s). The member doesn't know, which unescorted guest(s) the HACM at Mitchell Court is referring too.
According to a MCRC member Facebook post, a meeting between residents and representatives including the management of HACM were supposed to meet on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in the Mitchell Court's community room, but the HACM canceled the meeting saying that they thought the meeting was next week, which the residents still met in the community room to discuss the HACM's management decision not to meet with them as previously scheduled.
According to the HACM handbook, HACM welcomes organized resident groups at Mitchell Court, but in this case they are working against their own interests for residents to partnership with management for the sole purpose to create better living conditions for the Mitchell Court community and surrounding communities including neighborhoods.
The HACM receives City of Milwaukee and federal subsidies and should not discriminate or violate tenants rights.
The HACM operates multiple housing buildings and developments that service 10,000 residents in Milwaukee.
HACM residents should be given the option to evaluate management and the HACM staff including the HACM Public Safety annually to see, if they are actually complying and providing the needed services they so advocate to create better living conditions for the community of residents in the HACM city and federal housing development.
A good working relationship and partnership between both the HACM tenants and management can only create better living conditions for everyone including the surrounding neighborhoods.
Editor's note:
HNNUSA also learned that the HACM website doesn't provide an avenue for any of the 10,000 tenants in order to file a legitimate complaint against any management, HACM staff or HACM Public Safety officer concerning any acts committed that the tenant feels, which have been committed wrongfully against them and should be addressed by HACM to hold its employees, staff, administration and public safety officers accountable for any wrongdoing against HACM tenants.
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