Milwaukee, WI

What residents want RNC attendees to know about Milwaukee

Published

1 year ago

July 15, 2024

What residents want RNC attendees to know about Milwaukee

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Milwaukee is in the national spotlight this week with tens of thousands of visitors in town for the Republican National Convention, or RNC.

The RNC, which convenes for four days and ends on Thursday, July 18, is held every four years to formally nominate the Republican Party’s nominees for president and vice president and flesh out the party’s platform.

Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service reporters asked a cross-section of Milwaukeeans what they like most about their city and what they want the RNC attendees to know about their city. Here’s what they had to say.

Robert E. Holmes III, 54

Robert E. Holmes III
(Courtesy of Robert E. Holmes III)

Occupation: Business Owner

What I like best about Milwaukee: “What I like best about Milwaukee is the river. We can flow down inside downtown in the boats. We need an ethnic area by the river that grills food outside.”

What I want RNC to know: “I would like RNC to know how diverse Milwaukee is, and that reflects on the food we have here in Milwaukee.”

Christal West, 58

Christal West
(Courtesy of Christal West)

Occupation: Community resource and research specialist

What I like best about Milwaukee: “Milwaukeeans are good down home family people and love to be a service to each other.”

What I want RNC to know: “Milwaukee is culturally diverse, rich in resources and it’s like one giant family. You got some of the best hidden treasures in Milwaukee.”

Drea Rodriguez, 46

Drea Rodriguez
(Courtesy of Drea Rodriguez)

Occupation: Executive director of Peace Learning Center

What I like best about Milwaukee: “I love the neighborhood pride. We need to see more of it. When one takes pride in a home, they are more invested in their neighborhood.”

What I want RNC to know: “I want the RNC to acknowledge how lucky they are to be in a city as beautiful as Milwaukee and despite its past approval of horrible initiatives such as trickle-down economics, families of Milwaukee are committed to bridging divides and strengthening our communities.”

Rafael Mercado, 54

Rafael Mercado
(Edgar Mendez /
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service)

Occupation: Owner of Top Quality Services and founder of TEAM HAVOC

What I like best about Milwaukee: “What I like about Milwaukee is our diversity. We are so full of different ethnicities and cultures that there is always something going on.”

What I want RNC to know: “We are considered one of, if not, the most segregated cities in the U.S., yet I find that hard to see. We’re filled with every culture out here in this small but big city.”

Raymond Duncan, 44

Raymond Duncan
(Courtesy of Raymond Duncan)

Occupation: Special education teacher; member of Martin Drive Neighborhood Association Coordinating Committee

What I like best about Milwaukee: “Us as a neighborhood, we don’t charge fees or dues. We’re able to run a number of events that are almost solely potluck by nature, just bringing together different talents. And then that’s what we see with Milwaukee. Milwaukee can be this potluck of different people and groups and thoughts, and we can really solve problems.”

What I want RNC to know: “Milwaukee can be this home where I feel like it’s this big city, small town feel.”

Roderick Rush, 62

Occupation: Educator

Roderick Rush
(Meredith Melland /
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service)

What I like best about Milwaukee: “In the summertime, we’re the city of festivals. So you can’t lose for visiting Milwaukee during the month of July. … In general, we are a friendly place, no matter what your ethnicity or race is.”

What I want RNC to know: “It’s hypersegregated. But the people who live here, they know that … However, in summertime, and with sports, that seems to go by the wayside and people have a good time getting along with each other.”

Miriam Elizabeth Ramirez, 35

Occupation: Initiative coordinator at Muskego Way Forward

What I like best about Milwaukee: “We remain connected by the bridges meant to divide us. The Good land remains a place to call home for those that can appreciate its history, our skyline and architecture, and many fun festivals and food to enjoy throughout all four seasons. Milwaukee is home.”

What I want RNC to know: “Milwaukee is a place full of great potential where generations of people continue to create opportunities that represent our city’s diverse culture and community. (There are) a vast and valuable number of immigrant communities within our city who are involved in supporting the arts, music, education, health and wellness as well as business and historic social justice movements and more.”

Felice Green

Occupation: Director of programming at Milwaukee Water Commons

What I like best about Milwaukee: “I love my city, and I love what we stand for. And I think that Milwaukee has great lakes, great opportunities.”

What I want RNC to know: “Just like other big cities, we do have our challenges, but we try to come together to work out the challenges and work on the issues, for example, with pedestrian safety and reckless driving. … Spend some money in urban communities, Black and Brown communities while they’re here as well and learn each other.”

Howard Snyder, 74

Howard Snyder
(Courtesy of Howard Snyder)

Occupation: Semi-retired; former director of Northwest Side Community Development Corp.

What I like best about Milwaukee: “It’s easy to get around. It’s easy to live in. If you have kids, it’s a good place.”

What I want RNC to know: “It’s not Chicago, and we’re not a suburb of Chicago. We have an awful lot to offer. … Milwaukee is just not, it’s not a touristy place. You have to look a little bit. You have to work at it.”

Elijah Holbrook, 32

Elijah Holbrook
(Courtesy of Elijah Holbrook)

Occupation: Coffee sales associate

What I like best about Milwaukee: “What I like best about Milwaukee is the beautiful trails, parks and beaches allowing people to get outside, be in nature and see some of the best views the city has to offer while running, biking or walking..”

What I want RNC to know: “I would want the people of the RNC to be open-minded about Milwaukee and all cities. They aren’t the dangerous, crime-infested war zones conservative media often paints them to be.”

Diego Avila, 29

Occupation: Quality Engineer

What I like best about Milwaukee: “I love the size of this city. Small enough to allow you to connect with your community and people in your neighborhood while still being culturally diverse and vibrant. It is so easy to find your niche and make friends as an adult out of college and outside of work.”

What I want RNC to know: “I wish people understood that there are so many programs and activities coordinated by people in the city who want to make this a safer and more accessible place for everyone.”

Gary Zajackowski, 38

Gary Zajackowski
(Courtesy of Gary Zajackowski)

Occupation: Factory worker

What I like best about Milwaukee: “Milwaukee is underrated. Slept on. Anyone determined to focus on negatives is missing out, and we don’t need them anyway. Always something to do. … We have basically anything a big city has, but you can get across town in 20 minutes, in bad traffic.”

What I want RNC to know: “Most people you come across are nice. Anyone willing to get acquainted with Milwaukee will probably find things they love. If you’re miserable here, you’re probably miserable anywhere, anyway.”

Victor Cambell, 66

Victor Campbell
(Courtesy of Victor Campbell)

Occupation: Musician

What I like best about Milwaukee: As a drummer, I’ve traveled all over the world, so I am comfortable saying Milwaukee is a great place to live.

What I want RNC to know: Milwaukee has its issues like driver’s education safety. We need people to gain knowledge and the wisdom to put guns down, but on the flip side of that, the history of this city is beautiful and rich if you’re willing to get to know it and the city does have some great things going on.

Dominic McCallum, 18

Occupation: Student

Dominic McCallum
(Trisha Young / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service)

What I like best about Milwaukee: “I moved here from Dallas not too long ago, so Milwaukee was really different. I like that Milwaukee feels like a hometown. Everyone knows everyone and it feels like a safe community.”

What I want RNC to know: “I think people should know that there’s a lot to do here and people are friendly. You just have to be open to experiencing the city.”

Maurice “Moe” Wince

Occupation: Owner and operator of Sherman Park Grocery Store

What I like best about Milwaukee: “One of the things that I love to share with folks that I love about Milwaukee is the fact that it has amazing opportunities for businesses to start as well as entrepreneurship.”

What I want RNC to know: “While you’re here in Milwaukee, I strongly encourage you to not only come to Sherman Park neighborhood but visit all the other amazing neighborhoods and the business improvement districts, so that you know that the city of Milwaukee is not just a place to be, but it’s also fun to be here.”

A version of this story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, a nonprofit news organization that covers Milwaukee’s diverse neighborhoods.

News414 is a service journalism collaboration between Wisconsin Watch and Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service that addresses the specific issues, interests, perspectives and information needs identified by residents of central city Milwaukee neighborhoods. Learn more at our website or sign up for our texting service here.

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Milwaukee, WI

Brisa Do Mar restaurant in Milwaukee’s Third Ward has closed

Published

11 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Brisa Do Mar restaurant in Milwaukee’s Third Ward has closed

Brisa Do Mar, a Mediterranean and Italian restaurant along the Milwaukee River, has quietly closed after a year and a half in business.

Chef-owner Ramses Alvarez confirmed that, after a busy summer led to a slow September and October, he decided to close his restaurant in early December.

“It was a difficult decision for a lot of reasons. I didn’t want to close,” Ramses said in a phone interview. “The restaurant was so beautiful and the best thing that happened to me, but it was very temperamental. I did everything possible, but we were not successful with trying to make enough revenue for us to say, ‘OK, it’s worth it.’”

The spacious, 300-seat restaurant, located at 509 E. Erie St. in Milwaukee’s Third Ward neighborhood, was previously home to Riverfront Pizzeria Bar & Grille. That restaurant closed in February 2024 after 20 years in the space.

Alvarez and partner Shannon Rowell opened Brisa Do Mar in its place on May 2, 2024. Just before opening his restaurant, Alvarez, who previously owned Dia Bom in the Crossroads Collective food hall and the Brew’d Burger Shop food truck at Zócalo Food Truck Park, said operating a restaurant in that prime RiverWalk location was an “opportunity of a lifetime.”

He said the restaurant’s proximity to the river and the Henry Maier Festival Park Summerfest grounds made for very busy summers, with multiple festivals drawing visitors who stopped in. Unfortunately, those busy summers did not translate to winter, when Brisa Do Mar struggled to attract repeat customers.

Brisa Do Mar’s varied menu included Mediterranean-inspired salads, pasta dishes, wood-fired entrees and both Neapolitan and brique-style pizzas, utilizing the wood-fired oven left by Riverfront Pizzeria. It also had 12 draft lines for beer, wine and cider, and served a lineup of specialty cocktails.

In summer, the 274-square-foot riverfront patio was an attraction for diners and boaters who could tie up on adjoining boat slips to dine at the restaurant.

Alvarez said he is stepping away from the restaurant business to focus on a new creative endeavor: producing Reels and other user-generated content for a digital marketing agency that creates content for restaurants and hotels worldwide.

“I want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all of our families, friends and guests that walked through our doors and supported us, to all the media in Milwaukee that have shown us so much love,” Ramses said in a statement. “The city of Milwaukee has been very, very good to me, the people here and their kindness.”

“I have spent 27 years in Milwaukee working in the culinary world, feeding Milwaukee families, supporting nonprofit organizations and giving back to the community that received me with arms wide open,” he concluded. “Adios Milwaukee.”

Renner Architects, developers of the Hansen’s Landing building where Brisa Do Mar is located, is seeking a new tenant for the 6,000-square-foot space. Interested parties should call (414) 273-6637.

This story was updated to add new information.

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Milwaukee, WI

Critically missing Milwaukee man; police seek public’s help

Published

23 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Critically missing Milwaukee man; police seek public’s help

article

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a critically missing man last heard from more than a month ago.

What we know:

Police say 53-year-old William Riley was last heard from on Nov. 14, 2025, in Milwaukee. His exact location at the time is unknown.

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Riley is described as a Black male with a thin build, standing 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing about 162 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. Police say Riley was last seen on foot.

What you can do:

Authorities urge anyone who may have seen Riley or has information about his whereabouts to contact the Milwaukee Police Department’s District Four at 414-935-7242.

The Source: The Milwaukee Police Department

Missing PersonsMilwaukeeNews

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Milwaukee, WI

Wauwatosa West rises in area boys basketball rankings with team of the week nod

Published

1 day ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Wauwatosa West rises in area boys basketball rankings with team of the week nod

Wisconsin Lutheran remains the top-ranked team in the Milwaukee area high school boys basketball rankings.
Arrowhead, Greendale and Oak Creek joined the top-10 rankings this week.
Wauwatosa West was named team of the week after securing three wins, including two in conference play.
Several key matchups are scheduled for the upcoming week, including Brookfield Central at Wauwatosa West.

After some early-season nonconference bouts, Milwaukee area high school boys basketball teams began to get into the meat of their schedules last week with conference contests to establish the early pecking order.

One such battle was in the Southeast Conference between last week’s No. 2 team Racine Park and then unranked Franklin, which went 66-53 to the Sabers. Another notable pair of finals were the top-10 matchups for Wisconsin Lutheran last week, as the Vikings beat Slinger (68-46) and New Berlin West (69-20) to maintain their hold on the top spot while dropping the latter to others considered this week. Arrowhead, Greendale and Oak Creek join the top 10 in place of Greenfield, New Berlin West and Milwaukee Academy of Science.

Dropped from the others considered this week are Germantown (1-2), Golda Meir (3-2) and Howard Fuller Collegiate (3-2), as Kenosha Indian Trail, Franklin and Whitefish Bay fill up their vacated spots among top-10 considerations.

Here are our full area rankings, others considered, team of the week and matchups to watch this week.

AREA RANKINGS

Team (W-L), last week

Wisconsin Lutheran (4-0), 1
West Allis Central (4-0), 3
Wauwatosa West (5-1), 4
Kettle Moraine (5-0), 5
Brookfield East (5-0), 7
Arrowhead (5-0), –
Slinger (3-1), 6
Racine Park (3-1), 2
Greendale (5-0), –
Oak Creek (4-0), –

Others considered: Franklin (2-1), Greenfield (3-2), Hartford (3-1), Homestead (3-1), Lake Country Lutheran (3-0), Kenosha Indian Trail (3-0), Milwaukee Academy of Science (3-2), Milwaukee Lutheran (5-0), New Berlin West (3-1), Whitefish Bay (4-1).

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Wauwatosa West

The Trojans picked up a trio of well-balanced and hard-fought wins last week, including two in conference play to place themselves firmly among the early leaders for the Greater Metro Conference title again. On Dec. 9 in a 75-50 win over Germantown, junior 6-foot-5 forward Jalen Brown flirted with a triple-double with 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists to lead a 20-assist night for the team. Senior 6-5 forward Matthew Kloskey added 21 points, three rebounds and three assists, and senior 6-2 guard/forward Messiah Chambers was also in double figures with 11 points. Junior 5-10 guard Max Gogin was lights out from three off the bench, scoring 15 on five-of-five shooting from distance. Kloskey led the way in the Dec. 12 win of 74-63 over crosstown rival Wauwatosa East, scoring a team-best 26 points while hauling in eight boards. Freshman 5-10 guard Logan “Bear” Collins added 20 points, while Brown had 17 to go along with seven boards and five assists. Tosa West got another standout effort off the bench from junior 6-6 forward Kason Mangum in a 73-62 victory over Catholic Memorial to close out the week Dec. 13, as he scored a team-leading 18 points with seven boards. Kloskey and Collins each added a dozen points with the former adding seven rebounds, while senior 5-9 guard DJ Hennings had 10 points as well. Eight different Trojans scored in the last win of the week, which rounded out a sweep for the current GMC co-leaders with Brookfield Central and Brookfield East.

COMING UP

Milwaukee Bradley Tech at Milwaukee Juneau, 7 p.m. Dec. 18: Two of the area’s 25 boys basketball players to watch this season as highlighted by the Journal Sentinel square off, as Bradley Tech’s Jakari Smith visits Gonzaga commit Dooney Johnson and Juneau.

Brookfield East at Germantown, 7 p.m. Dec. 19: The first of two intriguing GMC battles taking place on Friday features two teams that finished within two games of the conference title last season and are looking to take the next step this year.

Brookfield Central at Wauwatosa West, 7 p.m. Dec. 19: The reigning conference co-champions in the GMC have unfinished business in their first meeting of the 2025-26 season, especially on the Lancers’ end. Brookfield Central was knocked off, 63-58, by Wauwatosa West in the Division 2 sectional semifinal last season as the latter would go on to win the state title.

Franklin at Arrowhead, 3 p.m. Dec. 20: The Sabers knocked off one top-10 team last week and could make a strong case for inclusion in our final rankings of the calendar year with another win against the Warhawks.

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