Milwaukee, 4/20/09 — Asked by a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter how much money was raised at an appreciation luncheon to honor her, NAACP president, Jerry Ann Hamilton, replied, “None of your business.”
This can be coupled with Hamilton’s arrogant refusal to respond to emails that charge her with financial and operational neglect, yet such members are said to have fears of retaliation by Hamilton.
Charges include bookkeeping flaws, contributions received but not reported, hiring relatives, no audit since 1996, and no records, as claimed Gloster Current, vice president of corporate affairs for Northwestern Mutual, a member and contributor to the NAACP.
Stephanie Findley, Local 48, claims that issues mentioned in the e-mails have not been discussed. This is echoed by Carol Stegall, a retired corrections officer, who was surprised that Hamilton has not responded to any of the allegations and that there is no financial report.
Rev. Gill Ford, of the Baltimore national NAACP office, which has received the emails, says that the “…Milwaukee branch…does what it’s supposed to do.” Yet, reports claim that the main office’s current election and internal problems exemplify Hamilton’s glaring examples of alleged malfeasance of operational affairs, in addition, given to ignoring how local federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, awarded to Milwaukee to offset poverty, go elsewhere – all apparently either not known, or ignored by the national NAACP.
The CDBG program seeks to improve benefits for “low and moderate income people,” provide decent housing, promote economic opportunities and improve community facilities and services that prevent slums or blight.
Milwaukee receives an average annual amount of over $17 million dollars; or about over $100 million during an 8 year period of Hamilton’s 11 year presidency. Yet, Hamilton appears to have taken little notice of the program, or of Milwaukee’s Inner City’s collapsing quality of life and its need for neighborhoods, less than two blocks from Hamilton’s offices, to be able to help themselves.
She has refused to comment, participate, or allow members, in any way to deal with the Inner City’s ongoing deterioration of resources, dilapidated neighborhoods and increased poverty. The following represents 6 years of CDBG grants compared to Hamilton’s responses for each of those years.
In 2003, Milwaukee received $20,904,000.00 from CDBG.
• Over 7,000 MPS students are homeless says superintendant of schools. Black children in poverty rises.
• Inner-City incomes decline by 8.6% in Northwest Side.
• Jobless Black males at 40.8% in 2003; (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
The NAACP did nothing

In 2004, Milwaukee received $20,716,000.00 from CDBG
• Milwaukee has the fourth smallest proportion of U.S black households making over $40,000 a year.
• 46.7% of these households are in CDBG-target neighborhoods.
• The Black male jobless rate is still at over 34.6%.
• 39.5% of African-Americans live in concentrated urban poverty.
The NAACP did nothing

In 2005, Milwaukee received $19,617,000.00 from CDBG
• One out of three school-age children in Milwaukee lived with a family in poverty. U.S. Census Bureau.
• Milwaukee ranked third worst in the state with 33% of students living in poverty in 2005.
• Milwaukee ranked sixth highest overall among the nation’s 70 largest school districts living in poverty.
• In 2005, there were 88,294 more jobless than available jobs in metro Milwaukee.
• Milwaukee needs policies that increase the demand for low- to moderate-skilled labor.
The NAACP did nothing

In 2006, Milwaukee received $17,662,361.00 from HUD
• 48% of black and 37% of Latino children live in poverty compared to 9% of whites.
• Central city poorer than ever: By John Schmid
• Inner City’s decline demands economic plan (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).
• Developing jobs or developing real estate. By Marc V. Levine
• Single mothers in Milwaukee comprise more than 44% of Wisconsin families living in poverty.
• Milwaukee does not need job training, but an increase low- to moderate-skilled labor. (State of Working Wisconsin)
The NAACP did nothing

In 2007, Milwaukee received $17,700,000.00 from HUD
• Milwaukee ranks last in use of TIF* as an economic development tool to create jobs (Public Policy Forum)
• Nearly half of black men living in Milwaukee are not in labor force, UWM study finds
• Extreme segregation persists and black joblessness has worsened. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• Milwaukee is the eighth most poverty-rated city in the nation (U.S. Census).
• Poverty worsens in city; 26% live below the line. Milwaukee has 8th-highest rate of large U.S. census
The NAACP did nothing

In 2008, Milwaukee received $25,458,722.00 from HUD.
• Milwaukee’s black/white jobless gap still highest in U.S. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• Marquette Interchange project did not achieve its 20% minority requirement.
• Milwaukee enjoys a record 2008 construction/building year with hardly any Black involved at all.
• Milwaukee poverty at epidemic levels; and ranks fourth in children living in poverty.
• 33% of school-age children live below the official poverty line. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
The NAACP did nothing

The Milwaukee NAACP leadership has failed in its committed duties. It has abandoned a record of aggressively fighting the poverty that affects many citizens; it has sidestepped the tradition of honest and open leadership; its leadership has cast aside and rejected those of good faith, and integrity, who were willing to be at the forefront of providing sincere solutions and cooperation to reduce the Inner City’s vulnerability to crime, and who provided hope to other groups who sought assistance.
There has been no net job growth in the Inner City since 1994; slow employment growth in the region since 1999 has further damaged job prospects for Inner City dwellers. Guns and mayhem have been the calls of the day.
While key factors – deindustrialization, lost of manufacturing, lack of education — underlie the crisis of Black male joblessness in Milwaukee, the NAACP has played no significant part in bringing these issues to the forefront.
The NAACP, and its leadership, has neglected to even comment on *Tax Increment Financing (TIF), southeastern Wisconsin’s largest economic development tool, or even suggest its use in increasing development in the Inner city.
For the nation’s number one civil rights organization to be led in this direction is an insult to the many loyal and dedicated members who have donated time and resources in hopes of keeping this agency alive and well.
The leadership is destined to surely change — its only a matter of when; the issues will not wait.

George F. Sanders, PO Box 71094, 1/414/372/3934, Gsanders1@wi.rr.com