On Wednesday April 18th New Berlin West announced the “official” school sanctioned location for Prom photos had been changed from Boerner Botanical Gardens in Hales Corners to the Milwaukee Public Library – Central Library on West Wisconsin Ave. in Downtown Milwaukee. This change was reported as a result of “rainy weather” in spite of the forecast for this Friday (Prom date) being 60 and sunny for New Berlin.
This comes less than a week since a ‘shootout’ occurred on West Wisconsin Avenue a few blocks from the MKE library that caught innocent bystanders, leaving a concert at Am Fam Field in a bus-limo, in the crossfire.
A recent roundtable of CEO’s of notable downtown employers like Northwestern Mutual and Milwaukee Electric Tool, included statements from executives indicating many employees had been assaulted/robbed during the day coming to and from their offices. Milwaukee Electric Tool is 3 blocks from the central library.
Recent news reports from Milwaukee are chock full of stories of reckless driving, car theft, and assaults all across the city.
Parents have expressed concern to school officials but been told by the faculty advisor it was a “student decision” leaving parents to wonder “was there an adult in the room?”.
The Central Library has no parking. Teenagers from NB West in high heels and dresses will be parking on side streets blocks away and walking distances to get to the library.
One parent was quoted as saying “In the past year New Berlin chose to close schools, for student safety, on the FORECAST of bad weather (which never materialized), yet they are going to send our kids to a high crime location in a different county for Prom photos?”
Parents who wish to express their concerns may contact school officials:
District Superintendent Joe Garza: Joe.Garza@nbexcellence.org
NBW Principal Michael Fesenmaier: Michael.Fesenmaier@nbexcellence.org
UPDATE: This afternoon (Wednesday April 19th) New Berlin West issued a statement claiming the following:
—Please know pre-prom photos are not part of the school’s prom planning with students, nor is it something the school sponsors or endorses. The location for photos is, and always has been, completely student-driven. Staff nor administration are part of the planning for this aspect of this pre-prom event; the school coordinates the venue, DJ, food and refreshments, and the dance itself.—
This is simply not accurate. The notice of pre-prom photos was posted on the New Berlin West SALU Instagram page. SALU is the school sanctioned student government at New Berlin West. It is administered under the direction of the Athletic Director. See the following link on the school website:
https://nbwvikings.net/teams/3450690/salu-student-government/high-school
To suggest the school does not sanction or endorse the actions of the student government organization the school itself sanctions is a misrepresentation of truth and insult to the intelligence of parents in the district.
New Berlin Taxpayers Alliance 
Definitely don’t go to the Fiserv a few blocks away then! Or the museum. Or Marquette. What a strange thing to complain about. 😂
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Do you watch the news? Seriously? Students have routinely been assaulted on Marquette campus. People have been shot outside of Fiserv ON GAME NIGHT in the past year. I can’t believe you made this as a serious comment. But to answer your question. 5 years ago I would have had no problem going to a Bucks game, the museum, etc. But downtown is no longer a safe place. I worked downtown for 15 years. Its not the place it once was. Ask anyone who works down there and they will say the same thing. You can put yourself in danger if you want. But I don’t think a school sanctioned event for TEENAGERS in downtown Milwaukee is a good idea. If you think it is… You belong nowhere near a decision making position for students.
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I work down there and have since 2012. I would not be saying the same thing as you. I have no problem with this venue space. It’s a gorgeous space and photos are being taken in daytime.
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https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2023/04/06/crime-downtown-ceo-roundtable.html
Quote: 3rd St. Market Hall co-owner Omar Shaikh said at the Milwaukee Business Journal’s Downtown CEO Roundtable on March 27. “My employees walking to and from their cars don’t feel as safe as they used to.”
Quote: As it opens a downtown office on West Michigan Street that already employs around 1,000 and will eventually employ 1,200, Milwaukee Tool has heard concerns about reckless driving, break-ins and car thefts from employees who live downtown as well as from those commuting from the suburbs, the company’s president of hand tools, storage and personal protective equipment Tim Albrecht said.
The company has taken steps including adding high-speed gates on its parking structures and three-keyed entry on its buildings, Albrecht said.
Quote: Employees at WEC Energy Group, which has its headquarters nearby on West Michigan Street next to Zeidler Union Square park, have also expressed concerns, WEC Energy Group executive chairman Gale Klappa said.
“Many of our female employees are concerned about leaving in the evening because there are more vagrants … as they try to leave the building,” Klappa said.
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Ashley… the CEO’s of companies downtown within 3 blocks of this venue DO NOT AGREE WITH YOU. They have expressed serious concerns for their employees safety during business hours for their employees. One could also simply pay casual attention to the news and come to the same realization. I’m glad you have been fortunate not to be a victim of crime yet.
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For us it’s all logistical. Our son has to pick up his girlfriend in Waukesha, our daughter has to meet up with friends, we will have to take 4 separate cars to downtown Milwaukee, find parking during rush hour all the kids will be heading west to Brookfield . Not well thought out.
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With what you have sited is events happening at night. 3rd Street Market is several blocks away and your source states evening hours. All your examples shows to be at night and not mid afternoon.
They are to go there at 3pm. I work in the building behind the library. At 3 pm the only issues I have is traffic and student foot traffic from campus when trying to go home.
Thank you for confirming you have used emails of parents from a school directory. I did not provide this to the school for outside entities to solicite their ideology.
Thank you for spinning something that should be a fun and positive night for these kids into a negative. Amd having this pushed to news outlets. My child also thanks you as well seeing as they will be attending and, I as the parent have done the adult thing and talked to them about the idea.
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CEO’s of companies within blocks of the public library have shared the serious concerns they have for their employees DAYTIME safety coming to and from their office. The CEO of Milwaukee Electric Tool as well as Klappa from We Energies is on record on multiple news reports citing serious safety concerns for their employees.
You may be fine with sending your unaccompanied minor children to downtown Milwaukee in this post 2020 crime explosion that is well documented by even the most biased of news sources. Many are not.
To the kids who drive Kia and Hyundai cars. Best of luck!
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Why not bus the teens to the front door of the Library and then home again instead of having them all look for parking separately?
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Or its a sunny 60 degree day on Friday. Why not have the photo session at Whitnall Park as originally planned? Or Frame Park in Waukesha?
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Your racism is showing. You might want to tuck that back in.
And no, I’m not happy about the location but it has nothing to do with it being “dangerous”. It is the traffic at that time of day on a Friday and the lack of parking.
Proud MPS graduate and Marquette Law graduate here. Lived in Milwaukee my entire life before moving to New Berlin. However did I manage to survive?
Haven’t you heard? Ringing the wrong door bell and pulling into the wrong driveway are dangerous!
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Are you suggesting the level of crime now is comparable to what it was 30+ years ago when you graduated from Marquette?
Do you watch the news? The crime explosion has occurred over the past 3 years since 2020.
Shame on you for accusing someone of racism for concerns over crime. That’s really despicable.
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Do YOU watch the news?
People get shot ringing doorbells and pulling into drive ways.
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No one is referring to Race here, and did you know, those who bring up the subject of racism, usually ARE the racists?
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I live downtown and regularly walk, ride my bike, or drive to the downtown library. The area is perfectly fine. Please don’t be frightened of the city or of this particular neighborhood- your prom kids are most welcome!
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The CEO’s of companies downtown within 3 blocks of this venue DO NOT AGREE WITH YOU. They have expressed serious concerns for their employees safety during business hours for their employees. One could also simply pay casual attention to the news and come to the same realization. I’m glad you have been fortunate not to be a victim of crime yet. Milwaukee’s crime statistics map documents the huge number of crimes within blocks of this venue. Don’t gaslight people. There are far safer areas much closer to New Berlin West where this event could be hosted on a 60 degree sunny Friday.
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Gaslighting? Wow you are really, really worked up. Sending kind thoughts your way! I hope your kids enjoy whatever they end up doing for the photos, seriously – life’s too short to live in fear and rage.
My HS senior lives downtown with us while attending Franklin High (which is allowed for senior year). Funny thing, her suburban friends all want to do their photos down here with her!
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My daughters’ senior year (2019), Ike took pictures were at the Library downtown because of weather. Lovely pictures and no issues. Pre-prom pictures are not a requirement. If you don’t like the venue, don’t go,
I’m not sure what this has to do with taxes.
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Ken, In 2019, pre-covid downtown was thriving, packed with millennials living their ‘urban living dream’. Then came covid, then came George Floyd riots. Our son was a senior in 2019 and also had pictures taken at the downtown library. We had no concerns in 2019. Do you not recognize/have you not been watching the news which has documented the explosion of crime that has occurred downtown starting in June of 2020 and grown by orders of magnitude since? Its well documented by even biased news sources. The explosion of reckless driving? Car thefts and break ins? Not to mention the shootings on Wisconsin Ave just blocks from this venue less than a week prior.
You may choose to dismiss these very real very documented safety issues, but to dismiss someone else’s concerns seems uninformed at best and irrational at worst. The CEO’s of downtown companies have shared in the MIlwaukee Business Journal the exact same VERY real VERY serious concerns the have for their employees, many of whom have already been a victim of crime in Milwaukee.
As for taxes. You might be aware public schools are taxpayer funded entities. Prom is a school sanctioned activity and this ‘notice’ of the photo venue for Prom was posted on a social media feed that represents itself as “New Berlin West”, has the school logo, has links to purchase tickets for other school events as well as postings of many many other school events with professionally produced graphics.
Again. You can be dismissive but these are well validated concerns.
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I also believe there’s a home Brewer Game that evening
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For us this is all logistical. Our Son has to pick up his girlfriend in Waukesha, our Daughter has to meet up with friends, we will have to take 4 separate cars, find parking, wait to take pictured, then all will have to drive west to Brookfield. Not very well thought out.
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George Floyd protests? That is a race whistle and a racist comment. If you don’t want to appear racist don’t make racist comments. No tax dollars are being spent on prom pictures, so no tax payer concern. If you don’t want to go to pictures don’t go, but your irrational fear of Milwaukee in misguided.
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Stay in Waukesha! We don’t need your type in a cosmopolitan area! Lol
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This is exactly the kind of crap that reinforces the widespread perception that New Berlin is a backwards, stupid haven for frightened, racist jerks. Please divert your energy to something CONSTRUCTIVE as opposed to stirring up manufactured fear and outrage over the location of a COMPLETELY OPTIONAL AND FREE TO THE TAXPAYER prom photo shoot.
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Being concerned for the safety of unaccompanied minors being sent by the school sanctioned student government to an unsafe place is none of the things you list in your screed. You have a warped mind
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