In an article for Salon.com, Philadelphia journalist Daniel Denvir examines recent US Census data and reports that on a scale of 1 to 100 where 100 is complete segregation, Milwaukee's number is highest among all larger US urban areas, with a tally of 81.52. And former Milwaukee County Executive Walker is one of the factors, according to a UWM professor interviewed for the piece.
Excerpt:
Nationwide, blacks have been concentrated in the inner city, far away from where new jobs are created. Yet the case of Milwaukee is extreme: 90 percent of the metro area's black population lives in the city. Making matters worse, suburban whites are notably hostile to building any form of public transit to connect city people to suburban jobs, further exacerbating segregation's ill effects.
If you're wondering if this can somehow, some way, be blamed on union-busting Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, the answ[img_assist|nid=42356|title=MKE red zone|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=140|height=138]er is yes. Walker took the lead in a campaign against public transit to connect the suburbs to the city during his time as county executive. He thought the funds would be better spent on highways.
"There is virulent opposition in these exurban counties to any kind of regional transit system, particularly a regional rail system. There have been proposals over the years, but they're always DOA," says [UWM Professor Marc] Levine. "Governor Walker's big issue as state representative and county executive was 'Over my dead body light rail,' and he fought with Milwaukee's mayor over funds for regional rail. He very much represents that suburban and exurban base."
More at Salon:
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/03/29/most_segregated_…
And read Denvir's update, which counters some of the arguments he received after the original piece:
http://www.salon.com/news/race/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2011…