Lamont Davis

Lamont Davis was born in Chicago. He moved up to the Washington Park neighborhood in Milwaukee when he was 12 years old. He fell in love with the area instantly, because of the trees and corner stores. According to him, back in the days, Galena was a village that helped raised children; the sense of community was strong. Kids could play in the alleys and sidewalks because these spaces were safe and clean.

Ms. Davis advocates spotlighting the assets of a neighborhood. He doesn’t like to dwell on the negatives. He believes that when we focus on the failures of a place and persist on stories of loss, we do the community a huge disservice. He believes that in order for a community to grow and prosper, it is better to focus on the potentials and possibilities.

Mr. Davis is also concerned about the vacant lots scattered throughout his neighborhood. He's interested in discussing innovative approaches that could be applied to these lots. He feels that collaborations between different people and various entities could produce innovative solutions.
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He talks about a culture of care that is linked to homeownership. During a site walk with him, he paused in front of one of the properties on Galena Street to discuss the importance of local homeownership. He noted with regret that many property owners in the neighborhood are from out of state. This trend impacts the community negatively because some absentee landlords may be more interested in generating capital and not on maintaining their properties. As a result, the conditions of buildings deteriorate and tenants find their homes to be dilapidated. He believes that if there are more homeowners in Galena it would turn the street into a healthy and vibrant community. He believes homeownership is a key factor that affects household stability and school system too. According to him, if residents in Galena have access to stable home ownership, it will help parents focus more attention on raising their kids the right way.

​Lamont Davis, interview by Ni Made Frischa Aswarini and Ifedayo Kehinde, July 2021.

How the community helped raise children

Industrial past of Milwaukee

Disappearance of jobs and businesses from Milwaukee

Moving to Washington Park as a child

What Galena Street was like as a child

Remembering Galena Street's atmosphere

Where do kids play?

Why home-ownership rates have decreased