MILWAUKEE— Milwaukee's high rate of homicides last year has carried over into 2021, with a violent summer turning into a violent fall.

The violence is something Deb Hawthorne knows firsthand. Her son, Joe Jackson Jr., was shot and killed more than two years ago by a man Milwaukee police still can't identify.

Jackson was walking through an alley on the city's northwest side when he was murdered. Home security cameras caught the wanted man following him. The video showed the man pull a gun and run after Jackson. 

Hawthorne's son was just blocks from home when he lost his life. 

"I get angry at the fact that this person is not in custody. This person is on video, broad daylight and there’s no arrest," Hawthorne said. 

Hawthorne said she believes police are doing their best to find her son's killer. She also knows they can't do it alone. 

"It’s not going to take just MPD to get this under control," Hawthorne said. "It’s going to take elected officials, the community, families ... "

This mother believes there's someone out there who knows who killed her son. She understands the fear of retaliation but said, “... when it hits home, it’s different. Say something so that this person won’t hurt another family— take another life.”

So many lives have been taken in Milwaukee and across the country. A report from the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, released last November shows, compared to 2019, homicides increased across the 28 cities studied, which included Milwaukee.

That report found homicides were up 42% in the summer of 2020 and 34% in the fall. 

According to the FBI, overall, the number of homicides in America soared last year, jumping almost 30% since 2019. 

Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said the spike in homicides is happening across the country.

"We all are in the same boat, nationwide," he said. 

Chief Norman said the numbers are through the roof when it comes to violence. 

He called public safety a team activity. Chief Norman believes the answer lies in a collective approach.

“Law enforcement is just a slice of the pie. You got a lot of slices there," he said. 

The chief wants to reach the community and find a way to work together to stem the violence. Chief Norman said right now trust is the biggest issue for the department.

"Do they really think we have their back and how have we shown that?" Chief Norman asked.  "...Through trust comes information, comes collaboration, comes a collective approach of how do we deal with the problems together?"

Last year, 2020, brought new collaborations across the public health and public safety spectrum, plus a pooling of resources to address this issue. 

Those involved are taking a different look at violence. The momentum behind that, a new data dashboard that tracks non-fatal shootings and homicides across the city. It's an effort between the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission, or MHRC, and the Milwaukee Police Department.

This interactive information sharing tool has only been up and running since last year. It shares a wide range of data from race, ethnicity and age of victims to monthly and yearly trends. 

​Medical College of Wisconsin professor Constance Kostelac is the MHRC Director. She said the dashboard provides a broader look at the issue by combining multiple sources of data on violence. 

Kostelac shared that the real-time breakdown of information helps community groups and agencies figure out how to do things differently.

"What can the community response be? What can the system response be? And how do we work those together to try and focus on positive aspects but at the same time change the direction?”

The dashboard also hones in on the violence in specific neighborhoods. As of early October, Sherman Park had 11 homicides and 27 non-fatal shootings. In the Old North Milwaukee neighborhood, there were 8 homicides, 34 non-fatal shootings. And there were 7 homicides and 33 non-fatal shootings in Franklin Heights. 

Kostelac said she believes this specific data allows discussions to be more granular.

"Is it particular areas and neighborhoods? Is it particular locations within those neighborhoods? What then are the characteristics of those incidents, and how do we then think about different responses?" she asked. 

As the violence continues, Hawthorne marked two years since her son's murder with a promise shared on social media.

"I wasn't there to hold you, I wasn't there to say good-bye ... I know I have to keep pushing without you. Keep resting in love Joe," she wrote in her post. 

This mother is also determined to be her son's voice and show people how the loss of life affects us all. 

In 2020, Milwaukee police reported 190 homicides, up from just 97 the year before. Even though the violence got worse in the pandemic, it was also a catalyst to get everyone to the table on this issue with the understanding there's a need to work together differently. 

From that came the Violence Response Public Health and Safety Team. Many different sectors are represented, from criminal justice and law enforcement to health care and community organizations. 

The group already has more than 50 action items. Those include reaching out to youth disengaged from school during the pandemic and emergency housing vouchers for people impacted by violence.

Wisconsin also just pledged $45 million in funding for violence prevention and crime victim support in communities. 

​MHRC has plans to add additional dashboards to include even more data on homicides and non-fatal shootings in Milwaukee. 

No arrests have been made in the case of Joe Jackson, Jr. MPD said it continues to seek unknown suspects. If you have any information contact Milwaukee Police at (414) 935-7360.