MILWAUKEE — Amid various bars and restaurants, you’ll find one of the few clothing stores on Brady Street: Bandit MKE.
Michelle Eigenberger and her business partner said they knew it was the perfect location to open their second-hand store.
As a daytime business, she said it can be troubling to wake up to breaking news that occurs nearby.
On Thursday, Milwaukee Police were still looking for the suspect that shot and injured four people early Wednesday morning a block north of Brady. The popular bar district also had several hit-and-run crashes recently, including a fatal crash last Sunday morning.
“It’s disheartening anytime something terrible happens,” said Eigenberger. “Traumatic incidents and loss of life always hurts the community. It’s a problem. It’s a citywide problem. It just doesn’t happen on Brady Street.”
Community member Jalen Douglas said it’s unfortunate for some of these high-profile incidents to take place on Brady Street.
“Everybody comes here to have fun,” said Douglas. “Nobody has problems on Brady Street. It shocks a lot of people. People still come out, it doesn’t change the vibe. People are just more careful.”
Eigenberger said the businesses on Brady Street look after one another and it’s one big community.
“This is our livelihood,” said Eigenberger. “We want people to come down here, have fun and enjoy themselves. We wish there was some city initiatives or statewide initiatives where we could figure out a way to get together and solve some of these problems.”
She said moving forward, Bandit MKE will continue to serve the community, hoping crime slows down.
The Brady Street BID’s Board of Directors also released a statement Thursday saying that they’re moving forward with a study to look at options that would make Brady Street a pedestrian-only street. The study will review all aspects of potential traffic impact, while also getting input from residents and business owners.