James E. Causey

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

After three days of rioting in Milwaukee 50 years ago, a young, fiery, white priest rallied African-Americans together to protest the harassment of blacks by police and the slow movement of open housing laws.

On Aug, 28, 1967, Father James E. Groppi, the NAACP Youth Council, Ald. Vel Phillips and a host of young community leaders would start the first of 200 consecutive days of marches to push for fair housing legislation.

At Milwaukee’s City Hall on Monday, some of those original marchers, and activists who were not even born in 1967, celebrated the bravery of those who went up against the angry mobs of counter-protesters in the fight for open housing.

“The 200 days of marches was a one-of-its-kind event,” said Fred Reed, 79, who was one of 100 Commandos, black men ages 18 to 30 who protected Groppi and the marchers by forming a barrier around them.

Black protesters at the 1967 marches were not only often outnumbered by counter-protesters, they also had bottles and glass thrown at them. On many occasions, children as young as 12 were in the crowds.

But they kept marching, because if they didn't make their voices heard as well as felt, then the status quo of segregation would have remained in place.

“There will never, ever be anything like it again. We were organized. Man, there were men, women and children all involved,” Reed said. "Now, it's time for the young people to carry the torch."

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, who was the keynote speaker for the event, said, "It's always good to have commemorations like this so we don't forget, especially when you look at the housing conditions from the 1960s to today here in Milwaukee."

Moore said the book, "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City," by Matthew Desmond, which focuses on housing for the poor in Milwaukee, proves that housing remains the city's number one issue.



"They marched for 200 consecutive days in 1967," Moore said. "Maybe we still need to be marching."

SERIES: 50-Year-Ache: How far has Milwaukee come since the 1976 civil rights marches?

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As a way to honor the sacrifices made during those times, the group “200 Nights of Freedom” has a series of events planned over the next 200 days to give people a safe space to learn about the history of the open housing marches and work within their own communities to fight racism whenever it arises.

Adam Carr, one of the organizers of the series of events, said the goal over the next 200 days is "recognition and re-ignition."

"The elders will share their stories because we know that a lot of this history has been lost or people just don't know it," Carr said. "At the same time, it's important for young people to know that they can spark change."

For example, there are a lot of people who don't know that the law forced nearly all African-Americans to live on the north and northwest side.

They also don't know that alderwoman Phillips presented a fair housing ordinance to the Milwaukee Common Council in 1962 — five years before the fair housing marches — but the council voted, 18-1, against it. Phillips, the council's lone black member, was the only vote pushing to end the discriminatory laws.

With events like the violent protest that occurred in Charlottesville, Va., where demonstrators rallied against Ku Klux Klan members, and the unrest that unfolded in Sherman Park last year following a fatal police shooting, there is still much work to be done, Reed said.

"We are going to get there. It's much better, but we still got to put the work in," he said.

To register for "200 Nights of Freedom" events or to find out more information or volunteer, go to: http://200nightsoffreedom.org/.