Precious Lives

Stories about kids, guns and how to stop the violence. Precious Lives, created by 371 Productions, is a 2-year, 100-part weekly radio series about gun violence and young people in the Milwaukee area. The series applies a public health lens to each story to help listeners understand the full scope of the problem: who are the victims and the shooters; how are the weapons obtained; and what can we change about the environment that contributes to violence in Milwaukee?

#032 Precious Lives: Turning Makeshift Memorials into Gardens

WUWM 89.7 FM

Published August 18, 2015 at 1:49 PM CDT

Camille Mays, a community organizer, discusses her idea to change the face of memorials left for those who have died in her home in Milwaukee's Sherman Park neighborhood.

A memorial near N. 36th and W. Wright streets has candles, liquor bottles and teddy bears to remember a loved one.

After the loss of a loved one, we often see friends and family cope with makeshift memorials. Teddy bears, tshirts, candles and bottles are gathered to help commemorate a person’s life and how he or she touched lives.

Camille Mays, a community organizer near Metcalf Park, sees these memorials as constant reminders of death and wants to turn them into gardens. Camille wants to change this image through her new initiative, Peace Garden Project MKE. Because changing the landscape might renew some hope.

Corresponding Content:

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - In a city of grim shrines, offering other ways to grieve