Laura Richard Marshall and Greg Marshall moved from the Village of Cheneque in Waukesha County to raise their family in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood nine years ago. This dismayed some of their acquaintances, who couldn't get beyond the neighborhood’s crime statistics.
From the outside, it is easy to paint Sherman Park neighborhood with a broad brush. In the first five months the Marshalls lived in their new neighborhood, there were five shootings within an eight block radius of their home.
But, they say those kinds of statistics aren't representative of everyday life. There are problems, the Marshalls say, but there's also a lot of good that people are missing.
There are neighborhood dinners, block parties every summer and Easter egg hunts every spring.
Laura and Greg have found a loving, tight-knit community in Sherman Park. While they see their neighborhood’s challenges, they also see everything their family is gaining by being there.
"I always think that the city wears issues on its sleeve," Laura says. "And in the suburbs, it's harder to know people. I feel like there's more transparency in proximity and in community, which I think is a good thing. I think it’s healthy to live and figure out how to be vulnerable to each other and how to be real with each other."
» If you're interested in connecting more with Precious Lives, we are hosting a live show on Wednesday, June 15 at the Pabst Theater.
