Park dedicated recently at once troubled location

Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs  helped dedicate Rays of Sunshine Community Garden at N. 24th Pl. and W. Keefe Ave.  The event included neighborhood residents and groups, Milwaukee Police Department representatives, and Northwest Side Community Development Corp. officials.

Nuisance activity like drug dealing and loitering once plagued the location where the park is now located, and a few years ago it was the scene of a homicide. After that occurred, the neighbors stood up and decided “enough is enough.” Through the tireless efforts of concerned neighbors, MPD, and several community groups, the abandoned house and fortress of trees that once were a magnet for nuisance activity were demolished and transformed into a beautiful community park and garden. “From nuisance property to neighborhood jewel, this garden and park represents what is possible when people come together and take back their neighborhoods,” Alderwoman Coggs said.

Neighbor Clifford Ray, of Community Hands Neighborhood Block Watch, joined forces with then MPD Community Liaison Officer Ray Robakowski to organize efforts to convert the lot into a community park – hence the name “Rays of Sunshine Community Garden.”