The Dominican Center is continuing to support Amani residents after two burglaries last week.
Located at 2470 W. Locust St, the Dominican Center is a gathering space for the Amani neighborhood that provides services related to education, housing and economic development.
Maricha Harris, the Dominican Center’s executive director, said the center has already received an outpouring of support and is committed to offering resources and events for residents despite the recent incidents.
“We are going to be the same no matter what,” Harris said.
Burglaries under investigation
An individual broke into the Dominican Center on the nights of Oct. 9 and Oct. 10, Harris said, causing damage to a side door, window, fencing and office doors.
Milwaukee police are investigating the incidents, Harris said.
She estimated that $15,000 worth of electronics and supplies were taken, including TVs, laptops, diapers and Halloween costumes for the Active Street Safe Trick-or-Treat and Harvest Fest on Oct. 19.
“They pretty much took almost everything that we need to host hybrid meetings,” Harris said.
Other supplies, like food and papers, were discarded around the center’s rooms, including the youth room used by the Amani Youth Council.
“For the youth that I serve, it’s not good,” said Elizabeth Brown, the youth coordinator for Dominican Center and president of Amani United. “They don’t feel safe in the space. They feel violated.”
Community and partners show support
After the burglaries, staff and volunteers boarded up the damaged door and window and worked to clean up the rooms.
Dominican Center is already in the process of updating its security system, Harris said.
“Donations from individuals keep coming in and so all of that will help us as we continue to navigate the unexpected costs,” Harris said.
Community Development Alliance donated a smart TV to the center in time for a Monday night series of well-being workshops with Beacon of Hope Support Services LLC at the center.
“We had some gifts that were stolen, too, that were for this workshop. But we have some people that donated some stuff and we were able to provide the raffles,” said Elizabeth Perdomo, director of operations at Dominican Center.
Immediate donation needs
Harris said the Dominican Center most urgently needs donations of Halloween costumes of different sizes for its Oct. 19 event.
Most of the other stolen items can be replaced, except for memory discs that had historical photos.
“If anyone knows anything about the camera that was taken, it would be super helpful because the camera had memory discs that have decades worth of pictures that highlight the work that we’ve been doing and that can’t be replaced,” Harris said.
The memory discs can be dropped off at the Dominican Center with no questions asked, Harris said.
How to help
The Dominican Center is accepting monetary and in-kind donations to replace the stolen items.
This donation link includes an list of stolen items that need replacing.
Anyone with information on the incidents or items can contact the Milwaukee Police Department at 414-935-7252 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS.
The Dominican Center is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of anyone responsible for the burglaries.
To drop off items or donations, contact the Dominican Center at 414-444-9930. The center is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday or 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday.
Meredith Melland is the neighborhoods reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.
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