It's your girl Jazz Tyler.
We are live and direct and we have Mrs. Erica Crowley in the building.
Thank you so much for joining us today.
We had an amazing conversation.
So a part of the conversation earlier we were talking about your role as a director, but also the housing needs.
How can people support and what services do you guys offer when it comes to housing?
So I did forget to mention earlier that the rental housing resource center is a collaboration of eight different partners.
it's legal action, legal aid, Mediate Wisconsin, Milwaukee Justice Center, City of Milwaukee, Department of Neighborhood Services in Milwaukee County.
So we all work collectively with the goal of eviction diversion.
And that means keeping people out of eviction court.
So when we talk about what services that we need, obviously housing assistance.
if you're behind in the rent or you're, you know,
You're two, three months behind and just need a little help getting caught up.
We have, you know, rental assistance through community advocates housing program.
Maybe you just need some representation when you go to eviction court.
That's where legal action and legal aid comes in.
You have a free lawyer that's going to help you.
process what's going on and help you and help you either with a stimulation or a stipulation or help you with some type of legal advice.
Maybe it's a communication issue.
Maybe you can't talk to your landlord because y'all just can't communicate.
That's where Mediate Wisconsin come in.
So we offer those different resources.
So again, our goal is to keep everyone out of eviction court.
So between the rental assistance, the legal referrals, the mediation referrals, but again, if you're having a infestation in your house or your house is not happenable, that's
where we work with the City of Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services, so you get those services.
Anything that we can't figure out, we gonna figure out together.
I know we're housing focused, but again, our goal is to stabilize the house, so you may come in with a housing need, but we're gonna look at the whole household.
Is there a food issue in the household?
there an employment issue in the household?
Because we have an F-STEP program at Community Advocates.
We work with the Hunger Task Force.
So the goal is just to make sure that the whole house is stable in all areas.
Yeah, so if you are someone that's experiencing domestic violence, whether you're coming from one of our domestic violence shelters, so Community Advocate has a DV shelter, Sojourner has a DV shelter, you can come in and we can help you with relocation funds.
So that's that security deposit to move you into a new place.
We're also actively trying to work with landlords.
The unique thing about the rental housing resource
centers that were not just tenant based.
We're tenant and landlords.
As much as we help the tenants, we gotta make sure we help the landlords.
Gotta understand that a lot of our landlords are mom and pop landlords.
need the rent from their tenants in order to pay their own bills.
So if you're a landlord and you wanna know what your rights and responsibilities are, we can help you with that.
You wanna know...
what's the process?
If you have to start an eviction, we're going to try to stop it and say, Hey,
see what the problem is
you start that eviction.
But if you need information about that, you can come to us.
If you're a landlord and you have a unit and you need us to help fill them, please call us.
We have a lot of tenants that need units.
and we're happy to help that partnership happen.
Um, as a landlord, you still have to do your due diligence, right?
Run your background checks if that's important to
run your credit checks if that's important to you.
Um,
What we verify is that this person has income and enough income to sustain housing, but also we may be able to help with a security deposit if you're willing to work with someone who has a quote unquote colorful, you know, rental history.
So there's a lot of things that there's a lot of moving pieces and a lot of things that can take place at the rental housing resource center.
It depends on the program.
I mean, there's so many different.
Programs that we have and everybody's cases unique is different.
mean at his basic core if we're talking about rental assistance We're looking at someone that had a loss of income in like the last 30 to 90 days And potentially have enough income to pay the rent going forward But every every situation is different There are some people who haven't worked in months because they're dealing with a terminal illness You know and those are people that we have funds for so maybe you're dealing with terminal cancer or maybe stage 4 stage 5 or something else But you need help to get that rent
coming to the office, give us a call, shoot us an email, and let us see how we can assist.
I mean, we have basic guidelines, but again, every situation is different.
And again, the goal is to keep people out of eviction court and to keep clients in their homes.
Yep.
So I will say the best thing to do is to come into the office.
We are a staff of three right now.
Okay.
So even if you send us, I mean, I'll give you the website information.
You can email us, call us, but the best thing to do if you're mobile, come into the office.
Okay.
728 North James level street.
We're open from eight a.m.
to four.
So walk in, first come, first serve.
You can also call us at 414-895-7368 or email us at info at renthelpmke.com.
That their mother never gave up.
Yes.
That's the most important thing that their mother never gave up.
That their mother loved them dearly.
Yes.
That their mother not only served the community but also served them.
That I love them and I take care of them just as much as I love the people that I serve at work.
But more importantly that their mother didn't give up and their mother did everything that she
to make sure that she made life better for them.
Absolutely.
Legacy.
Let's talk about legacy.
I heard you mentioned that
You ended up working side by side with your mom So and that's not to say that you know it has anything to do with your legacy But it's the fact that she does she did the work and you did the work and it brought you to where you are today When your chapter in a public service is written years from now, what do you hope your legacy will be?
I
hope the legacy is not about what my title was but more about what I did Yeah, I wanted my legacy to show that not only did I
Handle people with compassion and care and dignity and respect,
changed lives even
just one I hope my legacy shows that I made a difference and that Someone is better off because of the things that I taught them.
Yes Absolutely.
That's amazing.
I want to leave with this question if there's Anything that you you want to say any advice to anybody that's listening let's do that but first
Again, I'm grateful that you did this interview.
And I love to show what black love looks like.
And I think it's imperative, especially because, again, as I mentioned earlier, there are so many different battles that our black men face that are not talked about or that are hidden and quiet.
a quiet reality every day that they step outside of the home.
And oftentimes when we are dealing with elected officials or people who are in high positions, we forget that they are humane.
We forget that they have families, wives, children, and people who love them.
And again,
You know, every people are going to do what they want to do regardless, but specifically for someone that comes from an environment that we come from, a city that we come from.
I personally tried to make sure I offer as much support as possible.
So again, thank you so much for being willing to share your story with us to give us a little bit insight.
But before we go, is there anything that you want to any advice to young ladies to?
Anybody listening, anything that you want to leave with?
Oh, the best advice I can give anyone is to always bet on yourself.
Don't sell yourself short that you are the writer of your history, of your legacy.
Trust yourself.
I think too many times we're not trusting ourselves and what we know to believe is true about ourselves.
So trust yourself, lean into yourself, focus on yourself, but also make sure you do everything with God.
Yes.
So again, when I was working at Black Empire magazine, I wrote all of the articles and did a lot of the interviews.
But I am have some things that's cooking that will be debuting soon.
I love writing.
I fell in love with writing in the seventh grade.
I went to Malcolm X Academy and
best teacher by the name of Brian Verdeen, who introduced me to.
Oh, Mr. Verdeen.
Yeah, Mr. Verdeen, that's my dude.
Yeah, but he introduced me to, like, Richard Wright.
And then, you know, as I got older, I started reading, like, the Donald Goyne books
Tareed.
But then all of, like, European literature,
the Frankensteins, the...
What's the one with they just the hands made till Sula.
So I've always just loved reading and writing.
So I'm when I talk about like finding things that you love and getting back to what your passions are as you find your own identity outside of being, you know, your mother, the wife, the worker.
Like this is something that I've been jumping back into and I'm so excited about it.
Like there's so much that's pouring out of me that I forgot I even hit.
I'm really excited about it.
Don't be as crazy.
You know what?
I anticipate the life will still be the same.
I will still be focusing on the career I'm building for myself.
Again, I'm still going to be a champion and an advocate for things that are important to me, and I'm still going to be raising my girls.
So you can find me on Facebook and Erica Crawley.
I believe I'm still on Instagram at edocrawley or might say edoc right.
I don't even know anymore.
Or you really just Facebook.
Find me on Facebook and Erica Crawley.
to my husband.
I love you so much.
We have two weeks left to this election and we're going to get it done.
So I
to come out.
Shameless plug.
We
canvases.
Rowley's having happening this weekend.
So if you're in Madison, Walker Shaw or the Milwaukee area, please go to Davis website, which is Crawley for Wisconsin.
I believe it is.com and look and sign up for canvassing.
I will be there.
I'll be at the Walker Shaw one at nine a.m.
Then Madison one at.
at noon, but we got two weeks to the election.
It's important to vote.
Please
Please tell your friends to vote.
I know people think voting doesn't matter, but local elections matter.
Please get out here, learn who the candidates are.
Please vote.
Oh, and my shout outs.
yeah.
So shout out to my honey.
out to my girl.
So Alyssa, Ava and Autumn, love you guys so much.
And just shout out to everyone that's just been supporting us and just helping us get to this finish line.
Yes,
Thank you so much, Erica.
No, thank you.
This was amazing.
Do not touch that dial.
We got to go to break.
Shout out to Ms.
Erica Crawley for joining us.
This is Jazz Tyler.
Tap in, 101.7 of Truth.
One-on-one point seven the truth is your girl Jazz Tyler.
We are live and direct shout out to the chat.
What's up, my D?
Said Jazzy sunshine happy Thursday.
Thank you so much for tapping in guru says God bless your sisters.
He is referring to me and Miss Erica Crowley.
Thank you so much guru for tapping with us
within with us today as well.
Make sure you like and subscribe to our YouTube channel on one on one point seven the truth.
Follow us on social media at one on one point seven the truth in a tap in MKE listen.
It has been an amazing day thus far.
Other than you know me still trying to feel better.
Y'all I've been sick all week.
So again, don't be talking bad about me.
I know I look tired.
I'm tired.
It's been a long week, but we are here.
We had some great conversations today Just to kind of recap for those who are joining us as you all know There has been a major break in change inside of the governor's race former lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes has officially dropped out of the race that was announced today
Barnes announced his withdraw from the Democratic primary saying he believes the direction of the race has become clear.
His exit comes just before the August primary election, which is going to be held on August 11.
Barnes entered the race with statewide name recognition after serving as Lieutenant Governor after his close U.S.
Senate race in 2022.
His departure leaves a change in Democratic field and raises questions about where his supporters move next.
According to CNN on the video that he posted he stated it was very cool clear who the nominee was going to be He also mentioned that he had a very difficult conversation with his staff Wednesday night And now is our time to come together to focus our effort efforts on defeating Tom Tiffany, right?
We have to do everything to beat Tom Tiffany.
This is what Mandela stated in his video on social media as he announced that he was no longer running for governor.
So we also talked about the debate.
We spoke about it yesterday as well.
We the people believe that there should be another debate.
A lot of the questions that were being asked or questions that a lot of us had already had answers to.
We wanted more concrete and core solutions, and it's nothing against the candidates.
It's nothing against anyone.
We just believe that the questions were not curated in a way that satisfied the citizens.
And I believe based off of watching Sherwin show earlier that there is a group of people who are attempting to put together another debate.
But again, I think that this is something that needs to happen.
It has to happen quickly.
especially with Mandela dropping out of the race so that we are provided with clear answers.
Especially when it comes to school and housing, we just had Mrs. Erica Crowley, the wife of David Crowley on at the five o'clock hour.
Again, shout out to Erica for being human, you know, coming down and having a conversation with us.
But because she does work hand in hand in the housing unit,
And she works with several organizations throughout the city of Milwaukee as it pertains to housing.
I wanted to get her take on it.
As we know, Crowley, her husband is someone who has focused on housing affordability and will continue to, whether he's elected or not, because that's just, you know, the type of person that he's proving himself to be.
And then I also know that Hong was another candidate who stated that she is pushing the housing affordability as well.
But again, the housing crisis, you just heard it live and direct from someone who is on the front lines.
Milwaukee, well, Wisconsin, but specifically Milwaukee have.
A house has a housing crisis.
So again, when we talk about debates, when we talk about forms, when we talk about which candidate to pick, make sure that you are paying attention to these things, housing, education, and public safety, right?
Taxes, these are the things that we need clear answers on.
Right now we are not doing the best when it comes to the housing meeting the housing needs as well as Education and it's not to say that efforts has not been Given or done to make sure that it gets better But again to what Erica mentioned it starts with the funding and the funding comes from a federal The federal level level and then it trickles its way down
So we need the funding.
We need the funding.
We need people who are going to fight for the funding.
We need people who understand the dynamics from a grassroots level all the way up to the federal level as it pertains to the housing.
When it comes to education, a lot of the candidates are against the vouchers.
In the news, I've seen that reading the articles, I've seen that
Tom, Tiffany is for it and he talks about expanded it.
Crowley has also mentioned that he is in support of it, but not expanding.
He just believed that family should have options and I agree as well as someone who has three children, who has been in MPS as well as private schools and in charter school.
Having those options, not only is my right, should be my right, but it allowed my children to succeed in the way that they needed to.
Every child cannot go to the same school as their sibling or anything like that.
Everyone learns differently.
So again, I am an advocate for the choice voucher, and I truly, truly believe that that is something that we must have.
We also talked about
Shout out to me.
We also talked about Nolan Wells case earlier as well.
And just the fact that his friend's father, Warren's father, allegedly is offering $50,000 now for whoever has information in regards to the Nolan being deceased.
And I mentioned at the top of the hour when we first started this show that that
Reeks guilt to me.
I don't understand how you can sit in the interview and say that he passed away because he drowned and then your parents come out and offer a cash reward for any information That means that something has happened and they also lawyered up.
They also lawyered up so I
I would be a fool not to shout out all of the social media detectives because honey, let me tell you one thing black folk gonna do is we gonna be in somebody business and Everybody was in this bid.
This is the good kind of being in somebody business though, right?
Everybody was playing inspector gadget.
They was using their skill sets audio engineers and AI specialists and all of this stuff to
Try and get clear images and clear audio to prove a point You know basically the people showed up and showed out the people did what the people always do Which is come through and I was extremely excited to see that I don't know how much of that can be held in court as evidence because I am not In law but one things for show and two things for show certain when you put pressure on pipes they bust
And because there is so much surrounding this case, especially as it pertains to social media, they have lawyered up and they are now offering a reward, a cash reward for the Nolan Wells situation.
Truth nation, be the 10th caller and share why you listen to the truth.
No purchase necessary to enter or when contest is open to eligible Wisconsin residents age 18 or older unless otherwise stated void Where prohibited official contest rules are available at 101.7 the truth calm our Contests are conducted in accordance with the station's officials rule be the 10th caller a 3 3 2 1 2 1 0 1 7 who want to go to summer fest y'all know that
I'm sorry, stay fair who wants to go to stay fair y'all know that the Isley brothers are going to be at State Fair this year, so Y'all better call a 3 3 2 1 2 1 0 1 7 we got those tickets on deck Again Thank you to Crowley to Erica Crowley for joining us today We had some amazing conversations We talked about where she grew up.
We talked about some of the things that she
went through a while pursuing her career when her husband, David Crowley, first became the county exec.
And one of the things she mentioned was postpartum depression.
And that's something that I have experienced when I was younger and when I was pregnant with my children as well.
And it was just a heartfelt conversation.
Imagine having a new position as a director, your husband just being elected as the county executive.
You have two older children, two older daughters, and then you have a newborn in the middle of the pandemic.
And you have to be a mom, a wife.
You have to be all of the above, right?
Being able to carry that weight and balance that while all trying to be there for yourself and everyone else.
So much love and respect to her.
If you are a woman, you know exactly what that feels like on a day to day basis.
And we're not talking politics right now.
We're not talking a campaign race.
We are being humans.
And the most humane thing you can do is have empathy and not in a way where you feel sorry for someone, but you respect it.
You know, you respect when you hear people's stories and what they go through behind closed doors, because we know that media has a way of making you
Think whatever it is they want you to think but the truth of the matter matter is these are real people with real families who are facing real things and they do their best to step outside Every single day to deal with whatever comes their way Simply just because they want to do the work for the people right and those are the type of people that I enjoy speaking to those are the type of people that
I feel, you know, should uphold certain seats because they are the people and they are meeting the people where they are.
We also talked about her motivation, you know, her motivating her, her spouse, her husband, what that looks like.
You know, we all know as a black woman or as a woman in general, when you have a man who sits in a certain position, especially a high position, we know that what it means for them to come home when the weight of the world has beat them up.
We know what it means to be their backbone, to be their mother, their sibling, their best friend, the doctor, the therapist, the nurse, all of the above.
And one of the things that I love from our conversation is how graceful she is and the fact that she has so much faith.
And she said, she pray for her man.
She don't know what y'all do for yours, but she pray for hers.
She pray for her man.
So again,
I thank you so much, Erica, for joining us today.
This was an amazing, amazing conversation.
We gotta take a break.
We will be back.
It's your girl, Jazz Tyler.
One on 1.7 is true.
101.7 the truth is your girl Jazz Tyler.
We have a winner of the State Fair tickets on the line.
Who am I speaking with?
Elaine.
Elaine, thank you so much.
You are the 10th caller.
You are going to State Fair.
You're going to check out the Isley Brothers?
Yes.
Take me with you.
Oh, I wish I could.
I'm going to take my husband with me.
Yes.
You guys enjoy.
Make sure you enjoy time together.
Again, congratulations and tell the people who made you a winner.
101.7, the truth, baby.
Yes, indeed.
Yes, indeed.
Truth Nation.
Shout out to the chat, Mahdi.
Thank you so much for calling Miss Elaine.
You
have a blessed day yourself.
Shout out to the chat.
My D. He says he's not going to know festivals in this city is too much to lose.
You know what?
I haven't been to any festivals, but I am going to Brownsville Fest.
Brownsville Fest will take place.
Well, it has taken place.
It has taken place this weekend as well.
The actual festival, the main fest, August 2nd.
Shout out to my students at Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy, Torion, aka do7243, Kalea, aka Leia, and Edwin and Darius.
They all had the opportunity to come up here to be interviewed.
They will be performing.
This Sunday at 1045 on the main stage and one o'clock on the youth stage Again, I have to give that plug out because I've watched them work so hard at what they do They went through the artist development program with me And now they get a chance to showcase their talents.
There's also a book bag giveaway at three o'clock so for families who are Maybe in need of some school supplies and book bags for kindergarten middle through high school.
They're also doing
a book bag giveaway as well.
Listen, back to this governor's debate.
Who do y'all think is gonna be next to drop out of this race?
Call me 833-212-12017 or hit me up on the chat.
You can also hit us up on Instagram or Facebook at 101.7 The Truth.
Who do you predict is going to be the next person to drop out of this race?
Man, listen, it is getting heavy.
We got about, what, two weeks left into the primaries, and we're down to four candidates, Royce, Crowley, Hong, and Brennan.
This is, who is going to go up against Tom Tiffany?
And another question I have too is, if you are someone who did support Barnes, will you now move your vote over to someone else?
Let's say that the person you want to vote for or the person you voted for does not make it to the primary Who then will you vote for?
This is something that we don't really talk about either.
Who's the second runner up, right?
me personally I Don't know I don't know it's difficult.
I have not Decided on
who I would vote for if the person that I'm voting for does not become elected.
But that is something that I myself have to do as well as you.
I do encourage you all to take the time out to make sure that you are studying these candidates and not just allowing them to tell you whatever it is that they want to tell you.
Don't allow them to plan your face.
You don't let no man or woman play in your face.
Don't let these politicians play in your face.
Make them prove themselves, period.
If you are talking about what you're going to do and you haven't been doing it already, then baby, I ain't voting for you.
Because it don't take a governor's race for you to become active, right?
We active out here in these streets in real life.
If you haven't been doing the work already, I'm telling you, you won't get my vote.
especially when you're talking about public safety, when you're talking about housing, when you're talking about the educational system, right, taxes, all of these things.
If you haven't already been putting in the work as a state rep, someone who's on the assembly, no matter what your position is, then you will not get my vote.
So again, educate yourself.
Again, shout out to Erica Crowley for providing insight on...
not just the campaign, but the work that she does.
And also, you know, we talked about the tweets and you heard it right here on The Truth, right?
Not to mention this is the first interview she has done and she set the record straight and made it clear.
If she is not worried about them tweets, honey, from however many years ago, then baby, you don't need to be worried about them either.
Hang it up.
His wife is not worried about it.
So you shouldn't either.
And again, if that's the only thing that y'all have,
then y'all don't really have, you know, it is nothing.
So the key takeaway is today, based off of the conversations, the conversation that I had with Erica Crowley as well as the news about Madeleine Barnes dropping out of the race, the conversation with Erica, women who suffer from postpartum depression, please make sure that you seek help.
Do not wait, especially if you are a woman who are wearing many hats as a mother, as a wife, as a leader in your community, or someone who has a high status career.
Make sure that you are taking care of yourself.
Depression is not a joke, right?
We always have to wear a mask and walk in a room and smile and still deal with it behind scenes.
So that's one key takeaway.
The other one is,
The housing make sure you educate yourself on what's going on when it comes to the housing not just as a renter or a homeowner, but as landlords as well.
She is
the director of RCRH, which is an organization who is a partner with community advocates, the city, the county, the legal aid, so on and so on.
And what they do is offer assistance to people who are in need of housing, whether it's security deposits, people who need assistance with lawyers, who are facing evictions, people who have been evicted, domestic violence victims who need places to stay.
And they also assist landlords as well.
There's a lot of cause that I've received just from, you know, people in the community who ask about resources and lawyers due to slum lawyers or landlords who have issues with tenants who are squatters or won't leave their home.
These are the type of services that we have out here and they are already and available for you.
And you can go down to, I believe, community advocates.
inside there and speak with them directly to get to obtain some type of assistance.
We also touched on the school voucher and you know she stated that she was also in support.
of having it, not necessarily expanding it, but having it, parents should have that option.
And I agree as a parent who has three children and all three children have gone to private charter and the public school system.
I personally love the fact that I have options as a parent, right?
And that's a lot for me.
It was a lot.
I used to spend an hour and a half driving around before I had to be at work every morning because I wanted my children to be successful as possible.
My son did good in public schools, but my oldest daughter did better in charter schools.
My youngest daughter did not do well in public schools.
She did better in a private school, right?
And because I had those options, my children have been successful at what they're doing now.
And again,
It's not about expanding it, it's about providing options.
If the issue with the public school system is funding, getting rid of school vouchers is not the answer, because they're gonna need money regardless.
Figure out a way to find the solution, period.
And as Erica mentioned earlier, in case you all forgot, the whole purpose of the school voucher system was because our people were not able to attend schools outside of the city of Milwaukee.
They did not want us there, specifically black children.
They had better resources, they had better, you know, curriculums, and they didn't want us to be a part of it.
And there are people who fought for us to have that so that our children have access to those things.
If that's not something you support, hey, be my guest, I'm not trying to force you to, but that is a fact.
So again, we talked about housing, we talked about the school resources, we talked about...
her support when it comes to this campaign and when it comes to David.
And again, I just truly appreciate her for taking the time out to speak to us.
A lot of people tend to forget who you marry matters, especially when you are in these seats, right?
Who you marry says a lot about your character.
And if you are someone who is a public servant and you are someone who is, you know,
for the people and with the people.
A lot of times you want to be compatible with someone who supports you, even if they're not boosts on the ground, but they have to be involved some type of way.
And Erica Crowley is indeed a person who has proven herself to be with the people and has been for the past four over 15 years.
So again, just shout out to her, not not because she's David's wife, but because she's her.
Because she's a black woman doing what we do She is a mother.
She's wearing mini hat.
She's a director, right?
She's a wife.
She's a daughter She does a lot and sometimes I think we forget that the mini hats that we Wear, you know, not just women but men as well the mini hats that we wear can be very difficult sometimes and I can only imagine what it feels like
when you are currently going through or when your husband is going through a campaign and where you're going through it with him.
So, again, it has been an amazing day today.
It will be even greater if I can gup this tea down and get rid of this cold.
Listen, it's been a rough week.
Some going around a lot of people are here sick make sure I don't know if it came from the wildfires or what but make sure y'all masking up make sure you are using hand sanitizer and washing your hands and Doing what you need to do because there is most definitely some type of virus going around everywhere I turn left and right someone is getting sick and if you is someone who has an autoimmune disorder Such as myself.
I have lupus thing, you know
It's a battle, man.
It's a battle.
So thank you so much, Truth Nation.
We got to go to break.
When we come back, I want to hear from you with Madeleine Barnes dropping out of the race.
Has this shifted your vote?
833-212-1017.
It's your girl, Jazz Tyler.
Do not touch that dial.
You can't buy a best
where she want.
It's your girl, Jazz Tyler.
We are live and direct at the American Family Insurance studio in the beautiful heart of downtown Milwaukee Truth Nation.
Thank you so much for tapping in today.
Before we went to break, we were talking about the amazing interview we had with Erica Crowley, who is the wife of David Crowley.
Again, thank you so much, Erica, for joining us.
I also wanted to mention that this weekend,
And we'll be in attendance at Bronzeville Fest.
Shout out to Ottawa McHawk.
Shout out to Devana.
Shout out to the entire team who has been putting this on.
Man, for so many years, it's gonna be beautiful.
I have a couple of my students.
You guys, Truth Nation, have seen them before.
They've done interviews up here.
Kalea, Edwin Darius, and Torion.
They will be performing this weekend.
This is their first time performing.
If you are free,
Please show up.
This will take place August 2nd at the main stage, 10.45 for Torion.
And then at one o'clock, Kalea Edwin and Darius will be performing on the youth stage.
Again, these are students of Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy, my students who have taken my course notes for notes.
Shout out to Dave, shout out to Dev, shout out to the whole team.
But again, we play coming out numerous of times for those who are not familiar.
Torion is a student there.
who graduated, who has faced some obstacles.
He was shot at the age of 14.
He was in and out of the detention facilities, and then he managed to.
turn his life around.
And as a result, he create this song with Melinda Inzikira.
So you are about to listen to Count Me Out, produced by Dev, written by myself in Torion.
He will be performing this live at 10.
45 AM on the main stage at Brownsville Fest, August 2nd.
Let's go.
and it just made me think.
Think about just how I want my life, reality from a dream.
I'm done with stuff that's let me down, I stop sipping the lean.
My thoughts white clear when I'm sober, don't poppin' no pinks They got me tan, I'm tryna be shackled in some cuban links Wood to the face, get in my feelings, just thinkin' of meat Won't feel my pain, I lit through every single thing that I preach Talkin' with this pretty thick girl, toes out on the beach Like baby, can I pick your brain, I need to free my mind Got evil
soul The money fast, my heat took, but these streets cold Land inside a cell for summertime, gon' have you feelin' froze That was my brother, they need to help, now I'm all alone
I tell baby talk to me nice I see she fixed her tongue Look baby bad with back gunner I think I might approach Ain't nobody ever teach me none But I'm still rockin' coach
I watched them call me out until I made them call me in.
Born into the struggle with no plan but was destined to win.
We connected back in grad school but you more than my friend ain't got a question if I'm by your side cause I'm here to the end.
I built myself up from the ground now they call no me.
Since a kid I tell myself that I make some out of me.
Put your mind to it and just do that got too much to prove.
I can't give you game look bro but it's all on
you.
1.7 and shoot this your girl Jazz Tyler we are live and direct shout out to Torian G aka do7243 Melinda is the Kira shout out to Dev on the beat that is one of my alumni Howard Fuller collegiate Academy students who will be performing live this Sunday at 1045 a.m.
at Bronzeville Fest located on six
5th, 4th, 3rd, and North Avenue this weekend.
We also have Baby Debo, Darius Ashford, another one of my students who will be performing as well.
Shout out to Edwin on the beat.
This is his song, titled, Pape.
He will be performing live at 1 PM during Bronze Will Fest this Sunday.
Make sure y'all come out and support the youth.
Let's go.
So deep in black trucks like the president I bought this rully from my adju, my watch heavy seen Get rich or die child like I'm 50 cent Black van, roll up, I'm with many men I'm the type of c***, I don't like to argue Babe, I'm a manipulator, I ain't mean to start you Baby girl, you know I'm still young, I broke a heart or two Bet his lover get you drunk, something like McCarty do I won't be protected, babe
Baby, I want my girl in it Me, money's paid, baby, that's the disadvantage That charge will knock me down on my back, but I'm still standing These diamonds on my neck, that you've heard of me for years Is this me or E?
NSRT, switchin' lines, check out B to G You ain't catchin' me, see me on the E-ray, even though I'm speedin' Ayy, gold gets the grind, it's like committed treason, suited like committed Is this me or E?
NSRT, switchin' lines, check out B to G You ain't catchin' me, see me on the E-ray, even though I'm speedin' Ayy, gold gets the grind, it's like committed treason, suited like committed Is this me or E?
NSRT, switchin' lines, check out B to G You ain't catchin' me, see me on the E-ray, even though I'm speedin'
You gon' have some consequences if you try to touch my chain
We won't have no issue Con, cause I took his jake Do you need a tissue?
Feeling like I'm chump, I'm droppin' hitches like a missile It's just me and E in the SRT Switchin' lanes, trackhawk be the jeep You ain't catchin' me, see me on the E-way Ain't no speedin' Ayy, go against the grinders like committed treason Sewed it like a meeting It's just me and E in the SRT Switchin' lanes, trackhawk be the jeep You ain't catchin' me, see me on the E-way Ain't no speedin' Ayy, go against the grinders like committed treason Sewed it like a meeting
We are live and direct shout out to baby Dbo It would want to be though all of my students man.
That's Dr. Howard Fuller collegiate Academy shout out to nose for nose the entire team They will be performing the youth will be performing this Sunday at 1045 a.m.
And 1 p.m.
On the main and you'll stage during bronze will fast
Again, Truth Nation, thank you guys so much for tapping in with us today.
Thank you to Erica Crowley for joining us and providing some great insight.
Well, not just the campaign, but just her as a woman, as a wife, as a mother.
We truly appreciate it.
Make sure you join us tomorrow for the morning show with Homer Blow and Bailey Coleman, followed by Sherwin Hughes, the lunch break with Ray Nitty and Shannon, the grapevine with Manana, then double back with your girl, Jazz Tyler.
It's time to tap in Monday through Friday, 4 p.m.
to 7 p.m.
Make sure
Make sure that you follow us on social media.
Like and subscribe to our YouTube channel, 101.7 and Truth Milwaukee.
Y'all have an amazing evening out there, man.
Go get you some
dinner and your bellies.
Peace.
This is your girl Jazz Tyler.
We are live and direct good afternoon everyone today We are sitting down with the Mrs. Erica Crowley a wife a mother professional woman of faith and someone who has stood beside David Crowley throughout one of the most closely watched chapters in his public life campaigns
often focused on the candidate, but behind every elected official is a family making sacrifices the public rarely sees.
So today, there's an opportunity for us to hear from the woman behind the campaign, not about politics, not about just the campaign, but just life, family, purpose, perseverance, service, all of the above.
So again, Erica, thank you so much for joining us today.
Thank you for having me.
I'm excited first and foremost because I am familiar with the work that you do.
And I think that a lot of people who are listening would be eager to learn a little bit more as well.
So we know that you are the director of the Rental Housing Resource Center in Milwaukee.
You have worked with organizations since 2020 and leaves efforts that helps residents avoid eviction, navigate housing issues, and connect with community resources.
You've served more than 15 years.
You have more than 15 years of experience in social services and poverty reduction.
And you graduated from...
UWM with a bachelor's degree in community education.
I'm sorry, community engagement and education.
Again, thank you so much, Erica.
I wanted to get that out there so that people will understand how important it is for us to discuss your journey and what you're great at as well.
So again, thank you so much for joining us.
I'm like, wow, I did all of that?
So before I was Erica Crawley, I was Erica Wright.
I was my own individual.
I had my own goals and dreams.
But at my basic court, when people always be like, tell me about yourself, I'd be like.
It's so weird because over the years, that definition of who I am has changed.
I always say at my basic core, I am someone that believes in operating and optimism with some possibility and grace.
I am a mother of three beautiful girls known as the A-Squad,
reason I name all my kids with the letter
know why I do that.
Can't remember their names half
time.
But I'm someone that's just always worked in social service.
I started working in social service at the age of 19 at the social development.
Commission in the Energy Assistance Program.
And I
just always believed in working with organizations that either are.
anti-poverty organizations or help with alleviating poverty.
I'm very passionate about moving people beyond poverty.
So I was initial, originally born in Chicago.
I moved here when I was probably about four, but I'm pretty much from Milwaukee.
have a lot of memories of Chicago other than going back for holidays or, you know, during the summer, but I grew up mostly on the North side.
My mother was someone that liked to move like every two years.
So I didn't have a
a stable neighborhood where I would say, like, this is my neighborhood.
This is where
rep.
But pretty much the north side of Milwaukee.
Yeah.
what high school did you go to?
Oh, only the best high school ever, Riverside University.
OK.
You know, I don't have nothing.
I know a lot of people that went to Riverside.
But you are basically, I was asking this because it just proved that you are homegrown, whether you were born here or not.
And the fact, again, that you have expertise when it comes to
poverty when it comes to knowing what it is that your people need.
What was it at a young age that made you decide to say, hey, this is something that I want to do and this is something that I should be doing?
Believe it or not, I kind of just fell into it.
So my mother also worked for a SDC.
So when I was a child, I would go to work with her, watch her interact with clients.
I mean, I believe she was...
At one point, she was an executive assistant, and she worked her way up.
But I would just go with her to the office, learn about what the agency did, learn about how they help people, learn about their services.
And then when I needed a job,
I was
like, hey, mom,
is there anything higher?
Yeah.
You know,
at SDC.
And I started off volunteering in their energy assistance program.
But just, again, learning more about the different services and the work that they had, I just couldn't move away from it.
Yes.
I just, again, I.
I was always touched by people's stories.
I started off as, again, a volunteer and then worked my way up to a crisis case manager and then just really helping families find their definition of equality alive and it's just something I stuck
girls.
No sons, no.
Wow.
So it's very interesting raising three different personalities.
My oldest is getting ready to go to college in a couple of weeks.
It's very bittersweet.
I'm
so glad that
she gets to have this experience and she's growing, but that's my baby, you know?
Like, oh, what am I going to do without her in this house?
I can't check on her.
I might have to keep your location on all the time.
I can't do that anymore.
So it's interesting.
So that one's pretty much very introvert.
That middle one is my rebel without a car.
She's so passionate about everything.
That one's going to be, I can almost guarantee she's going to be like dated when she grows
Yeah.
just in her mannerism, how she acts, how she speaks, she's exactly like him.
And then that little one, that's my wild child.
That's the one I think is turning my hair gray, but that one has the sweetest soul.
Oh my gosh, she's such a sweet kid and she just loves everybody and she's so friendly.
So just trying to navigate three different personalities, trying to make sure I install the same things into all three girls, also understanding that each child kind of gets a different version of me.
But making sure that they have all the tools that they need to be successful women because I'm raising women.
Come on now.
Come on, Pete.
So we wear many hats and I was talking about this the other day.
especially black women.
We have to be the mother, the wife, the sister, the best friend, the doctor, the therapist, everything, right?
So with us often wearing many hats, the professional, the wife, the mother, and community leader, which role has taught you the most about yourself?
Ooh, I would probably say being a mother.
Yeah.
Yeah, that, okay.
So let me tell you a quick story.
After I had my third child, I had post-partum depression, right?
And eventually it turned to like functioning depression.
And then
it got a little bit severe.
And I had like a lot of mom guilt as it relates to like trying to find the time for myself and balancing what it means to be a mom and what it means to still be an individual.
So I had to learn that process, right?
I had to learn that it was okay for me to step away from these kids like.
I don't need to be there everything every moment of the day like
I can have
a life for myself.
So I think being a mother has really reminded me that I was an individual
before I
had these kids and it reminded me that I had a sense of self and a sense of worth before them and I'm more than just their mom.
But I love being their mom.
I enjoy being their mom.
I enjoy being me too.
So my youngest will be seven this year.
So this is, this came, you mentioned the postpartum depression.
I have a nine year old.
I actually experienced that after I had her as well.
And it's not something that's taught in a black community.
We don't really talk about it.
So I wasn't really familiar with it.
But if she's seven, this means that this was happening during the time that you- The pandemic, yes.
So Autumn was born 2019.
November of 2019.
So that means we were going into the pandemic 2020, which means we were at
home.
We were isolated.
My husband
just became county executive,
which means
he was he was gone all the time.
So I had this nine year old, this one almost two year old and this brand new baby and me just trying to navigate what life looked for us
in the
during the pandemic.
And eventually I, you know, I started working that community advocates in 2020.
But again, I had to.
be a worker
and also
be a wife and also be a mom.
And again, just trying to hold it all together in the most craziest time of the world,
Not being able to have the help that I needed because of fear of people bringing COVID-19 into the household
getting sick.
So how were you able to balance all of that, especially with David becoming the county exec and you getting your new position?
How were you able to stay sane and say, you know what?
I'm going through this, and again, we don't have opportunities to be selfish all the time.
But I'm going through this, but I have a newborn.
I have two other children.
My husband has a new career, and I have one.
How do you balance that?
I had to learn it.
It wasn't something that came easy.
It was very hard in the beginning.
Yeah.
And I think probably around the time Autumn might have been four is when I finally learned that, OK.
Again, this is going back to me having that depression that I needed to get the necessary help that I needed and really trying to figure out, again, how do I get back to myself?
So finding the time for myself.
I mean, it helped that the world opened back up and we were able to communicate
and
hang out and give people hugs and love on people.
But it was really about just trying to really find...
a new version of me that I love.
When you have children, when you become a wife, and this is not everyone's story, it's just mine, but you can lose yourself in those titles of wife and mother.
You know, right?
So you have to get back to a sense of self.
And for me, it was.
Getting back to what I used to love, you know, getting back to writing, getting back to hanging out with friends, finding some time just to sing my favorite songs out loud in the car, listen to the music that I want to listen to and not kids bop
Yes, yes.
It's a lot.
It's a lot.
And I commend you for that, too, for being able to pull yourself out of that.
because when you are focused on everybody else while going through postpartum or any type of depression and anxiety, it's extremely difficult.
You know, it could be extremely difficult.
We don't often view it that way until later on, like, dang, how did I get through that?
I know, right?
But you know what?
I would say for me, I had a really great support system, but I also had God.
Yes.
Without God and without faith, I don't know if I would have got through it.
So I always give credit.
to God, credit to where credit is due because if it wasn't for him and then those quiet nights with me and him, me crying out to him, me like, Lord, I need you today.
Otherwise, I don't know if I'm going to be here tomorrow.
I had to hold on to that.
I had to cry out to him.
Yep, definitely from the man above.
It definitely comes from growing up.
My dad used to be a pastor.
So I always, always had that foundation of faith.
My dad
has always installed to us like.
calling on God, loving on God, knowing where your help comes from.
He put that in us very early.
So, you know, as you get older, you kind of stray
away, you become an
adult, you want to do your own thing.
But
then as
you get older, you're like, I remember my dad taught me these things.
I
remember someone told me that you need this higher power in your life if you're going to get through anything.
So I hold on to that.
You know, my favorite verse is about.
worry about nothing and pray about everything.
live my life now.
I don't worry about a single thing.
I pray about everything.
We have Mrs. Erica Crawley in the building.
Do not touch that dial.
When we come back, we are going to talk more about...
Some of the public facing issues, also, again, the strength and the things, the role that you play behind scenes, not just being his wife, but just as a woman in general, a woman of the people.
We want to hear from you.
833-212-1017.
Do not touch that dial.
It should grudge your ass, Tyler.
One-on-one point seven the truth is your girl Jazz Tyler.
We are live and direct and we are joined by Mrs. Erica Crowley again Thank you so much for joining us if you are just now tuning in before we went to break we were talking about Her her support her being a woman her wearing many hats being a wife a mother Being a director all of the above as you know in this campaign there has been
Some issues surrounding some old tweets.
We know that public life often means that moments from the past can resurface years later, sometimes becoming part of a person's public story long after they've moved on.
In David's case, there has been public attention surrounding social media posts that were attributed to him years ago.
David has consistently maintained that he did not write those posts and that someone else had access to his account.
From your perspective, Erica, what do you wish people understand?
about that chapter and its impact on your family.
One thing I would say is that you can't judge somebody by what they did in their past.
Who he was in his 20s is not the same person who he is in his 40.
And if you grew up in Milwaukee, you knew who the party promoters are.
You knew who that whole little group was.
I grew up with most of the guys that was a part of that group.
I went to high school with them
and
I partied with a lot of them in my 20s.
If you would see me in my 20s, you'd be like, oh, you're not the same person that you were.
So I don't think we should hold someone accountable for something they did when they were young.
You got to meet people where they are and give them time to grow.
If we held him to who he was in his 20s, he wouldn't become the man he is today.
That man ain't nothing like he was back in his 20s.
And that's a lot of men these days.
A lot of our men, now in their 40s and their 50s, they are nothing like who they are back in.
We were young.
We were wild.
We
were
just, you know, as the kids say, living our best
life, right?
So I want people just to understand that, yes, this is something that he's attached to, but it's not who he is.
It's not who our family is.
This is not the image that we have for our girls.
It's not
the beliefs that we have.
And just mind your business.
Come on now.
Okay.
This is something that happened 20 years ago.
Mind your business.
This has happened yesterday.
No, it happened 20 years ago.
Mind your business.
Let it go.
Um, no, not anymore.
I think I'm used to it.
Again, I've, David ran for state, he was a state rep back in, I think 2016.
I was pregnant with, uh, Ava.
I don't remember how old my kids are.
So, you know, I've been a part of this since.
since we've been married.
So this isn't nothing new to me, the criticism, the information that they think they found on him, the racist comments.
I'm used to it by now.
I don't even indulge.
I just look at it and go about my day or I just don't read it.
that is a good question.
I would probably say, again, when we talk about the racism that I'm seeing, am I aware that we're still, they're still racemen in our country?
Absolutely.
Is it a little disheartening to see it so close to home?
Yeah.
Absolutely.
So I've been trying really hard to shield my family, my girls, our parents from some of the things that we're seeing online.
But despite it all,
We just we again, we hold on to our faith.
We do what needs to be done.
We focus on our family.
We focus on what's important to us.
And we just as my husband say, you know, every day is a good day and
get through our days.
And I really dislike people who who make comments like that, not just because only just because they're racist and they shouldn't, but because.
is social media.
People can, you know, we have loved ones, right?
Especially when you're trying to, all you're trying to do is serve your people and you hate me because I'm trying to serve my people.
Like that doesn't make any sense.
And I know that Crowley has thick skin and that he has been in this as well.
But how much do you have to pour into him?
in moments like this or any moments where he feels attacked from every different angle.
We know the unspoken realities that black men face when they walk outside of their doors, right?
How do you support him?
How do you pour into him?
I mean, I've been poured into that man since the day we met.
on, come on now.
Let's go.
I would 100% believe in edifying my man that,
know, he works very hard and not just for the community, but for our family.
Yes.
And he needs to know that
He's appreciated that he loved that we trust him.
We trust his leadership and we love him.
So I
had to fight him all the time.
You
know,
when he needs extra support, whatever extra support he needs, I'm going to give it.
But he knows that his best friend got his back.
He knows that I'm going to take care of him.
He knows that I go to jail for him.
No, I'm just kidding.
I'm just kidding.
I'm not going to go to jail.
I know what you mean.
But no, I mean, the best thing I can do as a wife, again, is to, again, pray for him.
I constantly pray for him, pray for his protection, pray for his peace, pray for his wisdom, make sure he operates in wisdom.
And again, verbally let him know that you are appreciated,
trust you, that we love you, and that there's nothing we could do without you.
It was a bit complicated.
When he dropped out, I felt grieved about it.
was really saddened about it when he was like, I think we should do this.
And I'm just like, no, just hold on.
Let's just wait and see.
No, this is for our family.
He was like, the numbers aren't there.
I'm just going to drop.
And I was a bit devastated.
So I felt like I grieved the process.
And then getting back in, I was very hesitant because
I just didn't want to go through that grief process
again.
I didn't want to feel the pain.
And it's not because so much that I wanted it, but I wanted it for him.
And I wanted people to really finally see him for who he was, that amazing leader, that strategic thinker, that person that's always thinking about how to make somebody else's life better.
And I
really wanted people to understand that and see that about him.
So when he dropped out, it was like.
Now people don't get to see what I see every day.
So now that he's back in, I'm glad that people are finally paying attention to exactly who he is and the receipts that he have.
Because I think most people didn't understand what a county executive did or does.
People are forced to do their research and understand exactly what he does and how he does it and how the decisions that he's making is going to better Milwaukee County.
And what you just said is, um, is key because a lot of times people have opinions and they don't even understand, right?
So sometimes we can, uh, when we're, especially when we're aligned and we're walking in our calling, uh, when we're doing the work, we're doing it for everybody else.
So to your point, the fact that he did rejoin obviously because he want to make this a better state for us.
but what it also does on the back end is forces people.
to be put in a position to where they have to educate themselves so that, A, they can check themselves and not misspeak, but also offer more support and be more considerate when it comes to some of the comments that are made.
Let's touch on you a little bit.
So we know that you motivate him, we know that you're there, you got his back, and that you are a driving force in your household when it comes to building him up, right?
What does that look like for you when it comes?
you know, for they because I know that you have your career as well.
And like you said, sometimes what happens is we put as moms, we put ourselves on the back burner.
And then being a mom, another new mom during a pandemic while starting a new career can be very difficult.
What was the motivation from him like to say, hey, babe, you know what, get out there and do do what you need to do.
Yeah, David has always been my biggest cheerleader.
He.
I will say because I am by nature a bit more introvert.
He has always pushed me out of my comfort zone and he has stretched me in ways that I didn't even know that I could do this.
I could do that.
I didn't even think I was capable of a lot of the things that he has encouraged me to do.
So since the day we met, he's always been like...
You can do this, you're intelligent, you're smart, you can do this, this, this, and this.
And then he always, it's not so much that he tells me, but he gives me the tools to show me to make sure I'm successful.
So that's one thing that I appreciate because it's great when someone is seeing how great you are, but when they actually assist you and give you the tools so that you can be successful, that's even better.
So that's what I would say.
I'm very behind the scenes.
I would rather write the speech if somebody else give it.
So it's been very interesting kind of.
Being everywhere it's it's a little frightening but also very humbling because I didn't think that I had that much of an impact I didn't think I had that much to say or that I was that important Yeah, and what is showing me is that people appreciate what I have to say and that people appreciate my perspective and that They love to hear from me, and I'm just like
oh, I'm just I'm so honored in touch Yeah, yeah, I mean we do we want to I said it yesterday that who you Marys
Who you marry matters?
Primarily because, especially when you're doing this work, because your partner should be doing the work too, right?
And we all come from this city.
We know what that looks like.
It's not just a one person type of situation.
It has to be a team.
And I think that you guys are a great example of what that team looks like.
What advice do you have for young couples?
who may be interested in joining politics or something similar and they're trying to figure it out.
Communicate with each other.
Be on the same page.
Have a vision for your family and also have a vision for your family and politics.
know what the vision that you have for the community and make sure it aligns with the vision that you have for your family.
Like I said, our family operates in optimism with some grace and possibility and that's the same information that I want to serve the clients that I serve that again when you're sitting with me
what does a quality life look for you?
And then how do I help you get there?
So I would say for any young couple, have a vision for yourself, have a vision for your marriage, have your individual
yourself, and then have a vision for how you want to operate within the community.
I do.
Because I was sitting, when I was watching it, I was watching the speech.
And when you start speaking, everybody that was watching can see the way David was looking at you.
It was like how a bomber look at myself.
I was like, let's go, DC!
Like, yeah, that's my woman.
What y'all thought?
How has it been for the girls?
Oh, the girls
are fine.
I mean, they don't care.
moment?
Again, they're used to it because their dad has been on TV multiple times
Their dad has had rallies.
Their dad has had events.
And we, I mean, the girls are included in everything that we do.
Because
again, if we're a family of service, we're teaching our girls service.
How
to, how to, how to, again, serve yourself.
but also how to serve the community, how to serve the people.
So they're used to it.
I mean, they're all like, another event.
I
get another, you
know, my youngest is like, I get another dress.
She's my princess.
That's my princess.
That's my princess princess.
She's such a diva.
She's all like, do I get a new dress?
Do I get another
Yeah, she's all for it.
Yeah, she's all for it.
Sign me up.
Sign me up.
We are talking to Mrs. Erica Crawley coming up.
We're going to turn our attention to Milwaukee's future education, affordable housing, and the role Erica hopes to play if David, sorry, when David is elected because we're claiming that.
You won't want to miss this.
Please do not touch that dial.
It's your girl, Jazz Tyler.
One on 1.7 is true.
One on 1.7 and truth.
It should grow.
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Now, we've talked about the campaign.
We've talked about how you support David.
We've talked about your upbringing.
I want to tap into who you are today.
We know that you are a director.
We know that you went to graduate from UWM.
Can you tap a little bit more into your educational background and then move to your role as a
director?
I had like 20 majors when I started school.
Initially, I thought I was going to be a doctor, but I learned at the college level, the science was way too hard for me.
Then I was into criminal justice.
I don't know what was going on.
I just couldn't figure out the concepts of some things, but I was already working at SDC.
So my advisor said, you know what, since you're already working in the community, we should change your major to community engagement and education.
And I could have either became a teacher, but since I was already working in the nonprofit sector, it just made more sense for me to stay there.
So I ended up staying there, worked at SDC for nine years, again, started off as a volunteer, ended up being a crisis case manager.
I ended up working for a weatherization agency that, again, focused on low-income families and providing free weatherization services to low-income families.
Again, was working at that job, got laid off, and I was eight weeks pregnant with my youngest, so I was a stay-at-home parent for quite some time, and then in 2020, went into community advocates.
And believe it or not, I didn't get hired as a director right away.
I got hired as a case manager working in our emergency rental assistance program, but because I was doing such a great job.
And I came in and created all these different systems and streamlined all of our processes so that things just flowed easier.
Our quality assurance system, you know, just so things flow better, I ended up being promoted to the director.
I think it's going to be the role that I already play, which is being a advocate for poverty, being an advocate for housing.
I don't know if you guys look at the makeup of our city, but housing is an issue
in our
county.
Housing is an issue.
We don't have enough housing, housing, the cost of housing is way too high.
We don't have enough resources for housing.
And for me, I want to be a champion of housing.
I
want to make
sure that the federal government gives us the money that we need to make sure that our residents, and this is not just.
focus on Milwaukee County, but just statewide to make sure that, you know, we don't have mothers and children sleeping in cars.
We don't have homeless people sleeping on the street that, you know, people can afford to afford their rent because rent is crazy.
super high.
So I'm going to continue to be a champion for housing and again, for anything anti-poverty.
A lot of it breaks my heart because again, it's looking at that mother coming in looking for resources and her and her kids are sleeping outside in their car.
Yeah,
it's someone who may have a place but they're dealing with a slumlord and there's an infestation of rats and mice and roses roaches and or it's someone who has the desire to move but don't have enough income.
Yeah.
I'm seeing a lot more seers that
can't afford
their house that's getting kicked out of their house and have nowhere to go because they don't have any
So there's a lot of issues surrounding housing.
So why don't let's talk about why we need to receive the funding.
Because as I mentioned before, there's all these issues that's surrounding housing.
Again, rent is too high, not enough housing stock, or being forced to live somewhere because you don't have enough income to afford a better place.
But we can't provide the services that we need.
So again, assisting with housing, let's go back.
We also work with domestic violence survivors.
So if you're someone that's in a domestic violence situation,
needs to be
relocated, you will come to the Rental Housing Resource Center at Community Advocates so we can help you with housing resources.
But again, if we don't have...
funding for that, if we don't have housing stock for that, how do I help someone get to their next safe place?
So we got to start with making sure we have the necessary funds.
And a lot of that has to start at the federal level.
The federal level has to trickle down their dollars to the state, and the state needs to disperse it between the city and the county.
Without funding, we don't operate.
My ultimate goal would be to work myself out of a job, but that's because everyone has stability.
And then we got to understand that housing
Stable housing makes everything else stable, right?
If you have stable housing, then, you know, you have stable income, stable mental health.
Your
kids
can stay in their schools.
They don't have to move around a lot.
So our goal is stability.
So even though we're housing focused, we need to make sure that we're stabilizing the whole household.
But that only happens if we have the necessary funds to disperse and give clients the resources that they need.
Absolutely.
As we know, our children can't read.
And although our children, I would I would even argue that even though our children can't read, they also can't comprehend.
enough just not to know how to read.
But for those who can read, they're not comprehending what they're actually reading.
So believe it or not, I am an author.
We can talk about it.
So this is how I met David.
So I used to be the VP of operation for a magazine called Black and Power Magazine.
I remember that.
Yeah, it was.
Do you remember that?
Okay.
So it was a, it was a magazine that my cousin and I started.
So I was VP of operations, but I also wrote majority of the articles.
And David was someone I interviewed and had to write up his, write up his, his article.
So I would like to focus on literacy.
Like
how do we
get our kids to read?
How do we find things that they're interested in?
Are we focusing on the phonics?
My kids started reading at the age two.
If you go back in my Facebook page and go look at all of my Ava videos, Ava started reading at two and a half.
You
know
how that happened?
Because I work with her.
My
mother-in-law worked with her.
We bought kids.
We practiced sound.
She was only allowed to watch the TV with the clothes captioned on.
So I really think we need to go back to the basics and really focus on making sure that our children can read, but also making sure that our kids are critical thinkers.
It means nothing to read if you don't critical think.
And that's something I really want to focus on, like making sure not only are we creating the next generation of readers, but are they smart?
Yeah.
Can they read data?
Can they read something and analyze it and understand what the points are?
Yes.
We just too many adults are not critical thinkers.
And it's so frustrating to have the spirited debates because I don't like to argue.
So
we're going to call it the spirited
debates with people.
And I'm just like, did you not understand what this says?
Like,
not reading the facts?
Are you not reading the data?
We need more critical thinkers,
happens if we have to invest in our youth.
I don't want to just always say it's social media that they're stuck on their tablets, that they're stuck on the TV.
I think social media plays a part of it, but also are our parents involved?
Parental involvement.
is essential if we want our kids to excel academically,
right?
And I know that.
I studied
it.
So we got to get our parents more involved.
And if not their parents, are there community leaders?
Are there mentors?
Like, how do we get people involved to make sure that our kids are on the right track?
How do you feel about the school voucher program?
I was talking about it earlier.
I personally, my children, I have three children who are 19, 18, and nine.
and they've all experienced charter public and private school.
And I had to put them, so I was, when my two oldest was in school, my mom used to be like, you crazy, they were all going to three different schools.
But I had to, based off of the way they learned and based off their personalities
and
So I am an advocate, I'm not saying that we need to expand it, I am an advocate for it, just.
for parents having options, right?
But I just want to, again, I understand the importance as someone who comes from NPS2, why we need to focus on the public school system.
But where do you stand when it comes to the voucher system?
I actually agree.
I believe in choices.
I don't know if we know the history of why we have the vouchers, but a lot of our black and brown kids weren't allowed in these schools.
So if there are better materials at these schools,
if they're gonna get a better quality of education, not saying that they can't get a great education at an MPS, but I think it's okay for parents to have options.
There's nothing wrong with options.
It's
okay.
I agree, I don't think it needs to be expanded, but if there's a parent who lives in the city of Milwaukee, but wants their kids to go to Nicolet
one of those schools on the south side, what's the problem?
Yeah,
also got to understand that, as you said, your kids learn differently.
My oldest daughter, she went to a Montessori school because her learning system was based off the Montessori.
And she worked well in Montessori.
My other kids are at a language school.
They're all at NPS schools, but they all learn differently and each school gives them something different.
So
if you
have a child that's not functioning well in a public school and not because the public school isn't great, it's their learning style.
need to be somewhere at a school that fits their learning style.
We have Mrs. Erica Crowley in the building.
When we return, we will end on a personal note, family legacy and the woman behind the public life.
Stay with us for our final conversation.
It should grow Jazz Tyler 101.7, the truth.
One-on-one point seven the truth is your girl Jazz Tyler.
We are live and direct and we are joined by Mrs. Erica quality.
She is
A very, very, very special woman.
Again, I am grateful to have you.
She serves as the director of the Rental Housing Resource Center here in Milwaukee.
She's also the beautiful wife of county exec David Crowley, who is currently running for governor.
So we've had some great conversations.
We've talked about postpartum depression.
We've talked about being a mother, what it means to support.
You know, David, especially when it comes to the non-verbal or the hidden realities that black men face every day when they walk outside of the home.
We talked about your education.
We talked about your upbringing.
I want to dive a little bit more into how you deal with all of this.
So I've watched you throughout this campaign.
And one thing that stands out, Eric, about your ability is to keep showing up is the grace.
Right?
Many people might describe that as having a superwoman schedule.
What keeps you going on the days when you are exhausted?
Girl, God.
tell you.
We're going to give God the glory every time we talk, OK?
Because God keeps me going.
because I know I have purpose.
The thing is that even when I don't feel like I'm needed or I'm necessary or like I mentioned earlier, like I'm such a background person that I don't think that me being the forefront was that important.
I realized that there's purpose in everything that I do and I want to make sure that God always get the glory in
everything that I
do.
So on days that are hard, on days when I'm tired, on days where I feel like giving up, I just have to remember that you have purpose.
And God told me this a long time ago.
I don't even know what year it was, but I remember it was, it was, it was in the winter, but it was a warm day.
Like we didn't have any sun.
And this was
like when my oldest had to be like two or three.
And I remember going to the beach and I'm just like, huh, God, just, I was sick of life, right?
God, I'm sick of life.
I don't know what's going on with this life.
And I remember it was January, but no snow.
It was warm and there was a lot of fog.
And I remember there was a family on the beach going into the fog.
And I remember saying, I can't see the family.
Like I know they're safe,
but I
can't see them.
And I remember God telling me that's just like your purpose just because you can't see.
doesn't know that it isn't there.
And I
hold
on to that every single day to know that I have purpose.
But there's no reason why I should be stressing or even though I do.
But there's no reason why I should be stressing or there's no reason why you can't go on because the purpose hasn't been fulfilled.
I hold on to that with everything that I got.
I'm telling you, because some days I can barely get out the bed if it wasn't for God's sake.
I was trying to tell you.
I want to add touch on, I know earlier we talked a little bit about some of the, you know, rhetoric.
I won't reiterate it, but what do you think people misunderstand most about your family overall?
Oh, that's a good question.
I'm not really sure what I think people misunderstand about our family.
That is a good question.
I might have to get back to you on that, because from most of the stuff that I read, I feel like we get a lot of good.
responses.
A
lot of people love us.
A
lot of people appreciate us.
I don't, again, other than the racist comments, I don't really see too many things attacking our family as a whole.
Do I see them say things about David?
Absolutely.
But it comes with the territory, right?
It's stuff that's been said about him since he was a state legislator, so it's nothing new.
But I've never seen any attacks on our family, and I'm across my fingers that it stayed
But I do want people to know that, again, we are a family of service.
We've always been a family of service.
We're installing service into our girls.
And that we really care, and we're really compassionate about making things better.
Again, my goal in life is to help someone get to their definition of a quality of life.
Now, what I want for you, but what do you want for yourself?
And then how do I help you get there so that, again, you have whatever purpose look like for you, right?
How do I help you obtain your purpose?
Find the time for yourself.
Get the necessary help that you need.
We didn't go too much into it, but when the depression got bad, I had to go get professional help.
I had to go talk to a therapist.
Again, I'm glad I had a great village.
I'm glad I had a supportive husband who recognized the signs, but I had to go talk to somebody.
So if you're going through that one...
don't be afraid to tell someone that you're going through it, but then also get the professional help.
I'm telling you, it makes a difference, but then get back to a version of you that you love.
I think
what I've learned is that I kept trying to get to a version of me that no longer exists.
And I
had to figure out like who I am today, and I had to learn this new version of me and be okay with this new version of me.
think a lot of times we're so focused on, at least this was me, I'm just trying to get back to who I used to be.
That person don't exist
That person has some great qualities that you can move in.
You know, you was going for it, but that person does not exist anymore.
So find out who you are in this season and learn to love and build on the person that you want to be going for.
Get the help, please.
I'm telling you, it got really dark and I don't want to go in too much detail, but it got really dark.
And if I didn't get that help, I'm not 100% sure that I would be here today.
please, if there's any feelings of that, please get the help.
Girl, I'll be in the bed like 10, like a 10 o'clock kid.
I got to learn to be in the bed by 10 o'clock.
see me for 20 minutes and I'm going home to you back in the bed by 10
But thank you for sharing that.
Again, I know we talked a little bit about it offline.
I had postpartum after a postpartum depression after my daughter, too.
And it can take you to a very, very dark space, especially when you're dealing with whatever else you have going on inside of you and outside of you also.
Take time for yourself.
That's the most important thing.
Take time for yourself as she stated.
So we have to go to break when we come back.
We're going to talk about we're going to wrap the.
the interview up, but we want to talk about legacy, right, and what that looks like for you specifically.
We have Mrs. Erica Crawley in the building.
Do not touch that dial.
It's your girl, Jazz Tyler, one on 1.7 to truth.
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I am your host, Jazz Tyler, on award winning 101.7 The Truth, the home of conversations that matters.
We bring you the voices, the truth, the stories, the moments that define our community, the noise, no noise, no distractions, just real conversations, and the truth you came to hear for.
We are live and direct.
Let's get into it.
We begin this afternoon with a major shakeup in Wisconsin politics.
Speaking of what happened to that boy, what happened?
Up until your boy, Mandela Barnes, he is ending his campaign for governor, a decision that could reshape the Democratic primary just days before voters head to the polls.
But first, we are following new developments across the nation, including a story involving Nolan Wells, a young man whose death has left a family and community searching for answers.
Plus, the future of Wisconsin's education system is taking center stage in the governor's race.
The debate over school choice funding and the future of public education is becoming one of the defining issues of this election.
And later we will look at Milwaukee's housing crisis and why affordability remains one of the biggest concerns for a family.
But first tonight, the family of Nolan Wells continues to search for answers.
If you guys have been listening, I have been covering this story for the past couple of weeks.
I know that you all probably have been following this as well.
The 19 year old Nolan Wells was found deceased.
and investigators continue working to understand the circumstances surrounding his death.
Friends and loved ones are remembering Nolan Wells while authorities work to determine what happened.
So we began with the latest development in the Nolan Wells case more than three weeks after he was found dead following a Fourth of July trip to Horn Island.
His family is still awaiting answers.
A new independent autopsy commissioned by the family
has found the cause of manner of death remains undetermined.
They said that the findings do not provide a definite answer and that further investigation is needed.
The family's attorney says the findings raise additional questions while investigators continue reviewing evidence from the days leading up to Wells' death.
And Wells' family says their focus remains on finding out what happened and getting a complete picture of his following.
final moments, I'm sorry.
I've also seen this morning at 11 o'clock Nolan's family being crump held a live press conference.
They are taking additional legal steps as they continue to search for answers by issuing subpoenas seeking
Digital evidence connected to the final hours before his death.
The subpoenas reportedly seek information from several technologies companies, including social media platforms, as the family looks to obtain additional records that may help investigators better understand what happened.
Prior to Wells being found deceased, the family's legal team has raised questions about missing digital content and requested records that could include account information, messages, and other electronic data.
The family has not alleged that individuals
Any individual is responsible for the wrongdoing, but says the information could help provide clarity and a more complete timeline.
Authorities continue their investigation and officials have said evidence collection and witnesses interviews remains ongoing.
If you are following this story and you're on social media, I'm sure that you have been
paying attention to a lot of the social media investigators and some of the things that they've been mentioning and talking about while following this case as well is that Nolan's phone apparently had been emptied out prior to his mother collecting the phone.
That means pictures, all of the above.
So apparently one of his friends who were with him on that island and at that party posted some pictures on Snapchat.
And I guess the family is wondering why his phone is empty because if he was there just like any teenager more than likely there will be some pictures or some text messages stating hey I'm on my way.
Some type of proof showing that he was headed to this event with his friends and they are finding that that is not the case.
Um, this is interesting to me because this is evident.
Um, another thing that came up in his case that is very, very, uh, makes me skeptical is Warren, which is one of the, uh, young men, I believe the young man who, uh, was on, uh, in that picture with his arms wrapped around Nolan's neck, um, hanging out in the pool.
His father put up $50,000.
Searching for answers now my first question is if no one is responsible for his death Why in the world will he put up award money?
That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever That has guilty guilty guilty written all over it and the fact that it came from the very friend who they believe got into it a physical altercation with Wells over a young lady
that it came from his father makes it even more interesting.
We will continue to follow this story as updates, you know, make their way.
But again,
to parents across the nation, if you are listening, please, please, please make sure that, again, you stay in your children's business, even if they find it annoying, even if they are over the age of 18, make it your job to know who they're around and what they're doing at all times.
And if you are a young black male or a young black lady who is listening, please make sure that...
you follow your discernment, follow your instincts, right?
When something doesn't feel right, I don't care what moment it is, if it's right in that moment or prior, if something is telling you not to go, don't.
Because typically it's telling you that your discernment is telling you that for a reason and don't travel alone.
You know, always stay around people that you trust.
Again, this is a sad situation and we truly, truly hope.
that justice is served for Nolan Wells and his family and everyone who loved him.
Also, the governor's race, we've seen the debate happen a couple of days ago.
If you were listening to Sherwin's show earlier, he mentioned that there is a group of people who are attempting to put together another, well, not even another, I would say an official debate because I don't know what that was the other day.
I feel like that was a forum that was not a debate and Crowley, County Executive Crowley was on his show today and mentioned
that he also feels like it was not a debate, because typically in a debate, other candidates are allowed to answer and make rebuttals.
And although the moderator stated that that was the case, again, it seemed as if that forum was rushed and that a lot of questions, exactly what I said yesterday, a lot of questions that should have been asked were not asked.
And simply we just, you know, we were talking about it, me and Meachin.
Shout out to our chat and our listeners Anita Nicole mentioned that we should do another debate and I don't know if they're going to make it happen in time primarily because we only have a couple of weeks the primaries is August 11th, but I do believe that we should look into Conducting another debate so with this governor's race.
I know you guys
all have been paying attention to the news in former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes is ending his campaign.
Woo!
Hot!
They said if it's too hot in the kitchen, get your butt outside.
Barnes announced his withdrawal from the Democratic primary saying he believes the direction of the race has become clear.
His exit comes just before the August 11th primary election.
Barnes entered the race with the statewide name recognition after serving as lieutenant governor and after his close US Senate race his close US Senate race in 2022 his departure leaves a change in Democratic field and raises questions For his supporters and he made that comment.
We clearly know who the primary is going to be and I'm just curious to Learn exactly who he's talking about
Who exactly is he talking about?
Let's talk about it when we come from break.
It's your girl jazz Tyler One on one point seven the truth.
It should grow jazz Tyler.
We are livens out right at
The award-winning 101.7 Truth located inside of the American Family Insurance Studio.
We bring you the voices, the stories, and the moments that define our community.
And speaking of our community, those who are listening, I know that if you are following this, you have been paying attention to the governor's race.
We were hit with some unexpected news.
Earlier today, that former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Bars is ending his campaign for governor.
Today, he announced his withdrawal from the Democratic Party, saying he believes the direction of the race has become clear.
He exit just before the primary election, which is August 11 according to CNN He posted a video on social media barn says that it's very clear who our nominee is going to be though.
He didn't name her we do believe that
He is referencing Francesca Hong as she leads the polls.
Barnes called on Democrats to rally to defeat Republican U.S.
Representative Tom Tiffany, who is all but certain to be the GOP nominee in the battleground state, right?
In this video, he stated that he had a very difficult conversation with his staff Wednesday night.
Now is our time to come together to focus our efforts on defeating Tiffany.
Now, first and foremost, I wonder where this is coming from.
I wonder what made him because he seemed so confident during the debate.
I've been watching him post.
I've been watching him speak about an interview, speak about his campaign and take cheap shots and so on and so on.
So I'm very interested in
figuring out what happened that made him, you know, want to back out and furthermore, if he's going to put his support behind Hong or anyone else who is inside of the race.
This is becoming very interesting.
This is messy politics is becoming very interesting as we approach the primary election on
August 11th, I am eager to see if there will be any other candidates who may drop out of this race.
But we want to hear from U-Truth Nation A332121017.
How are you feeling about the fact that Mandela Barnes has chose to drop out of the governor's race?
He seemed very passionate.
He seemed very confident.
although he did not get the endorsement from Governor Evers, who actually endorsed Crowley.
He was sure that he was the man for the job.
So again, I'm eager to see how this plays out.
A couple of things that were brought up at the debate, one of them being with education, the school choice voucher program.
The school choice has shaped state politics for years, but now candidates are debating the future of vouchers funded and how Wisconsin should invest.
and students and will break that down as well.
So Wisconsin voucher programs allow eligible students to attend, participate in private schools with supporters arguing parents should have more options when choosing where their children should learn.
Opponents argue the growth of voucher program raises concerns about how taxpayer dollars are distributed and what impact those dollars have on traditional.
public schools.
Me personally, I have had the opportunity of enrolling my children into the Milwaukee public school system as well as choice schools and private schools using this voucher.
And I understand the history of the voucher and why it was created and as a parent and as an educator, I do believe that it is important that families
have the options to send their students wherever they want to.
I have a 19 year old, an 18 year old, and a nine year old.
And when my 19 and 18 year old were still in school, I enrolled all three of them in three different schools.
In three different schools primarily because of their personalities their learning abilities their specialties and gifts and what it is that they wanted to do I did not believe that the best choice was to put them all in one school together just simply because it was easier for me and My youngest I actually had a chance to enroll her into
A private school using the voucher in that school has been amazing for her and I'm glad that I made the decision to send them to three different schools because they're successful in what it is that they're doing now as a student, as a student in elementary, in college, and then as a young adult.
So again, I wholeheartedly believe that we should not get rid of the school voucher program.
I believe that parents should have that option.
I feel like the only reason this has come up is because of the lack of financial stability for the Milwaukee public school system.
But that does not mean that you eliminate some alternative option.
It means that you find the problem and fix it, right?
And in order to find this problem, you have to go many years back.
This just didn't happen.
I'm a proud graduate middle school, semi-mortarist middle school.
I remember when I went to Morris, it was gifted and talented, and we had Dr. Onick.
And they don't make, first of all, they don't make principles like Dr. Onick anymore.
But secondly, you had to write an essay to get into that school.
You had to be top tier to get into a gifted and talented school.
And then I remember when they merged, they lost the building and merged Morris with Marshall High School.
And it's no slight to Marsha, but that didn't make any sense to me.
And because they did that, they lost so many families.
And I don't believe that they are considered as a gifted, intelligent school any longer, which is an issue, right?
And these are one of many circumstances when it comes to the public school system.
But I say that to say, I've seen a change.
I've seen a shift in the public school system when this happened.
And it happened prior to that, most definitely.
This situation in particular, I remember saying to myself that, you know, what is going on?
Something is happening with the public school system.
And as they continue to decline for whatever reason, they believe that we still should just send our children there.
Again, it's no slight to the public school system.
I am someone who comes from the public school system, but.
We should have options.
We should be able to say our children should go here.
Our children should go there.
I understand the financial burden behind it.
I understand even the politics behind it, but personally again, I just believe that there should be options.
We should always have options.
So the debate, this was one of the things that was brought up as it pertains to the debate, the voucher program.
If I'm not mistaken,
Everyone except for quality believe that we should get rid of the voucher and again unless you are
In the community, unless you are a part of the public school system, meaning an alumni or educator or any school system, especially in the city of Milwaukee, then you understand what I'm saying when I say how important it is for us to have these options.
And this is something that we should dive deeper into, which is why I brought up yesterday having
another debate because there are specific questions as it pertains to not just NPS, but the school education system in general from early childhood development, all of the above.
These are things that will impact us as a people.
Doesn't matter what your tax bracket is, but in the same breath it does because we all know who is going to affect the most.
If we don't have these options, it could potentially cause our babies to become deprived of receiving the services and the education that they need.
And one of the things that the candidates have to understand for those who are against the vouchers is the benefits of being able to send your child to a school outside of their school district, right?
Or outside of the public school system.
Our children should have access to certain resources that the public school system does not offer.
Our children should be able to enroll in classes, advanced classes that the public school system does not offer.
And removing that, especially for children who are well-advanced, my nine-year-old is one of those students.
Very events for her age and what I found the reason why I removed her from the public school system is because She was bored everything that she was learning.
She had already learned the year prior, right?
her she's very intelligent and no matter how many times I ask About you know giving her additional work or hard to work or even bumper her up a grade It still was the same old
the same old song, and she just was not excelling.
And again, I'm not biased because my oldest daughter graduated from public high schools, and that worked for her.
She went to a choice school, a charter school three years, but she finished her senior year in the Milwaukee Public School system.
So again, that's just my personal opinion when it comes to the school voucher.
I don't think that it should.
be eliminated.
I think that we should pay attention more to the public school system and whoever takes the seat has to go back.
There is a lot of damage control that has to be done when it comes to our education system.
We have to go back many years and uncover everything that has been covered up, not necessarily to expose
someone but rather because we need to find the correct solution and in order to do that we have to have all of the facts we need all of the information we have to make sure that the people who are sitting on these boards and in these seats.
as it pertains to the school system and the education system, that they are a part of the agenda, which includes creating a better environment, a better learning environment, a better safety environment.
One of the things I would love for them to speak on is the safety when it comes to the public school system.
because we all know the public school system is a part of the prison-to-pipeline system.
Let's just call it what it is.
The fact that, A, when you walk in, the food that they're being served is similar to food of people who are incarcerated.
The fact that we understand that you fight and that these kids...
be wilding out sometimes, but to have police officers physically inside of the schools 24-7 creates a hostile environment.
So again, there are many, many different factors, not to mention the transportation and then also the education system as a whole, the teachers, the wraparound services.
All of the above, right before and after care, there are a lot of schools who has to cut before and after care.
And if you are a parent like me that has to be at work at six or seven, seven o'clock in the morning, seven, eight o'clock in the morning, the before and after care helps.
So there are many different things pertaining to the educational system that needs to be focused on.
And I do believe that.
If we are allowed another debate that these questions can be asked, we don't need surface face answers.
We need core issues.
We need all of these solutions resolved so that our babies can be great, right?
Again, I think we all can agree that
Again, it's no slight to NPS.
It's no slight to charter schools or private schools.
But we just need great schools and great education across the board for all students.
Give them a chance.
Give them a chance.
Don't base it off of where they live or the environment that they're in.
Every child deserve a chance.
They do not get the chance to take that educational journey twice in life.
They have to do it, and they have to do it right.
So when we come back, we will again dive in more to the latest news on the governor's race as well as the educational piece in the housing.
We want to hear from you.
833-212-1017.
How are you feeling about the former lieutenant governor, Mandela Barnes, dropping out of the race?
It's your girl, Jazz Tyler.
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Thank you so much, True Nation, for tapping in with me.
We are currently talking about the governor's race and the fact that former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes has officially dropped out of the race.
Prior to us going to break, we were also discussing
The choice voucher program, which is something that was brought up at this debate and I was simply stating that we the people are requesting another debate We understand that the turnaround time is pretty fast seeing how the primaries is coming up quickly on August 11th However, I think I am correct when I speak for a majority of the citizens not just in the city of Milwaukee But the state of Wisconsin as it pertains to having another debate in the fact that
At this previous debate, which was held at Marquette University, there were a lot of unanswered questions.
And we were specifically talking about the voucher program.
And I was saying that outside of the voucher program, just with the educational system in general, I am someone who comes from the public school system, as well as my children have been enrolled in the public school system, as well as charter and private schools.
I have three children.
And all of them have been inside of each school system.
And one of the things when it comes to the Milwaukee Public School System that we should be talking about is early and after child care services, a lot of schools have been having to shut those services down, which is very, very difficult if you are a parent, especially single parents who have to be at work at a specific time.
The early education
System overall the K3 K4 programs is a disaster and we know that that has been happening for quite some time All the way down to the food they eat to the fact that
Again, our reference is we all know about the prison to school to prison pipeline and how a lot of the school system has become a part of that, whether they want to admit it or not.
It is a truth.
The fact that we have to have law enforcement inside of our school facilities, which automatically creates a hostile environment when it comes to our youth and what they're comfortable with as far as while they're at school.
So there's so many different layers not to mention.
the educational piece for students who are well advanced.
There isn't really any AP classes or advanced classes as it used to be back in the days.
A lot of the educators, for example, there was a news article that was released yesterday, stated by the Journal Sentinel stating that the Milwaukee public school system is now seeking employees from Chicago school system due to the layoffs.
We have
More than enough qualified educators here in the city of Milwaukee and throughout the state of Wisconsin.
I'm not sure I understand why we need to go outside of Wisconsin to hire educators for our babies here.
Matter of fact, if we're talking specifically about Milwaukee and Milwaukee public schools, I'm not sure why we need to go outside of Milwaukee to hire educators.
We have enough great educators here.
to hire, there's no need to go outside.
Why wouldn't you want to hire someone who comes from the community, the same community that these children come from?
Someone that looks like them, someone that understands who they are in their culture, right?
I don't understand it.
So again, there are many different things that we should be discussing as it pertains to the school system other than just the voucher programming.
Another thing that was brought up in the debate was the housing crisis and how housing affordability continues to be one of the biggest challenges Milwaukee families face.
Residents are facing a rising cause, limited availability and growing concerns about being able to stay in neighborhoods that they call home.
Local leaders are in-house and advocates say the challenge is not only finding homes, but creating pathways to long-term stability, including affordable rentals and opportunities for home ownership.
If you have been traveling around the city for I'll say like the past year, you've noticed that there has been an increase in population in Milwaukee, specifically the inner city is becoming more diverse.
And I've noticed it just simply by driving down the street that there has been a lot of new faces and new people who are currently moving or have moved to the city of Milwaukee, which means that the not only are the resources becoming limited, but the house.
these are becoming limited as well.
And yes, while we do need multiple housing units and so on and so on, as we build all of these new apartments and these new homes because of the increase in population, we also need to make sure that we put enough services and attention to people being able to stay inside of their homes.
I think that a lot of it has to do with our people don't have enough, right?
Due to inflation, due to miseducation, due to bad credit, due to low finances, due to certain situations.
It becomes difficult to be able to maintain a household by yourself in these days.
And the eviction rate has increased, as we know, as well as the rent.
And then what happens is once a family is evicted and it goes on their record, it makes it extremely hard for them to obtain another home.
So again, as we're building these new developments, when it comes to the housing crisis, another thing we should be looking at is how do we like second
chances, right?
If I'm not mistaken, there's only one to two organizations that assist with second chances when it comes to renters.
We need to find solutions surrounding that.
And we have great services when it comes to emergency services or rent security deposit.
I know they have things like the job access loan, things of that nature.
But again, we need to figure out a way to prevent this.
Right, as much as we can is becoming extremely difficult, even with the youth who are slowly transitioning outside of group homes, the youth who are leaving the detention facilities as adults, the ones who are inside of group homes or foster care, there's a lot of
young adults who are homeless that are transitioning outside of these facilities.
So to the business owners and the developers and elected officials, that's also something that we need to pay attention to when it comes to the housing unit.
Now, back to the debate, as it pertains to housing, we know that Crowley has been very, very loud about
how he feels about the house and then that's something that he focuses on.
He campaigns, as he campaigns for a governor, housing affordability is expected to remain a key issue for citizens throughout the state of Wisconsin.
He speaks on housing opportunities, increasing access to home ownership and reviewing policies involving zoning and housing development.
The issue is likely to remain a major point of debate as candidates outline their plans for Wisconsin's future.
State Representative Hong is also making housing affordability a central part of her campaign for governor as well.
She argues that Wisconsin housing shortage requires increasing the supply of affordable homes while making it easier for working families to afford and maintain housing.
So again, these are some of the key issues that we are dealing with throughout the state of Wisconsin.
I know
Again, going back into the debate piece, there were a lot of unanswered questions and this is something that we really, really need to, we need to be able to understand what their plan is because it affects us all right.
Whether it's you, whether it's a student, whether it's someone that you know, whether it's someone that you love.
There is someone out there who has or is being impacted by the effects of the school system, specifically the public school system, as well as the housing crisis.
And as we continue to see inflation.
And we continue to have these single family households where people are making minimum wage or are unemployed.
The housing crisis is going to continue to get worse and worse.
So again, there's so many different things that we can talk about when it comes to the education piece and when it comes to the housing piece.
And I personally would like to dig into that a little bit more or rather I would like for the candidates to dig into that a little bit more Again, I said it yesterday.
We all know that Crowley has the most experience when it comes to The housing in the education piece the housing specifically with being the county exec he has Worked very hard to assist with funding
you know, certain organizations to make sure that we are able to have the proper amount of housing inside of the city of Milwaukee.
I know that this is also an issue in other cities throughout the entire state of Wisconsin.
Again, Hong also is at the forefront when it comes to housing issues.
So as this as this governor's race continue, we'll just follow these stories and again, pay attention to
what they say and what they have done, because these are things that we need.
We need education, we need housing, right?
And this is something that we can't just take your word from.
If you haven't been doing the work already, I don't want to hear it.
If you haven't, because you don't need to run for governor, you don't need to run for any seat to do the work, to make sure that the people have the necessities.
to make sure that they have whatever it is that they need as it pertains to housing and education.
If you haven't already been doing the work, I don't believe that you're going to do it once you're elected, right?
You don't need to get paid to do it either, unless that is your career field.
If this is something that you know is needed, you've already been doing, you should already have been doing the work.
Again, we are talking about the governor's debate the other day.
demanding another debate, and then also about former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes and the fact that he dropped out of the race.
At the five o'clock hour, we will have a special guest, Mrs. Erica Crowley, the wife of David Crowley.
She will be joining us.
We're going to discuss a faith resilience family and the role of a spouse in public service.
Do not touch that dial.
We gotta go to break when we come back.
We will dive into this debate a little bit more at your girl, Jazz Tyler.
One-on-one point seven the truth is your girl Jaz Tyler.
We are live and direct Make sure that you like and subscribe to our YouTube channel at one-on-one point seven the truth and follow us on social media at One-on-one point seven the truth and tap in MKE if you are now joining us at the beginning of the hour We were talking about the latest news in the know the wheels case his friend Warren his father
provided a $50,000 award to whoever it is that was involved in Nolan being deceased.
And I'm not laughing at the fact of the situation.
I'm laughing because if that does not, that smells like guilty.
I don't care how you put it at the end of the day.
That is something that somebody is guilty does because when did we decide, when did they decide that something happened to him?
We know that the people decided, but
They stood by it in the interviews, all of his friends.
They stated that he drowned or whatever the case may have been.
But the fact that there actually is an award speaks volumes.
So again, we will continue to follow this story as it develops.
If you have not.
paid attention to the news, or if you are not on social media.
Today, former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes has announced that he is in his campaign.
He announced his withdrawal from the Democratic primary, saying he believes the direction of the race has become clear.
His exit comes just before the August 11th primary.
Now, Barnes called on Democrats to rally to defeat Tom Tiffany, who is all but certain to be the GOP nominee in the battleground state.
In his video that he posted on social media, Barnes stated that he had a very difficult conversation with his staff Wednesday night.
He stated that now is our time to come together to focus on efforts on defeating Tiffany, right?
We have to do everything to beat Tom Tiffany.
This is life or death for the Wisconsin Knights.
I am eager to see if he's going to endorse anyone and if so, who, right?
I'm also, you know, nosey rosy.
I want to know what made him back away from the race, especially with there only being a couple of weeks left.
But not only that, he was actually leading in the polls.
He was leading in the polls.
along with Hong and again I'm not quite sure what that's about but we're going to continue to follow this as well.
Some of the discussions that were had at this debate or forum rather were surrounding the school choice voucher program as well as the housing crisis here in the state of Wisconsin in the city of Milwaukee.
And I'll just reiterate my stance.
I do believe that we should, as parents, we should have the option to decide where we want to send our children to outside of the voucher program.
We know that there are many issues as it pertains to the public school system here in the city of Milwaukee.
And these are some of the questions that should have been answered or asked rather at this debate.
And it was not answered or asked, which is why the people
have spoken and is requesting another debate.
I don't believe that this was a debate.
It felt more like a forum.
And now that one, there's one less candidate.
I think that we should have a debate where the people get the opportunity to ask the questions that they want to ask.
As it pertains to affordable housing, we know that out of the current candidates, Crowley has been extremely voiceless as it pertains to where he stands for the housing affordability.
His platform includes costs for expanding housing opportunities and increasing access to home ownership and reviewing policies involving zoning and housing development.
This issue is likely to remain a major point of debate as candidates outline their plans for a Wisconsin future.
State Representative Hong is also making housing affordability a central part of her campaign for governor.
She argues that Wisconsin housing shortage requires increasing the supply of affordable homes while making it easier for working families to afford and maintain housing as well.
And again, we go back to
when it comes to the housing needs, right?
We understand that there has been an increase in the population specifically to the city of Milwaukee.
And with that, we know that that causes a shortage in housing.
But also, there are families who are struggling, especially single parents.
There are families who are struggling due to inflation.
And if they don't make enough,
And they have to become a victim that goes on their record and then that makes it extremely difficult for them to find another home.
So there are many layers to the housing crisis and the housing issues.
One of the things that I also touched on that I would like for the candidates to speak about as well.
is the dire need for youth who are young adults who are transitioning outside of foster care, outside of the detention facilities, outside of group homes.
These are things that touches our community at a high rate and these are the topics that are rarely ever spoken about.
There are specific organizations who do work with the young adults as it pertains to this.
But this is something that we need to take a little bit more serious.
The youth homelessness, the amount of youth, right?
Not even just the young adults who are graduating, who are 18 or older, but even the students who are in school, who are still in school, a lot of students, if you're an educator or if you work inside of the school system, you know exactly what I mean.
There are a lot of students that come to school who do not have a place to live.
Their families are living house to house.
Some are sleeping in cars.
Some are sleeping in hotels.
So when we talk about the housing affordability, we're not talking about it in a sense of, hey, yes, we know that rent is high.
Yes, we know that there are new developments, but there's children who are being impacted by this as well.
And if they don't have a home, they don't have clean clothes.
Sometimes they may not have anything to eat.
Sometimes they don't have water.
They don't have any of the necessities, right?
let alone being able to go to school and then having to go to school and deal with the bullying and deal with other things because they don't have the proper necessities to take care of themselves.
I have to tell you firsthand, I am a witness that this is a real thing and that the homelessness in the city of Milwaukee has skyrocketed, right?
Meaning that there are services.
It doesn't take away from anyone who has been working towards it.
It just means that the population has increased.
We have more people moving into the city.
And as these new citizens of Milwaukee move from different cities and states surrounding Milwaukee, they're acting on these resources as well, which means that the people who had already been here, there's a chance that they have to fight for the resources a little bit harder, which again,
is an issue.
So when we talk about the housing, like I said, please remember that look at it from an objective point of view and not subjectively because there are youth who are struggling right now who don't have a place to sleep.
Their parents cannot afford to pay rent on their own.
right, due to inflation, due to them not being able to work or whatever the case may be.
And I see it every day and it hurts.
It's frustrating because a child that comes to school without a place to live comes to school, hungry comes to school without any clean clothes.
They cannot focus properly.
They are not able to do their work.
They are not able to have a uplifted type of spirit.
because of the circumstances that goes on at home, right?
You have elderly people, elderly people who are on a fixed income.
They can't afford to pay certain things, let alone live alone by themselves.
So these are things that we need to have real, real core discussions about.
We can't just fly over this.
We can't just dibble in it a little bit and then, you know, talk about just development.
No, I understand why some of the candidates are voiceless when it comes to this because they know firsthand.
If you live in the city of Milwaukee, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
And if you start riding downtown or in some areas of the city,
You will see the homelessness is increasing.
You can see it starting to look like the downtown of Milwaukee not downtown Milwaukee But I'm saying these specific areas where you ride by it's starting to look like the downtown Atlanta And if you haven't been to downtown Atlanta, there's a lot of homelessness there, right?
So again, the proof is in the pudding.
There is a housing crisis in the state of Wisconsin, but specifically the largest city of Wisconsin, which is Milwaukee
And this is something that we have to pay attention to.
Before we go into the next segment, I want to inform you guys that we have a special guest coming up, Erica Crowley, the wife of David Crowley.
She will be joining us at five o'clock.
We're going to discuss faith, resilience, family, and the role of a spouse in public service.
Listen, I am excited about this.
primarily because if you are a woman, a mother, a wife, you know what it means to stand 10 toes next to your partner, especially when you are married to someone who is serving the people and you are someone who serves the people.
So again, do not touch that dial.
We have Mrs. Erica Crawley joining us at five o'clock.
It's your girl, Jazz Tyler, one on 1.7, the truth.
101.7 is truth.
It should grow jazz Tyler.
We are live and direct good afternoon everyone today We are sitting down with the Mrs. Erica Crowley a wife a mother professional woman of faith and someone who has stood beside David Crowley throughout one of the most closely watched chapters in his public life campaigns
often focused on the candidate, but behind every elected official is a family making sacrifices the public rarely sees.
So today, there's an opportunity for us to hear from the woman behind the campaign, not about politics, not about just the campaign, but just life, family, purpose, perseverance, service, all of the above.
So again, Erica, thank you so much for joining us today.
Thank you for having me.
I'm excited first and foremost because I am familiar with the work that you do.
And I think that a lot of people who are listening would be eager to learn a little bit more as well.
So we know that you are the director of the Rental Housing Resource Center in Milwaukee.
You have worked with organizations since 2020 and leaves efforts that helps residents avoid eviction, navigate housing issues, and connect with community resources.
You've served more than 15 years.
You have more than 15 years of experience in social services and poverty reduction.
And you graduated from...
UWM with a bachelor's degree in community education.
I'm sorry, community engagement and education.
Again, thank you so much, Erica.
I wanted to get that out there so that people will understand how important it is for us to discuss your journey and what you're great at as well.
So again, thank you so much for joining us.
I'm like, wow, I did all of that?
So before I was Erica Crawley, I was Erica Wright.
I was my own individual.
I had my own goals and dreams.
But at my basic court, when people always be like, tell me about yourself, I'd be like.
It's so weird because over the years, that definition of who I am has changed.
I always say at my basic core, I am someone that believes in operating and optimism with some possibility and grace.
I am a mother of three beautiful girls known as the A-Squad because I'm reason I name all my kids with the letter A. Don't know why I do that.
Can't remember their names half the time.
But I'm someone that's just always worked in social service.
I started working in social service at the age of 19 at the social development.
Commission in the Energy Assistance Program.
And I
just always believed in working with organizations that either are.
anti-poverty organizations or help with alleviating poverty.
I'm very passionate about moving people beyond poverty.
So I was initial, originally born in Chicago.
I moved here when I was probably about four, but I'm pretty much from Milwaukee.
I don't really have a lot of memories of Chicago other than going back for holidays or, you know, during the summer, but I grew up mostly on the North side.
My mother was someone that liked to move like every two years.
So I didn't have a...
a stable neighborhood where I would say like, this is my neighborhood.
This is where I rap, but pretty much the north side of Milwaukee.
Yeah.
And what high school did you go to?
Oh, only the best high school ever, Riverside University.
Oh,
OK.
You know, I don't have nothing to give.
I know a lot of people that went to Riverside.
But you are basically, I was asking this because it just proved that you are homegrown, whether you were born here or not.
And the fact, again, that you have an expertise when it comes to poverty, when it comes to knowing what it is that your people need.
What was it at a young age that made you decide to say, hey, this is something that
I wanted doing this is something that I should be doing.
Believe it or not, I kind of just fell into it.
So my mother also worked for a SDC.
So when I was a child, I would go to work with her, watch her interact with clients.
I mean, I believe she was.
At one point, she was an executive assistant, and she worked her way up.
But I would just go with her to the office, learn about what the agency did, learn about how they help people, learn about their services.
And then when I needed a job,
I was
like, hey, mom, is there
anything higher?
Yeah.
You know,
at SDC, and I started off volunteering in their energy assistance program.
But just, again, learning more about the different services and the work that they had, I just couldn't move away from it.
Yes.
I just, again, I.
I was always touched by people's stories.
I started off as, again, a volunteer and then worked my way up to a crisis case manager and then, like, just really helping families find their definition of equality alive and it's just something I stuck
are and
A-Squad, yes, my girls.
No sons, no.
So it's very interesting raising three different personalities.
My oldest is getting ready to go to college in a couple of weeks.
It's very bittersweet.
It's like
I'm so glad that
she's, you know, get to have this experience and she's growing, but that's my
baby, you know?
Like, oh, what am I going to do without her in this house?
Like, I can't check on her.
I might have to keep her, like keep your location on all the
time.
I can't
do that anymore.
So
it's interesting.
So that one's pretty much very introvert.
That middle one is my rebel without a car.
She's so passionate about everything.
That one's gonna be, I can almost guarantee she's gonna be like dated when she grows up.
Yeah.
But just in her mannerism, how she acts, how she speaks, she's exactly like him.
And then that little one, that's my wild child.
That's the one I think is turning my hair gray, but that one has the sweetest soul.
Oh my gosh, she's such a sweet kid and she just loves everybody and she's so friendly.
So just trying to navigate three different personalities, trying to make sure I install the same things into all three girls, also understanding that each child kind of gets a different version of me.
But making sure that they have all the tools that they need to be successful women because I'm raising women.
Yes,
Come on now.
Come on Pete.
So we wear many hats and I was talking about this the other day.
especially black women.
We have to be the mother, the wife, the sister, the best friend, the doctor, the therapist, everything, right?
So with us often wearing many hats, the professional, the wife, the mother, and community leader, which role has taught you the most about yourself?
Ooh, I would probably say being a mother.
Yeah.
Yeah, that, okay.
So let me tell you a quick story.
After I had my third child, I had post-partum depression, right?
And eventually it turned to functioning depression,
and then
it got a little bit severe, and I had a lot of mom guilt as it relates to trying to find the time for myself and balancing what it means to be a mom and what it means to still be an individual.
So I had to learn that process, right?
I had to learn that it was okay for me to step away from these kids.
I don't need to be there everything every moment of the day like
I can have a
life for myself.
So I think being a mother has really reminded me that I was an individual
before I
had these kids and it reminded me that I had a sense of self and a sense of worth before them and I'm more than just their mom.
But I love being their mom.
I enjoy being their mom.
But I enjoy being me too.
for ourselves.
So my youngest will be seven this year.
So this is this came, you mentioned the postpartum depression.
I have a nine year old.
I actually experienced that after I had her as well.
And it's not something that's taught in a black community.
We don't really talk about it.
So I wasn't really familiar with it.
But if she's seven, this means that this was happening during the time that you know, the
pandemic.
Yes.
So autumn was born 2019.
November of 2019.
So that means we were going into the pandemic 2020, which means we were at
home.
We were isolated.
My husband
just became county
executive, which means he
was he was gone all the time.
So I had this nine year old, this one almost two year old and this brand new baby and me just trying to navigate what life looked for us
in the
during the pandemic.
And eventually I, you know, I started working that community advocates in 2020.
But again, I had to.
be a worker
and also
be a wife and also be a mom.
And again, just trying to hold it all together in the most craziest time of the world, right?
Not being able to have the help that I needed because of fear of people bringing COVID-19 into the household and my babies getting sick.
the
I had to learn it.
It wasn't something that came easy.
It was very hard in the beginning.
Yeah.
And I think probably around the time Autumn might have been four is when I finally learned that, OK.
Again, this is going back to me having that depression that I needed to get the necessary help that I needed and really trying to figure out, like, again, how do I get back to myself?
So finding the time for myself.
I mean, it helped that the world opened back up and we were able to communicate and hang out and give people hugs and love on people.
But it was really about just trying to really find...
a new version of me that I love.
When you have children, when you become a wife, and this is not everyone's story, it's just mine, but you can lose yourself in those titles of wife and mother.
You know, right?
So you have to get back to a sense of self.
And for me, it was.
Getting back to what I used to love, you know, getting back to writing, getting back to hanging out with friends, finding some time just to sing my favorite songs out loud in the car, listen to the music that I want to listen to and not kids
Yes.
Yes.
It's a lot.
It's a lot.
And I commend you for that, too, for being able to pull yourself out of that.
because when you are focused on everybody else while going through postpartum or any type of depression and anxiety, it's extremely difficult.
You know, it could be extremely difficult.
We don't often view it that way until later on, like, dang, how did I get through that?
I know, right?
But you know what?
I would say for me, I had a really great support system, but I also had God.
Yes.
Without God and without faith, I don't know if I would have got through it.
So I always give credit.
to God, credit to where credit is due because if it wasn't for him and then those quiet nights with me and him, me crying out to him, me like, Lord, I need you today.
Otherwise, I don't know if I'm going to be here tomorrow.
I had to hold on to that.
I had to cry out to him.
And I'm
Yep, definitely from the man above.
It definitely comes from growing up.
My dad used to be a pastor.
So I always, always had that foundation of faith.
My dad has always installed to us like.
Calling on God, loving on God, knowing where your help comes from.
He put that in us very early.
So, you know, as you get older, you kind of
stray away, you become an
adult, you want to do your own thing.
But
then as
you get older, you're like, I remember my dad taught me these things.
I remember someone told me that you need...
this higher power in your life if you're going to get through anything.
I hold on to that.
My favorite verse is about worry about nothing and pray about everything.
That's how I live my life now.
I don't worry about a single thing.
I pray about everything.
We have Mrs. Erica Crawley in the building.
Do not touch that dial when we come back.
We are going to talk more about...
Some of the public facing issues, also, again, the strength and the things, the role that you play behind scenes, not just being his wife, but just as a woman in general, a woman of the people.
We want to hear from you.
833-212-1017.
Do not touch that dial.
It should grudge ass, Tyler.
One-on-one point seven the truth is your girl Jazz Tyler.
We are live and direct and we are joined by Mrs. Erica Crowley again Thank you so much for joining us if you are just now tuning in before we went to break we were talking about Her her support her being a woman her wearing many hats being a wife a mother Being a director all of the above as you know in this campaign there has been a
Some issues surrounding some old tweets.
We know that public life often means that moments from the past can resurface years later, sometimes becoming part of a person's public story long after they've moved on.
In David's case, there has been public attention surrounding social media posts that were attributed to him years ago.
David has consistently maintained that he did not write those posts and that someone else had access to his account.
From your perspective, Erica, what do you wish people understand?
about that chapter and its impact on your family.
One thing I would say is that you can't judge somebody by what they did in their past.
Who he was in his 20s is not the same person who he is in his 40.
And if you grew up in Milwaukee, you knew who the party promoters are.
You knew who that whole little group was.
I grew up with most of the guys that was a part of that group.
I went to high school with them
and
I partied with a lot of them in my 20s.
If you would see me in my 20s, you'd be like, oh, you're not the same person that you were.
So I don't think we should hold someone accountable for something they did when they were young.
You got to meet people where they are and give them time to grow.
If we held him to who he was in his 20s, he wouldn't become the man he is today.
That man ain't nothing like he was back in his 20s.
And that's a lot of man these days.
A lot of our man does now in their 40s and their 50s, they are nothing like who they are back in the 20s.
We were young.
We were wild.
We were just, you know, as the kids say, living our best
life, right?
So I want people just to understand that, yes, this is something that he's attached to, but it's not who he is.
It's not who our family is.
This is not the image that we have for our girls.
It's not
the beliefs that we have.
And just mind your business.
Come on now.
Okay.
This is something that happened 20 years ago.
Mind your business.
This is happening yesterday.
No, it happened 20 years ago.
Mind your business.
Let it go.
Um, no, not anymore.
I think I'm used to it.
Again, I've, David ran for, um, state let, he was a state rep back in, I think 2016.
I was pregnant with, uh, Ava.
I don't remember how old my kids are.
So, you know, I've been a part of this since.
since we've been married.
So this isn't nothing new to me, the criticism, the information that they think they found on him, the racist comments.
I'm used to it by now.
I don't even indulge.
I just look at it and go about my day or I just don't read it.
that is a good question.
I would probably say, again, when we talk about the racism that I'm seeing, am I aware that there's still racism in our country?
Absolutely.
Is it a little disheartening to see it so close to home?
Absolutely.
So I've been trying really hard to shield my family, my girls, our parents from some of the things that we're seeing online.
But despite it all,
We just we again, we hold on to our faith.
We do what needs to be done.
We focus on our family.
We focus on what's important to us.
And we just as my husband say, you know, every day is a good day and we just get through our days.
And I really dislike people who who make comments like that, not just because only just because they're racist and they shouldn't, but because.
is social media.
People can, you know, we have loved ones, right?
Especially when you're trying to, all you're trying to do is serve your people and you hate me
because
Like that doesn't make any sense.
And I know that Crowley has thick skin and that he has been in this as well.
But how much do you have to pour into him?
in moments like this or any moments where he feels attacked from every different angle.
We know the unspoken realities that black men face when they walk outside of their doors, right?
How do you support him?
How do you pour it into him?
I mean, I've been poured into that man since the day we met.
Yes, come on, come on now.
Let's go.
I would 100% believe in edifying my man that, you know, he works very hard and not just for the community, but for our family.
Yes.
And he needs to know that
He's appreciated that he loved that we trust him.
We trust his leadership.
And we love him.
So
I
had to fight him all the time, you
know,
when he needs extra support, whatever extra support he needs, I'm going to give it.
But he knows that his best friend got his back.
He
knows that I'm going to take care of him.
He knows that I go to jail for him.
No, I'm just kidding.
I'm just kidding.
I'm not going to go to jail.
I know what you mean.
But no, I mean, the best thing I can do as a wife, again, is to, again, pray for him.
I constantly pray for him, pray for his protection, pray for his peace, pray for his wisdom, make sure he operates in wisdom.
And again, verbally let him know that you are appreciated, that we trust you, that we love you, and that there's nothing we could do without you.
It was a bit complicated.
When he dropped out, I felt grieved about it.
I was really saddened about it when he was like, I think we should do this.
And I'm just like, no, just hold on.
Let's just wait and see.
No, this is for our family.
He was like, the numbers aren't there.
I'm just going to drop.
And I was a bit devastated.
So I felt like I grieved the process.
And then getting back in, I was very hesitant because
I just didn't want to go through that grief process again.
I didn't want to feel the pain.
And it's not because so much that I wanted it, but I wanted it for him.
And I wanted people to really finally see him for who he was, that amazing leader, that strategic thinker, that person that's always thinking about how to make somebody else's life better.
And I really wanted people to understand that and see that about him.
So when he dropped out, it was like.
Now people don't get to
see what I see every day.
So now that he's back in, I'm glad that people are finally paying attention to exactly who he is and the receipts that he have.
Because I think most people didn't understand what a county executive did or does.
People are forced to do their research and understand exactly what he does and how he does it and how the decisions that he's making is going to better Milwaukee County.
And what you just said is, um, is key because a lot of times people have opinions and they don't even understand, right?
So sometimes we can, uh, when we're, especially when we're aligned and we're walking in our calling, uh, when we're doing the work, we're doing it for everybody else.
So to your point, the fact that he did rejoin obviously because he want to make this a better state for us.
but what it also does on the back end is forces people.
to be put in a position to where they have to educate themselves so that, A, they can check themselves and not misspeak, but also offer more support and be more considerate when it comes to some of the comments that are made.
Let's touch on you a little bit.
So we know that you motivate him, we know that you're there, you got his back, and that you are a driving force in your household when it comes to building him up, right?
What does that look like for you when it comes?
because I know that you have your career as well.
And like you said, sometimes what happens is we put as moms, we put ourselves on the back burner.
And then being a mom, another new mom during a pandemic while starting a new career can be very difficult.
What was the motivation from him like to say, hey, babe, you know what, get out there and do.
Do what you need to do.
Yeah, David has always been my biggest cheerleader.
Um, he, I will say, because I am by nature a bit more introvert.
He has always like pushed me out of my comfort zone and he has stretched me in ways that I didn't even know that I could like, oh, I could do this.
I could do that.
Like, I didn't even think I was capable of a lot of the things that he has encouraged me to do.
So, so since the day we met, he's always been like,
You can do this, you're intelligent, you're smart, you
can do
this, this, this, this, and this.
And then he always, it's not so much that he tells me, but he gives me the tools to show me to make sure I'm successful.
So that's one thing
that I appreciate
because it's great when someone is seeing how great you are, but when they actually assist you and give you the tools so that you can be successful, that's even better.
So that's what I would say.
because you're more behind the scenes.
I'm very behind the scenes.
I would rather write the speech if somebody else give it.
So it's been very interesting kind of.
Being everywhere, it's a little frightening but also very humbling because I didn't think that I had that much of an impact.
I didn't think I had that much to say or that I was that important.
And what is showing me is that people appreciate what I have to say and that people appreciate my perspective and that they love to hear from me.
And I'm just like, oh, I'm just, I'm so honored in
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, we do, we want to.
I said it yesterday that who you marries.
Who you marry matters?
Primarily because, especially when you're doing this work, because your partner should be doing the work too, right?
And we all come from this city.
We know what that looks like.
It's not just a one person type of situation.
It has to be a team.
And I think that you guys are a great example of what that team looks like.
What advice do you have for young couples?
who may be interested in joining politics or something similar and they're trying to figure it out.
Communicate with each other.
Be on the same page.
Have a vision for your family and also have a vision for your family and politics.
know what the vision that you have for the community and make sure it aligns with the vision that you have for your family.
Like I said, our family operates in optimism with some grace and possibility.
And that's the same information that I want to serve the clients that I serve that, again, when you're sitting with me, what does a quality life look for you?
And then how do I hope you get there?
So I would say for any young couple, have a vision for yourself, have a vision for your marriage, have your individual plans for yourself, and then have a vision for how you want to operate within the community.
I
Because I was sitting, when I was watching it, I was watching the speech, and when you start speaking, everybody that was watching can see the way David was looking at you.
It was like, how bomb a look at my shirt.
I was like, let's go, DC.
Like, yeah, that's my woman.
What y'all thought?
How has it been for the girls?
Oh, the girls are fine.
I mean, they don't care.
you know, at that moment?
Again, they're used to it because,
Their dad has been on TV multiple times before.
Their dad has head rallies.
Their dad has head events.
And we, I mean, the girls are included in everything that we do.
Because again,
if we're a family of service, we're teaching our girls service, how to, how to, how to, again, serve yourself, but also how to serve the community, how to serve the people.
So they're used to it.
I mean, they're all like, another event.
I get another,
you know, my youngest is like, I get another dress.
She's my princess.
That's my princess.
That's my princess princess.
She's such a diva.
So.
She's all like, do I get a new dress?
Do I get another dress?
it.
Yeah, she's all for
Simea, we are talking to Mrs. Erica Crawley coming up.
We're going to turn our attention to Milwaukee's future education, affordable housing, and the role Erica hopes to play if David, sorry, when David is elected, because we're claiming that.
You won't want to miss this.
Please do not touch that dial.
It's your girl, Jazz Tyler.
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Milwaukee Truth Nation.
We have Mrs. Erica Crawley in the building.
If you are now just joining us, we are talking about what it means to be Black Girl Magic.
Now, we've talked about the campaign.
We've talked about how you support David.
We've talked about your upbringing.
I want to tap into who you are today.
We know that you are a director.
We know that you went to graduate from UWM.
Can you tap a little bit more into your educational background and then move to your role as a
director?
I had like 20 majors when I started school.
Initially, I thought I was going to be a doctor, but I learned at the college level, the science was way too hard for me.
Then I was into criminal justice.
I don't know what was going on.
I just couldn't figure out the concepts of some things, but I was already working at SDC.
So my advisor said, you know what, since you're already working in the community, we should change your major to community engagement and education.
And I could have either became a teacher, but since I was already working in the nonprofit sector, it just made more sense for me to stay there.
So I ended up staying there, worked at SDC for nine years, again, started off as a volunteer, ended up being a crisis case manager.
I ended up working for a weatherization agency that, again, focused on low-income families and providing free weatherization services to low-income families.
Again, was working at that job, got laid off, and I was eight weeks pregnant with my youngest, so I was a stay-at-home parent for quite some time, and then in 2020, went into community advocates.
And believe it or not, I didn't get hired as a director right away.
I got hired as a case manager working in our emergency rental assistance program, but because I was doing such a great job.
And I came in and created all these different systems and streamlined
all
of our processes so that things just flowed easier.
Our quality assurance system, you know, just so things flow better.
I ended up being promoted to the director.
I think it's going to be the role that I already play, which is being an advocate for poverty, being an advocate for housing.
I don't know if you guys look at the makeup of our city, but housing is an issue.
In our
county, housing is an issue.
We don't have enough housing.
Housing, the cost of housing is way too high.
We don't have enough resources for housing.
And for me, I want to be a champion of housing.
I
want to make
sure that the federal government gives us the money that we need to make sure that our residents, and this is not just
focus on Milwaukee County, but just statewide to make sure that, you know, we don't have mothers and children sleeping in cars.
We don't have homeless people sleeping on the street that, you know, people can afford to afford their rent because rent is crazy.
It's super high.
So I'm going to continue to be a champion for housing and again, for anything anti-poverty.
A lot of it breaks my heart, because again, it's looking at that mother coming in, looking for resources, and her and her kids are sleeping outside in their car.
It's someone who may have a place, but they're dealing with a slumlord, and there's an infestation of rats and mice and roaches, or it's someone who has the desire to move, but don't have enough income.
I'm seeing a lot more seers that can't afford their house that's getting kicked out of their house and have nowhere to go because they don't have any family.
So there's a lot of issues surrounding
So why don't let's talk about why we need to receive the funding.
Because as I mentioned before, there's all these issues that's surrounding housing.
Again, rent is too high, not enough housing stock or being forced to live somewhere because you don't have enough income to afford a better place.
But we can't provide the services that we need.
So again, assisting with housing.
Let's go back.
We also work with domestic violence survivors.
So if you're someone that's in a domestic violence situation needs to be relocated, you will come to the Rental Housing Resource Center at Community Advocates so we can help you with housing resources.
But again, if we don't have funding for that, if we don't have housing stock for that, how do I help someone get...
to their next safe place.
So we got to start with making sure we have the necessary funds.
And a lot of that has to start at the federal level.
The federal level has to trickle down their dollars to the state, and the state needs to disperse it between the city and the county.
Without funding, we don't operate.
My ultimate goal would be to work myself out of a job, but that's because everyone has stability.
And then we got to understand that housing, stable housing makes everything else stable, right?
If you have stable housing, then you have stable income.
stable mental health.
Your
kids
can stay in their schools.
They don't have to move around a lot.
So our goal is stability.
So even though we're housing focused, we need to make sure that we're stabilizing the whole household.
But that only happens if we have the necessary funds to disperse and give clients the resources that they need.
Absolutely.
As we know, our children can't read.
And although our children, I would I would even argue that even though our children can't read, they also can't comprehend.
So it's not enough just not to know how to read.
But for those who can read, they're not comprehending what they're actually reading.
So believe it or not, I am an author.
We can talk about it.
So this is how I met David.
So I used to be the VP of operation for a magazine called Black Empire magazine.
I remember that.
Yeah, it was.
Do you remember that?
Okay.
So it was a magazine that my cousin and I started.
So I was VP of operations, but I also wrote majority of the articles.
And David was someone I interviewed and had to write up his article.
So I would like to focus on literacy, like
how do we
get our kids to read?
How do we find things that they're interested in?
Are we focusing on the phonics?
My kids started reading at the age two.
If you go back in my Facebook page and go look at all of my Ava videos, Ava started reading at two and a half.
You
know
how
that happened?
Because I work with her.
My mother-in-law worked with her.
We bought kids.
We practiced sound.
She was only allowed to watch the TV with the clothes captioned on.
So I really think we need to go back to the basics and really focus on making sure that our children can read, but also making sure that our kids are critical thinkers.
It means nothing to read if you don't critical think.
And that's something I really want to focus on, making sure not only are we creating the next generation of readers, but are they smart?
Can they read data?
Can they read something and analyze it and understand what the points are?
Too many adults are not critical thinkers, and it's so frustrating to have the spirited debates, because I don't like to argue.
So
we're going to call it the spirited
debates with people.
And I'm just like, did you not understand what this says?
Like, are you not reading the facts?
Are you not reading the data?
We need more critical thinkers.
But that only happens if we have to invest in our youth.
I don't want to just always say it's social media that they're stuck on their tablets, that they're stuck on the TV.
I think social media plays a part of it.
But also, are our parents involved?
Parental involvement is essential if we want our kids to excel academically,
right?
And I know that.
I studied
it.
So we got to get our parents more involved.
And if not their parents, are there community leaders?
Are there mentors?
How do we get people involved to make sure that our kids are on the right track?
How do you feel about the school voucher?
I was talking about it earlier.
I personally, my children, I have three children who are 19, 18, and nine, and they've all experienced charter public and private school, and I had to put them, so I was, when my two oldest was in school, my mom used to be like, you crazy, they were all going to three different schools, but I had to, based off of the way they learned and based off their personalities and what worked for them, had we not had that option,
I don't know where my children will be.
So I am an advocate.
I'm not saying that we need to expand it.
I am an advocate for it, just for parents having options, right?
But I just want to, again, I understand the importance as someone who comes from NPS2, why we need to focus on the public school system.
But where do you stand when it comes to the voucher system?
I actually agree.
I believe in choices.
I don't know if we know the history of why we have the vouchers, but a lot of our black and brown kids weren't allowed in these schools.
So if there are better materials at these schools, if they're going to get a better quality of education, not saying that they can't get a great education at an NPS, but I think it's OK for parents to have options.
There's nothing wrong with options.
Yes, absolutely.
Absolutely.
I agree.
I don't think it needs to be expanded.
But if there's a parent who wants their kids who lives in the city of Milwaukee, but want their kids to go to like, uh, Nicolay or, uh, one of those schools on the south side, what's the problem?
Yeah.
Yeah.
or not.
And then we also got to understand that, as you said, your kids learn differently.
My oldest daughter, she went to a Montessori school because her learning system was based off the Montessori.
And she worked well in Montessori.
My other kids are at a language school.
They're all at NPS schools, but they all learn differently in each school.
gives them something different.
So if you have a child that's not functioning well in a public school and not because the public school isn't great, it's just, it's their learning style.
Maybe they need to be somewhere at a school that fits their learning style.
We have Mrs. Erica Crowley in the building.
When we return, we will end on a personal note, family legacy and the woman behind the public life.
Stay with us for our final conversation.
It should grow.
Jazz Tyler, one on 1.7 the truth.
One-on-one point seven the truth is your girl jazz Tyler.
We are live and direct and we are joined by Mrs. Erica quality.
She is
A very, very, very special woman.
Again, I am grateful to have you.
She serves as the director of the Rental Housing Resource Center here in Milwaukee.
She's also the beautiful wife of county exec David Crowley, who is currently running for governor.
So we've had some great conversations.
We've talked about postpartum depression.
We've talked about being a mother, what it means to support.
You know, David, especially when it comes to the nonverbal or the hidden realities that black men face every day when they walk outside of the home.
We talked about your education.
We talked about your upbringing.
I want to dive a little bit more into how you deal with all of this.
So I've watched you throughout this campaign.
And one thing that stands out, Eric, about your ability is to keep showing up is the grace.
Right.
As
Girl, God.
Yeah.
I'll tell you.
We go every, we're going to give God the glory every time we talk.
Okay.
Because God keeps me going because I know I have purpose.
The
thing
is that even when I don't feel like I'm needed or I'm necessary or like I mentioned earlier, like I'm such a background person that I don't think that me being the forefront was that important.
I realized that there's purpose in everything that I do and I want to make sure that God always get the glory and everything that I do.
So on days that are hard, on days when I'm tired, on days where I feel like giving up, I just have to remember that you have purpose.
And
God told me this a long time ago.
I don't even know what year it was, but I remember it was, it was, it was in the winter, but it was a warm day.
Like we didn't have any sun.
And this was like when my oldest had to be like two or three.
And I remember going to the beach and I'm just like, huh, God, just, I was sick of life, right?
God, I'm sick of life.
I don't know what's going on with this life.
And I remember it was January, but no snow.
It was warm and there was a lot of fog.
And I remember there was a family on the beach going into the fog.
And I remember saying, I can't see the family.
Like I know they're safe, but I can't see them.
And I remember God telling me that's just like your purpose just because you can't.
doesn't know that it isn't there.
And I hold on to that every single day to know that I have purpose.
But there's no reason why I should be stressing or even though I do.
But there's no reason why I should be stressing or there's no reason why you can't go on because the purpose hasn't been fulfilled.
So I hold on to that with everything that I got.
for God's sake.
Ooh, that's a good question.
I'm not really sure what I think people misunderstand about our family.
That is a good question.
I'm gonna have to get back to you on that, because from most of the stuff that I read, I feel like we get a lot of good.
responses.
A
lot of people love us.
A
lot of people appreciate us.
I don't, again, other than the racist comments, I don't really see too many things attacking our family as a whole.
Do I see them say things about David?
Absolutely.
But it comes with the territory, right?
It's stuff that's been said about him since he was a state legislator, so it's nothing new.
But I've never seen any attacks on our family, and I'm across my fingers that it stayed that way.
But I do want people to know that, again, we are a family of service.
We've always been a family of service.
We're installing service into our girls.
And that we really care, and we're really compassionate about making things better.
Again, my goal in life is to help someone get to their definition of a quality of life.
Now, what I want for you, but what do you want for yourself?
And then how do I help you get there so that, again, you have whatever purpose look like for you, right?
How do I help you obtain your purpose?
Find the time for yourself.
Get the necessary help that you need.
We didn't go too much into it, but when the depression got bad, I had to go get professional help.
I had to go talk to a therapist.
Again, I'm glad I had a great village.
I'm glad I had a supportive husband who recognized the signs, but I had to go talk to somebody.
So if you're going through that one...
don't be afraid to tell someone that you're going through it, but then also get the professional help.
I'm telling you, it makes a difference, but then get back to a version of you that you love.
I think what
I've learned is that I kept trying to get to a version of me that no longer exists.
And I
had to figure out like who I am today, and I had to learn this new version of me and be okay with this new version of me.
And I
think
a lot of times we're so focused on, at least this was me, I'm just trying to get back to who I used to be.
That person don't exist anymore.
That person has some great qualities that you can move in.
you know, you was going for it, but that person does not exist anymore.
So find out who you are in this season and learn to love and build on the person that you want to be going for to get the help, please.
I'm telling you, it got really dark and I don't want to go into too much detail, but it got really dark.
And if I didn't get that help, I'm not 100% sure that I would be here today.
So please, if there's any feelings of that, please get the help.
all.
Girl, I'll be in the bed like 10, like a 10 o'clock kid.
I got to learn to be in the bed by 10 o'clock.
I
girl.
You gonna see me for 20 minutes and I'm going home to you back in the bed by 10
But thank you for sharing that.
Again, I know we talked a little bit about it offline.
I had postpartum after a postpartum depression after my daughter too.
And it can take you to a very, very dark space, especially when you're dealing with whatever else you have going on inside of you and outside of you also.
Take time for yourself.
That's the most important thing.
Take time for yourself as she stated.
So we have to go to break when we come back.
We're going to talk about we're going to wrap the.
the interview up, but we want to talk about legacy, right?
And what that looks like for you specifically.
We have Mrs. Erica Crawley in the building.
Do not touch that dial to girl Jazz Tyler, one point seven to truth.
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