Black Day Care Businesses Under Siege by White Organizations

Black Business Under Siege by White Organizations

The Milwaukee Community Journal [MCJ]

VOL. XXXIV Number 7 September 30, 2008

by the MIlwaukee United Coalition of African American Day Cares

Black businesses are under attack and by all accounts, by the State of Wisconsin. Originally, now this is Back in the Day, W-2 was hailed as a success. As part of that successful Welfare to Work [W-2] program, Day Care Centers were set up to take care of all of the children so mothers could go back to work. The economy was booming, reports of labor shortages abounded, and people with modest skills could enter the workforce in an ever expanding economy. But that was then, and this is now. The economy has collapsed, the employment market has collapsed and without any of the safety nets that used to exist when unemployment was high. What to do with all the black children when nobody is there to take care of them. The mothers must continue to hustle for the few jobs that remain and children are at risk being taken care of by the street, some even say by street gangs.

The Day Care Fiscal is clearly out of hand. The State can't afford the day care, the larger agencies want the children that the smaller agencies now have and the accusations of fraud and kickbacks abound at the state level. Some say now the gangbangers, as they are being called on the street, at the State of Wisconsin fraud division are doing drive bys on day care providers attempting to apply a rules and procedures that were, according to folks in the hood, just put into place to get the state out of hot water by deliberately putting black businesses out of business. It seems the old saying, last to get hired, first to get fired applies to black business contractors with the state. The most recent incidents occurred on September 24th and 25th, when several providers reported two suspicious men coming to their facility, asking a number of questions, walking in day cares, taking attendance sheets and any other paper work they can get their hands on without warrants. All of these ambush style attacks were done in an attempt to build a case against these day care providers. Furthermore, these hired gun contractors were feeding inflammatory disinformation to certain print media about some day care providers who were no longer in business. As a result, child care provider's payments were stopped unlawfully forcing daycare providers out of business without giving them notice of the changes in procedures. It appears the State of Wisconsin is prosecuting these black businesses before they have been proven guilty of any intentional wrong doing; the word intentional is the key to fraud.

Let's analyze why the state may be operating in such a manner trying to shut down black businesses that provide a much needed service to Milwaukee? Who is going to get the children that have been abandoned by the states hasty and careless action putting children at unnecessary risk. It appears that the day care agencies that are being subjected to these cowboy style raids and investigation are of color? What's up with that?

Let's take a look. All of the closings have occurred in primarily black day care centers. The African American businesses located in impoverished neighborhoods provide a critical service to the community. They care for children whose parents are not making much more than minimum wage and in many instances use public transportation. Neighborhood daycare is cost effective for these parents. Home daycare providers go above and beyond what large centers do. A provider might find them self helping children with homework, when necessary comb and braid hair, bathe children and donate clothing. Providers know and understand the needs of their community.

While parents work, go to school and contribute to the stability of the community, local neighborhood providers ease the parent's mind by making available a safe, academic, and clean setting for the 5 - 10 hours of accessible day care. Local providers know it takes a village to raise a family.

One day care providers testimony: When I contact the director for the fraud investigations, he then informed me that the two gentlemen who came to my business said among other things said that both my facilities were closed, and he would contact me after he see’s if the investigators told their stories correctly. I’m truly appalled by their actions and allegations. I run my business legally, and now my name as a businesswoman has been slandered, because the state felt the need to investigate 200 other “urban” child cares, and not just investigate the child cares they know are defrauding the system, instead of dragging the good ones through the mud. Wisconsin must unite and pronounce that inner city children deserve tax payer dollars just like any other citizen in the State.

If the State of Wisconsin's objective is to close neighbor hood day care centers then come on out and state the purpose for such behavior. It is unfair to drag down the name of hard working people who provide a vital and viable service to their community.

Questions for the community and a just resolution to the conflict caused by the ultimate failure of W-2 and a collapsing economy: 1) The children need care and with scarce resource why do black businesses have to suffer the most; 2) The style of the raids on the providers of color suggest a coverup of activities by others, 3) Is the short fall in state revenues going to spur inappropriate and hostile action by state employees; 4) Why can't mom and pop businesses stay in business since the service is still needed; 5) Why was the daily white newspaper come to a hasty judgement with such morbid hostility to black businesses, 6) Why are community meeting rooms being denied to these day care providers. More on all of this later. Stay tuned!