The 21^st Street Co-op is a cooperative house in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As of late 2022, the co-op consists of a single house, but organizers plan to buy additional houses on the block from elderly homeowners who are looking to sell their homes. The co-op wants to buy the homes to prevent those homes from becoming owned by landlords or real estate investors who would fix up and “flip” those homes. ¹

Despite the co-op’s ostensible purpose of providing housing for needy people, its official Facebook group tends to feature far-left political posts promoting legal abortion ² and protests against reliable sources of energy such as fossil fuels. ³ It also works with self-described anti-capitalist and Marxist organizations such as the Midcoast Collective. ⁴

Overview

The 21^st Street Co-op is a cooperative housing project in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The co-op currently owns one house but is eventually planning to buy up the houses on the 1100 block of North 21^st Street in Milwaukee. ⁵

Right now, the block currently consists of the Casa Maria Catholic Worker community, which owns four houses, and the rest of the homes are owned by long-term residents. Most of those long-term residents are elderly and seek to sell their homes and move. The co-op is trying to buy those homes to keep them from being owned by landlords or real estate investors who will fix up those homes and “flip” them for quick sale on the open market. The co-op sees either option as promoting “gentrification” that is harmful to the entire neighborhood.⁶

The house the co-op owns is currently being run by the Brave Green Wave Trybe. The organization works to provide housing assistance to what it calls “queer, trans, and gender non-confirming individuals.” ⁷

Far-Left Activism

Despite the ostensible purpose of providing housing to people who need it, members of the co-op engage in far-left activism. The co-op has an official Facebook group. One of the leaders of the co-op has shared posts in the group on promoting a film on legalizing abortion and people who escort women to have abortions ⁸ and protests reliable sources of energy such as fossil fuels. ⁹

The co-op also works with the self-described anti-capitalist and Marxist organization Midcoast Collective, also known as Midcoast MKE. It has raised money for the co-op. ¹⁰

An article written about the co-op describes it as defending their neighborhood against “police and gentrification.” ¹¹

Leadership

The co-op is run by a board of directors that is elected by the co-op members. ¹²

Trevonna “Trevi” Sims is the president of the co-op. ¹³

Shannon Frye is the vice president of the co-op. She previously joined Casa Maria Catholic Worker’s Hospitality House. ¹⁴

Caitlin O’Brien is the treasurer and the public face of the co-op. She previously worked at Casa Maria Catholic Worker House. ¹⁵

Constance Crockett is the secretary of the co-op. She was one of the founders of the Black Womxn’s Emancipation March in 2020. ¹⁶

Finances

The co-op sells ownership shares for $25 per share. ¹⁷

The co-op also has a GoFundMe crowdfunding account where it solicits donations to cover operating costs for the houses. ¹⁸

1. 21st Street Co-Op Support Fund, Organized by Caitlin O’Brien.” Go Fund Me. Accessed October 31, 2022. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-caitlin-fund-a-new-community-coop.
2. “21st Street Community Cooperative.” Facebook, October 18, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/groups/21ststreetcoop/posts/1173736826554128/.
3. “Here’s a Holiday Action Taken by One of Our 21st Street Neighbors.” Facebook, December 26, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/groups/21ststreetcoop/posts/987663091828170/.
4. “Resources.” MIDCOAST Collective. Accessed October 31, 2022. https://www.midcoastcollective.org/resources.
5. “21st Street Co-Op Support Fund, Organized by Caitlin O’Brien.” Go Fund Me. Accessed October 31, 2022. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-caitlin-fund-a-new-community-coop.
6. “21st Street Co-Op Support Fund, Organized by Caitlin O’Brien.” Go Fund Me. Accessed October 31, 2022. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-caitlin-fund-a-new-community-coop.
7. Terry, Jordan. “Housing Co-Ops in Milwaukee Gain Traction.” Localyst Media, June 4, 2021. https://localystmedia.org/housing-co-ops-in-milwaukee-gain-traction/.
8. “21st Street Community Cooperative.” Facebook, October 18, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/groups/21ststreetcoop/posts/1173736826554128/.
9. “Here’s a Holiday Action Taken by One of Our 21st Street Neighbors.” Facebook, December 26, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/groups/21ststreetcoop/posts/987663091828170/.
10. “Resources.” MIDCOAST Collective. Accessed October 31, 2022. https://www.midcoastcollective.org/resources.
11. Terry, Jordan. “Housing Co-Ops in Milwaukee Gain Traction.” Localyst Media, June 4, 2021. https://localystmedia.org/housing-co-ops-in-milwaukee-gain-traction/.
12. “21st Street Community Cooperative: Meet Our Board of Directors.” Facebook, November 26, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/groups/21ststreetcoop/posts/969729420288204/.
13. “21st Street Community Cooperative: Meet Our Board of Directors.” Facebook, November 26, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/groups/21ststreetcoop/posts/969729420288204/.
14. “21st Street Community Cooperative: Meet Our Board of Directors.” Facebook, November 26, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/groups/21ststreetcoop/posts/969729420288204/.
15. “21st Street Community Cooperative: Meet Our Board of Directors.” Facebook, November 26, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/groups/21ststreetcoop/posts/969729420288204/.
16. [1] “21st Street Community Cooperative: Meet Our Board of Directors.” Facebook, November 26, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/groups/21ststreetcoop/posts/969729420288204/.
17. “21st Street Co-Op Support Fund, Organized by Caitlin O’Brien.” Go Fund Me. Accessed October 31, 2022. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-caitlin-fund-a-new-community-coop.
18. “21st Street Co-Op Support Fund, Organized by Caitlin O’Brien.” Go Fund Me. Accessed October 31, 2022. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-caitlin-fund-a-new-community-coop.