A City on the Edge

Some years change the course of history. 2020 was one of those years.

As a pandemic, lockdowns, and an economic downturn convulsed America, police shootings of George Floyd and other Black men touched off the largest protest movement in U.S. history. At the same time, mass shootings soared; many states saw unprecedented increases in gun-related incidents. Churning in the background were a bitter presidential election campaign and counter-protests opposing public health measures and the election result itself. Mayors of cities big and small struggled with some of these challenges, but Dennis McBride, the new mayor of a mid-sized, mostly-White suburb bordered by the majority-minority City of Milwaukee - called the "heartland of the heartland" - faced them all. His city, a microcosm of a troubled America, teetered on the verge of anarchy while playing a crucial role in the presidential election.

Though the chaos of that historic year has gradually subsided, it is still reverberating in the nation's economy, politics, and psyche. Americans and their leaders are searching for a new equilibrium. That balance will be found first in America's hometowns. A City on the Edge: Pandemic, Protest, and Polarization offers a path forward.