‘We’re here in solidarity’
Hundreds march in Milwaukee to protest police brutality
Hundreds rallied Friday in Milwaukee to denounce the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other acts of police misconduct across the country before marching to I-43 and shutting down part of the freeway.
The protest began with a moment of silence to honor Floyd, who died Monday
after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for almost eight minutes as he was gasping for air and pleading that he couldn’t breathe.
“We’re here in solidarity,” said Vaun Mayes, a community activist who organized the event outside the Wisconsin Black Historical Society.
“We cannot be comfortable with what they give us, we need our justice and we need it in full,” he said. “He needs his justice and he needs it in full. We all saw a man die that did not have to.”
The four officers involved in Floyd’s death have been fired, but not all have not been arrested or charged, and the ensuing protests in Minneapolis have led to several nights of violent unrest.
As demonstrators rallied and marched Friday afternoon in Milwaukee, authorities in Minnesota announced the officer who put his knee on Floyd’s neck had been arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
Floyd’s death has been condemned by national and local politicians, law enforcement leaders and everyday Americans of all races, and for many black Americans it was another painful example of the injustice and discrimination they encounter daily.
As one young woman who stepped forward at the Milwaukee rally said: “I am a person, I am a human being, I was born into this world. I have a mother. I have a father. I have a family that loves me and supports me. There is no reason I should be mistreated for being born.”
Fred Royal, president of the NAACP Milwaukee Branch, called on those gathered to keep working for justice after the rally.
“This is to honor those who died at the hands of police brutality,” Royal said, adding: “The question is what are you going to do when the cameras are gone and the excitement dies down?”
For more than an hour, speakers took the microphone, describing personal experiences, calling for justice for Floyd and invoking the names of people who have been killed by police in Milwaukee, including Sylville Smith and Dontre Hamilton.
Then, holding handmade signs reading “I can’t breathe” and “Black lives matter,” hundreds of people began marching east on Center Street, slowing traffic as they made their way toward downtown Milwaukee.
Azariah Bryant, a 20-year-old college student, marched with two teenage family members, saying it was critical for young people to be heard.
“It’s important to share a voice and stand up for my brothers and sisters in different cities,” she said.
The crowd marched onto I-43 from the North Avenue off-ramp, stopping traffic in the northbound lanes before walking off at Fond du Lac Avenue. News outlets captured photos and video of sheriff’s deputies appearing to arrest some protesters, but as of Friday evening, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office had not responded to questions about any arrests made.
The crowd paused outside Milwaukee Police Department headquarters, then looped north to the Milwaukee County Courthouse before returning back to N. 27th and W. Center streets.
‘Whatever we do, let’s do it peacefully’
Those who organized and spoke at the rally repeatedly called for a safe demonstration and sought to avoid the violent unrest seen in Minneapolis and other cities in recent days.
“I ask that whatever we do, let’s do it peacefully,” newly-elected city attorney Tearman Spencer told the crowd. “We got a long way to go and the battle’s just started.”
Milwaukee leaders urged demonstrators to act peacefully and condemned the killing of Floyd, with Mayor Tom Barrett calling it “shocking, undefendable and unjustifiable.”
“It was clear there were a lot of people there,” Barrett said of Friday’s protests. “There are a lot of people who are angry, and I share their anger at what happened in Minneapolis.”
Milwaukee Common Council President Cavalier Johnson urged those taking action Friday to do so safely.
“People are frustrated. They’re scared. People are upset and they’ve got a right to be. They’ve also got a right to protest,” Johnson said in a video message.
In 2016, several nights of violent unrest broke out around the city’s Sherman Park neighborhood after the fatal police shooting of Smith. Although police action touched off the unrest, many
Milwaukee residents cited longtime discrimination, lack of opportunity, inequality and troubled police-community relations as other factors — and residents in Minneapolis have echoed those same factors in recent days.
Reggie Moore, director of the city’s Office of Violence Prevention, said the greatest way city and law enforcement leaders across the country can honor Floyd’s life and prevent unrest is by “doing everything possible” to mitigate and prevent those events from happening in the first place.
“We’ve been where Minneapolis is and my heart breaks for some of the community and cultural institutions that have been vandalized during the unrest,” Moore said. “My hope here is our protest is being organized in the heart of the community, that we focus collectively on compassion and justice and what’s bringing us together, instead of the fear of what could go wrong.”
‘We cannot stay quiet anymore’
Hours later, another demonstration took place in the city’s Jackson Park neighborhood to protest the death of Joel Acevedo, who died after an altercation with an off-duty Milwaukee police officer. The officer, Michael Mattioli, is accused of putting Acevedo in a fatal “choke hold” during a fight at his house and has been charged with reckless homicide.
Acevedo’s parents and other relatives gathered outside of Mattioli’s house, demanding justice and for the officer to be fired. They also called for the arrest of two other people who were present during the fight and who were cited as witnesses in the charging documents.
“We cannot stay quiet anymore,” said Jose Acevedo, Joel’s father. “This is about what is right.”
At the end of the rally, protesters placed six candles on the front steps of the officer’s home, along with several signs, including one that read: “Mattioli You Are Not Above The Law.”
Some protesters moved on to Miller Park Way, where sheriff ’s deputies blocked the entrance to I-94.
As of 8 p.m., the crowd continued to grow as it headed east on National Avenue.
Mattioli is out of custody on $50,000 bail and remains on paid suspension from the Police Department. The city’s Fire and Police Commission has taken over the internal investigation and will decide what discipline he will face as a result. Community leaders, including the city’s mayor, have called for Mattioli to be fired.
Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales referenced the deaths of Floyd and Acevedo during a video address released Thursday.
“Despite the recent unfortunate tragedy, as well as the tragedy that took place involving an off-duty Milwaukee member, the men and women of the Milwaukee Police Department remain committed to protecting and serving the residents of our community,” Morales said.
In another video released Friday, Morales thanked those who had protested peacefully and said there had been “very few interactions” between the Milwaukee Police Department and protesters.
Advocacy and service organization Forward Latino released a statement condemning Floyd’s death and drawing a contrast between that case and how the recent case in Milwaukee were handled.
In Milwaukee, Mattioli was arrested the day of the fight and has since been charged, while the Milwaukee Police Department requested and turned over the investigation that day to outside investigators with the District Attorney’s Office and did the same with the internal investigation, handing it over to the city’s Fire and Police Commission.
In Minneapolis, all four officers were quickly fired, but four days passed before one of officer was arrested and charged. The other three remained out of custody Friday afternoon.
Bill Glauber, Sophie Carson, Lainey Seyler, Rory Linnane and Mary Spicuzza of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.