Mayes released from jail as DA plans to review charges
A group of supporters greeted community activist Vaun Mayes Tuesday afternoon outside the Milwaukee County Jail as he was released from custody following his high-profile arrest Monday.
Milwaukee police earlier Tuesday presented to prosecutors preliminary charges of burglary as a party to a crime and criminal trespassing in connection with the civil unrest near the 2100 block of North 40th Street last week.
The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office decided to hold the case for “additional review in the weeks ahead” after reviewing the matter, Chief Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern said in a statement.
Mayes walked out of the Milwaukee County Jail to cheers around 1:45 p.m. Tuesday.
With tents set up, shade nearby, food and water at arm’s reach and music playing, dozens of protesters earlier had stated their intention to camp outside the Milwaukee County Jail until Mayes was released.
At a press conference outside the facility Tuesday before Mayes’ release, protest organizers Gabi Taylor and Frank “Nitty” Sensabaugh accused Milwaukee police of inventing a reason to arrest Mayes in order to take him off the streets until his ongoing federal case proceeds to trial.
Mayes was arrested Monday after a traffic stop near North 51st and West Center streets.
Since July 2018, Mayes has been on pretrial release for a federal case in which he’s accused of conspiracy to commit arson and witness intimidation in connection to the 2016 civil unrest near Sherman Park. Mayes and his supporters have denied the accusations and called them a setup.
Over the last month, Mayes has been active in local demonstrations against police brutality. He was present at the unrest on North 40th Street, having broadcast a livestream video over Facebook for hours from the scene as a home suspected of being a hub for human trafficking was set aflame by a crowd and police fired rubber bullets.
On Tuesday, Taylor and Nitty accused Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales of having a vendetta against Mayes after publicly criticizing him in recent weeks. They said Mayes went to the 2100 block of North 40th Street to help find two missing teenage girls and de-escalate the tense situation forming outside the home.
“This is harassment, this is a witch hunt,” Taylor said. “He has been labeled as a homegrown terrorist and everyone knows that is not the case. The city loves Vaun.”
“The narrative of any type of vendetta is a false accusation,” police spokeswoman Sgt. Sheronda Grant said in a statement.
Mayes’ attorney did not immediately return a request for comment.
Nitty, who has also been a highly visible organizer of police brutality protests in the last month, repeated claims Tuesday that he’s been targeted and harassed by law enforcement, in addition to Mayes.
Nitty was arrested in early June after leading a group of protesters onto Interstate 794 and the Hoan Bridge. Video captured officers lunging at him as the crowd began retreating.
He was issued a civil forfeiture in mid-June for a pedestrian on the expressway, according to online court records, but has not been charged with anything more serious.
“We’re being targeted and we’re being attacked, it’s very clear,” Nitty said. “Starting from the Hoan Bridge. There was 50 white people in front of me that got pushed out of the way … to get me. Why, if we’re not targeted?”