At a news conference, Flynn said there were some “confrontations that were heated” earlier in the evening and arrests were made, which seemed to calm the situation. “Those of you who were out there saw many instances people preaching on street corners, counseling small groups of individuals, a number of individuals spoke at the vigil last night which could have easily been an excuse for some folks to incite”.
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Less than 24 hours after an uprising that captured the national spotlight, disorder hit the city for a second night Sunday.
Following the incident, initial peaceful protests gave way to violent unrest with the city up in smoke.
Scenes from the city of Milwaukee on August 14, 2016 – where the death of Sylville Smith in a police-involved shooting has sparked riots.
The curfew earlier applied to teenagers up to and including 16-year-olds. State law requires all police shootings to be investigated by an independent state agency, giving the state control over such evidence.
Milwaukee has a population of about 600,000 people, with almost 40 percent African-American – many of whom are heavily concentrated on the north side of the city. Shots were fired, and some rioters torched businesses and police cars.
CNN reports the 18-year-old man was struck in the neck and has been hospitalized.
On Saturday, Milwaukee police shot and killed an armed 23-year-old African-American man.
In live video from NBC affiliate TODAY’S TMJ4, three men attempted to cross the street during Saturday’s mayhem until an officer attacked one of them. Police said an injured officer was taken to a hospital after a rock broke the windshield of a squad auto.
Smith’s sister, Kimberly Neal, told The Associated Press the family wants prosecutors to file charges against the officer. “We think we are in, comparatively speaking, a positive place”, Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn told a news conference at the start of the curfew. It was unclear how many rounds the officer fired.
Milwaukee’s mayor says a 10 p.m. curfew on teenagers will from now on be strictly enforced.
The latest people’s rebellion comes after a summer during which city police and other repressive state forces continued to engage in military-style occupations of popular gathering places for Black youth and their loved ones, such as Sherman Park and the Milwaukee lakefront.
Police Chief Edward Flynn said members of Milwaukee Inner City Congregations Allied for Hope and other representatives of the faith community have gone to the neighborhood to try to tamp down violence. Police said earlier that he was carrying a gun that had been stolen in a March burglary in suburban Waukesha.
Bullets struck an armored police vehicle’s windshield, and a rock broke through a police auto windshield, sending glass fragments into the eyes of two officers, the chief said. Barrett says he’s concerned about the economic damage being done to the Sherman Park neighborhood.
In 2013 Clarke ran a series of public radio ads that said citizens could no longer rely on the police for timely protection and should arm themselves which was described as irresponsible. He said many people outside the neighborhood are using that for their own agendas.
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Flynn indicated seven police officers were hurt, as were four deputies with the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office. Police moved in to try to disperse the crowd and warned of arrests after protesters threw bottles and rocks at police.
