Relative peace returned to Milwaukee as a 10 p.m. curfew for minors went into effect and community leaders called for calm after two nights of unrest following a police shooting on Saturday.
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A nighttime curfew for teenagers appeared to be maintaining calm in the USA city of Milwaukee on early Tuesday (Aug 16), following two nights of violence over the fatal police shooting of a black man. Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn said a few days ago the officer had received threats, so his name would not be publicized, But now, his identity has been widely shared in social media posts.
Protests turned violent both nights. Demonstrations also unfolded after 32-year-old Philando Castile was shot and killed in suburban St. Paul, Minnesota, during a traffic stop by a Latino police officer. Many posts contain threats against him and a photo. However, that number dwindled down to just six arrests on Monday night, ABC News reported.
Flynn activated the department’s 150-member crowd-control team on Sunday night, and Gov. Scott Walker put the National Guard on standby if needed.
Milwaukee has become the latest US city to be gripped by unrest after high-profile police killings of black men over the past two years.
“What you have are individuals who have been devalued, who have a lack of opportunity. who don’t see any hope”, Taylor said.
At another news conference Sunday afternoon, Flynn offered new details, revealing that the officer who opened fire was black, like Smith, and said body-camera video showed Smith had turned toward the officer and refused to drop his weapon.
Milwaukee’s police chief says an 18-year-old man suffered a single gunshot wound to the neck during unrest on the city’s north side, but that his life is not in danger.
Smith died at the scene, and the African-American officer who fired the fatal shots was not injured. Smith was 23. It’s not clear how well the men knew each other.
He said: “I want the video released”.
Police said Smith’s vehicle was stopped because he was acting suspiciously, raising skepticism within largely African-American neighborhoods where people report racial discrimination from police.
“So parents, after 10:00 p.m., your teenagers better be home or in a place where they are off the streets”, Barrett said, hinting at the chaotic times facing the Sherman Park neighborhood where most of the rioting had taken place. Wisconsin was the first state to enact a law requiring an independent investigation of a death involving law enforcement, the governor said. He pointed out that the city saw disruptions on Sunday night, after his race had been publicized, though the intensity was less than the previous night. In some predominantly black neighborhoods, some people argued that the killing was yet another outgrowth of what they believe are exceedingly aggressive and misguided police tactics in the city.
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Residents in a Milwaukee neighborhood marred by violence and destruction in the wake of a police shooting are waking up after a much calmer night. The protests have resulted in multiple injuries and numerous incidents of property damage, including burned buildings and rocks thrown at police squad cars.
