Police transport a man who was apparently shot during unrest in Milwaukee to a hospital, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016.
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The city’s police chief said Smith, 23, was shot and killed by a black police officer Saturday afternoon after he turned toward the officer with a gun in his hand.
Burning down neighborhood business establishments, throwing bricks at cops, trashing police cars and chasing white people – all features of the Milwaukee riots – may feel good, but they are simply more symptoms of the social breakdown that police are asked to respond to every day.
Flynn said three Milwaukee officers and four Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputies were struck by glass or rocks in Sunday night’s unrest. Louis sociology professor who studies police use of deadly force, said it would not necessarily have helped for police to release the officer’s race sooner.
Mayor Tom Barrett said at a news conference Monday that youths and parents should take note that all teenagers must be off the streets by 10 p.m. The curfew is normally in effect in the city during the school year, which begins August 31.
Those policies, critics say, have given Wisconsin the worst incarceration rate for African-American men. Six people had been arrested Monday, he added.
Barrett and Flynn credited community and faith leaders for meeting with residents and calling for calm.
The mayor of Milwaukee, Tom Barrett, imposed the 10 p.m. curfew in the city located in the north-central USA state of Wisconsin in a bid to deter further escalation between protesters and police.
By nightfall, tensions appeared to level off, with the exception of a few brief clashes between protesters and police at the park.
“People [in Milwaukee] have been quick to say it’s not about race only, it’s about policy, and if we want to simplify it and make it about race you’re missing the overall point”, says Alexander.
Flynn noted that residents holding prayer circles and a barbecue was “certainly very encouraging”.
The violence over the weekend had prompted Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to declare a state of emergency on Sunday.
The curfew is in response to two nights of violence in the city.
By many measures, there is no tougher place to be black in America than Milwaukee, where in recent days the shooting death of a black man by a black police officer has led to violent protests and riots that destroyed businesses. The men fled the vehicle and the officers followed, shooting Smith in the arm and chest when he failed to put his gun down, Barrett said. Police said earlier that he was carrying a gun that had been stolen in a March burglary in suburban Waukesha. The officer was wearing a body camera, Barrett said. Police said the officer shot Smith after he failed to comply with orders to put his gun down. Seven officers were injured, he said. He will be placed on administrative duty during an investigation. Police did not say who shot the man, but that they continue to look for suspects. She said he was known around the neighborhood for his style and dance moves.
The prison population in Wisconsin has more than tripled since 1990, fueled by increased government funding for drug enforcement (rather than treatment) and prison construction, three-strike rules, mandatory minimum sentence laws, truth-in-sentencing replacing judicial discretion in setting punishments, concentrated policing in minority communities, and state incarceration for minor probation and supervision violations. State law requires all police shootings to be investigated by an independent state agency, giving the state control over such evidence.
Alderman Khalif Rainey said the area has been a “powder keg” for potential violence throughout the summer.
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“This entire community has sat back and witnessed how Milwaukee, Wis., has become the worst place to live for African-Americans in the entire country”, he said.
