About 10 people have been arrested in Milwaukee after dozens gathered near where a black man was fatally shot by police earlier this month.
Advertisement
State Representative Jonathan Brostoff (D-Milwaukee) says he was helping to “deescalate” a tense situation in the Sherman Park area, where police had arrested about 10 people earlier in the evening.
While most in the crowd peacefully left in response to the officers’ requests, some chose not to and 11 individuals were ultimately arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting an officer.
Rep. Jonathan Brostoff says he was talking with members of the community in the Sherman Park neighborhood about 10 p.m. Tuesday when he was cuffed and thrown into a police wagon. He also said he started recording the incident on his cellphone, but police took his phone and threw him to the ground. “Although no one deserves to be treated like this, the police made the mistake this time of abusing people who were in a position to insist on their rights”.
Brostoff said he was handing out gum, discussing public policy issues with residents and trying to “de-escalate” the tensions in that neighborhood. “The whole thing is so weird”.
Brostoff said he was “totally compliant” and did nothing wrong.
Milwaukee police stated that following in a press release, “It should be noted that rumors about the Milwaukee Police Department’s efforts to remove the roadside memorial are completely false”.
The lawmaker said he planned to see a doctor Wednesday because his wrist was injured when he was slammed to the ground. According to police, the crowd refused to disperse.
“The Milwaukee Police Department has once again demonstrated its preference for occupation, excessive force and belligerence over genuine engagement, civil dialog, and de-escalation”, said Larry Dupuis, legal director of the ACLU of Wisconsin”, in a statement.
Smith was shot to death near the site on August 13 during an altercation with an officer after a traffic stop. He told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “You can’t come here and take over a neighborhood”.
Advertisement
Police say neighbors have complained of large crowds near the scene of the shooting for weeks. The Wisconsin Department of Justice, which is investigating the shooting, has not released the video. Eight businesses were burned and police with shields were the targets of rocks and other debris.
