A total of 37 people have been arrested since Saturday night.
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Milwaukee police Chief Ed Flynn said his officers showed great restraint in how they policed Sunday night’s demonstrations in the city’s Sherman Park neighborhood, explaining how he saw them use their training effectively.
The trouble on Sunday night flared after initially peaceful vigils by small groups of demonstrators in the city’s Sherman Park neighborhood, where Sylville K. Smith, 23, was killed by a black officer after fleeing a traffic stop on Saturday. Many posts contained threats against him and a photo. A spokesman declined to confirm the identity being circulated online. “Locally, we are aware of some general threats against our officers”. If police officers want to act like they are above the law, then they should work in the mindset that protecting their own life does not mean destroying another’s. Police said earlier that he was carrying a gun that had been stolen in a March burglary in suburban Waukesha.
VIENNA • A mentally ill man from Germany seriously wounded two passengers in a knife attack on a regional train in western Austria yesterday, police said, ruling out a terrorist act.
Simmering anger over the fatal shooting of a man by police erupted in violence on Milwaukee’s predominantly black north side, with protesters skirmishing with officers over several hours and setting fire to at least four businesses in an outburst the mayor says was fed by social media.
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.
Milwaukee has become the latest American city to be gripped by unrest in the wake of high-profile police killings of black men over the past two years.
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.
Milwaukee is moving up its curfew for teenagers following violence on the city’s north side after the police-involved shooting of a black man.
Gov. Scott Walker on Sunday put the National Guard on standby, but so far no Guard members have been deployed. The state is investigating the shooting.
Officials said the male officer, who they identified as African-American, was wearing a body camera during his encounter with Smith. Police did not say who shot the man, but that they continue to look for suspects.
He said the officer told Smith to drop the gun and he did not do so. Regardless of the possession of a weapon or not, police officers are charged to protect and serve. The Mayor, Governor and Police Chief are calling for calm.
Barrett, pleading for calm, warned that the city still faced “a very volatile situation”. The damage was not as extensive as the protests from the previous night. According to the Journal Sentinel, the officer’s name is Dominique Heaggan, who also goes by Dominique Heaggan-Brown.
Officials promised strict enforcement of a 10 p.m. curfew for teens Monday night and closed Sherman Park at 6 p.m. Crowds ebbed and flowed at the station throughout Sunday; as night fell, community and church leaders led a prayer circle and spoke of a community that needs healing from ongoing “racism, injustices and oppression”.
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Police arrested six people in riots overnight in Milwaukee.
