The next night, more than 100 people holding candles and paper signs reading “BlackLivesMatter” gathered at Sherman Park and then marched to the site of the shooting.
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Police in the now relatively calm Midwestern city faced off with protesters in the city’s Sherman Park neighborhood on Saturday and again on Sunday after the death of 23-year-old Sylville Smith, who officials say was armed. The unidentified officer is 24 years old and has six years of service with the Milwaukee Police Department – three as an officer. At least seven officers were wounded, including some who were hit by rocks and bricks.
Residents of the stricken neighborhood on Monday expressed frustration over the demonstrations, which they said threatened to damage the area.
Randolph McLaughlin, a Pace University law professor and a civil rights attorney, questioned how Milwaukee leaders could have expected the streets to stay quiet on Saturday night given the national debate about law enforcement and race.
“There were groups of young people in particular, who were traveling in the streets”, Mayor Tom Barrett told a news conference Monday. The curfew is normally in effect in the city during the school year, which begins August 31.
Protesters gathered at the Sherman Park neighborhood in the northern suburbs of Milwaukee in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, holding a cookout for both protesters and bystanders and accepting donations for the victim’s family.
Flynn says he believes they have made a difference, resulting in less destruction Sunday night than the previous night.
Flynn credited community leaders who stepped up and called for calm.
But the protests of recent days follow decades of racial tension, particularly between the black community and police. Peaceful vigils and prayer gatherings were held without incident.
Do they want the officer charged with doing his duty?
Clarke requested the activation of the state’s National Guard on Sunday and got it, though the Guard hasn’t been needed.
The unrest was sparked after a 23-year-old man was fatally shot by a police officer.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice is investigating Smith’s death, as required by state law for police-involved shootings.
Chief Flynn said body camera footage showed Smith had turned towards the officer with a gun in his hand. Flynn and Barrett have repeatedly stated that Smith refused to drop a loaded firearm he brandished at an officer. According to authorities, Smith was armed with a gun and turned toward the police officer.
Smith died at the scene, and no officers were injured. A police officer was injured and also taken to the hospital after a rock broke the windshield of a squad vehicle, according to Milwaukee Police.
The officer has been placed on administrative leave, as is standard in such situations.
Police didn’t say who shot the man, but they said they were looking for suspects.
There’s also a misconception among outsiders about Wisconsin, she said.
City Alderman Khalif Rainey said the area has been a “powder keg” for potential violence throughout the summer. “This community of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has become the worst place to live for African-Americans in the entire country”.
“There is ample opportunity for second-guessing, I’m sure”, Flynn said. “Black people are afraid of the white parts of town”.
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Statistics back up Jackson’s claim.
