As the RNC closes, Milwaukee marches for D’Vontaye Mitchell and Samuel Sharpe Jr.
Milwaukee, WI – As the Republican National Convention came to an end on Thursday, July 18, hundreds of law enforcement officers and dozens of media outlets circled a crowd gathered for a rally at Red Arrow Park demanding justice for D’Vontaye Mitchell and Samuel “Jah” Sharpe, Jr.
Mitchell, 43, died while being pinned down by the Hyatt Regency security guards on June 30. His case struck a chord with the Milwaukee community after video footage of his death made its way through social media. Mitchell’s family has been demanding the full release of the video and for charges to be leveled against the four security guards responsible for his death.
After hearing about Sharpe’s murder, Mitchell’s family invited them to take part in their rally and march on Thursday. As has been the case in Milwaukee, families impacted by police crimes tend to come together and forge bonds in order to struggle together for each other’s cases. Although the Mitchell case involves private security guards, the demands for transparency and accountability resonate with the Sharpe family’s demands.
Speaking at the rally, Naisha Mitchell, D’Vontaye’s older sister, stated, “They’re saying we need to wait for the autopsy report, but we saw the video. Why do we need to wait on the autopsy results to determine if these people need to be arrested or convicted of a crime? We saw them murder him in broad daylight.”
Katrina Gaines, Sharpe’s aunt, provided more background about her nephew. Gaines stated, “Most people who know Sam know he has MS and that his gait is unbalanced. He didn’t want us to feel like we were burdened to take care of him, and he told us that God told him to go and live in that community.”
As the days go by, more and more family and community members come out to speak about the kinds of caring and loving men Mitchell and Sharpe were. Contrary to the narratives depicted by law enforcement or city officials, Mitchell and Sharpe’s characters cannot simply be reduced to the seconds or minutes of footage capturing their final moments alive.
The families and community members at Red Arrow Park proceeded to take to the streets one more time to march within sight and sound of the Hyatt Regency, which was located within the credentialed zone of the RNC. In a symbolic juxtaposition of the landscape encapsulated by the RNC in Milwaukee, Trump was getting ready to accept his nomination while hundreds of protesters chanted and demanded justice for Mitchell and Sharpe. A wall of law enforcement agents formed in front of and to the side of the protesters, and after a few more remarks from the families, the protest returned to Red Arrow Park.
Thanks in large part to the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, the protest went in and out of the soft security perimeter of the RNC without any issues. Both families are demanding justice, transparency and accountability. The Milwaukee Alliance will continue working with both in order to achieve those demands.