Hundreds march for Mike Brown in Milwaukee
African American mothers demand answers
Milwaukee, WI – 350 people took to the streets here, Nov. 25, upon hearing that Ferguson’s killer cop Darren Wilson was not indicted for the shooting of unarmed teenager Mike Brown. This was the latest protest in Milwaukee against police murder and violence. In a case similar to Ferguson, Milwaukee Police Officer Christopher Manney shot unarmed 32-year-old Dontre Hamilton 14 times in a downtown park in April of this year. Dontre Hamilton was doing nothing wrong. An active and growing movement is calling for the arrest of Manney.
Protesters gathered at Milwaukee's “ground zero,” Red Arrow Park, where Dontre Hamilton was murdered. Hamilton's mother, Maria, told the gathering, “I send my prayers to the Brown family. We have been waiting almost seven months for a decision to be made for Dontre.” Officer Manney was fired for misconduct, but is not yet charged with a crime. Maria Hamilton finished by saying, “District Attorney John Chisolm needs to do his job and protect communities or step down and let someone take his spot who will.”
Nate Hamilton, Dontre's brother, said, “I want to thank everyone for coming out. People being involved in this kind of action, is the only way to get justice.”
People marched through downtown Milwaukee, shutting down major streets, and rallying at the federal courthouse where Brandon Johnson's mother spoke. Johnson, a 25-yearold African American man died in the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex in 2012. He died of a mysterious broken neck injury after being taken into custody by the Milwaukee police on a mental health check. Johnson's family is still waiting for answers of what happened to their loved one while in the care of the police and county.
Protesters then marched into the Grand Avenue mall, chanting, “No justice, no compromise.” The march went through the center of the mall, with the shops and security guards scrambling to deal with the situation.
Demonstrators next marched to the Bradley Center, where the Milwaukee Bucks were scheduled to play a game. The south entrance was shut down as protesters tried to get in, chanting, “Dontre Hamilton!” and “Mike Brown!” The crowd then moved to the other entrance where people were waiting to get into the game, with people chanting, “Fist up! Fight back!”
March organizers led people back to Red Arrow Park, where everyone was urged to come out to a rally planned for Dec. 4. Organizers will be attending the Police and Fire Commission meeting to demand justice for Dontre Hamilton and all victims of police violence.