Milwaukee, WI – Three weeks ago, on the morning of April 19, an off-duty Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) officer named Michael Mattioli was arrested for beating someone into an unresponsive state at a party hosted at his, the cop’s, house on Milwaukee’s South Side. Mattioli was booked at Milwaukee County Jail on tentative charges of first-degree reckless injury and strangulation. He was released on April 23 after posting the $50,000 cash bail. Mattioli was placed on administrative duties and formally suspended by MPD after his arrest. He has a court date set for June 10.

The victim, Joel Acevedo, died of the injuries he sustained eight days later, on April 25. It’s unclear how or if these charges will change since Acevedo has passed away. What is clear is that Acevedo’s family is demanding justice and that Mattioli be charged with homicide.

Very little information has come out regarding the murder since MPD and the Wisconsin Department of Justice picked up the investigation. Milwaukee residents familiar with the track record of both MPD and the state DOJ when it comes to investigating and convicting killer cops are concerned that Officer Mattioli will get off free of charges.

“Milwaukee has a long history of holding cops above the law; to the extent that it provoked federal investigation of their police department,” said Omar Flores, an activist in the city. “I have little faith that justice will be served in this case. Certainly not without a movement of people demanding it.”

This tragic situation has raised the memory of another off-duty officer’s beating of oppressed nationalities that took place in Milwaukee in 2004.

Frank Jude, Jr. and Lovell Harris were invited to a party at a Milwaukee Police Department officer’s home where they were subsequently brutalized by a mob of off-duty cops. There was an officer who arrived on the scene in response to a 911 call, but he promptly joined in the beating. What followed eventually resulted in the biggest case against MPD in the previous 25 years (as of 2007, when the legal proceedings concluded).

Nearly a dozen MPD officers were implicated in the criminal assault of Jude and Harris. However, at the state trial in April 2006, an all-white jury acquitted the officers on four out of the five counts they were facing. The acquittal drew prompt community outrage. There were immediate calls for federal charges. Later that month, a crowd of several thousand people marched from the Milwaukee County Courthouse to the Federal Courthouse demanding a federal investigation. A month later, in May 2006, a procession of more than 300 cars delivered a petition to U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic, demanding the investigation. This demand was met and an investigation followed, resulting in a federal trial.

The outcome of the proceedings resulted in at least seven officers being sentenced to serve prison time. Additionally, seven years after the brutal racist assault, Frank Jude, Jr. won a $2 million settlement with the city of Milwaukee.

There are some differences between the two situations, the clearest being that one resulted in the death of the victim, but what is the same is that both situations involved racist attacks by MPD officers. Some justice was won for Jude and Harris. Justice needs to be won, not just for Acevedo, but for the family he left behind.

The Milwaukee Public Health and Safety Committee announced that MPD will be present at an upcoming meeting on May 14 to answer questions about the case. Community members looking to stay up to date and participate in the fight for justice should attend while adhering to proper health guidelines relating to the coronavirus.

#MilwaukeeWI #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #MilwaukeePoliceDepartment #JoelAcevedo #Antiracism #MichaelMattioli

Milwaukee, WI – Dozens of people took to the downtown streets here, March 29, in response to Special Prosecutor John Franke's decision to not seek any charges against the Milwaukee police officers who killed Derek Williams.

A jury inquest recently recommended a misdemeanor charge for the officers responsible for Willams’ death.

Protesters chanted, “What’s his name? Derek Williams!” and “No justice, no peace! Jail racist police!” while marching straight down Wisconsin Avenue to the police station to demand the removal of Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn. Locked out of the building, the protest went to City Hall and all throughout downtown.

At the end of the protest, Milwaukee police were seen arresting three protesters, including a woman who used her car to help escort the elderly in the protest.

Federal charges against the officers are still possible.

#MilwaukeeWI #PoliceBrutality #MilwaukeePoliceDepartment #DerekWilliams

Williams was an African American youth who died while he was in Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) custody. Within the first three days of the trial, seven of the 20 MPD officers who were called to testify plead the Fifth. A few of those seven officers agreed to testify only after they were promised immunity. The arresting officer and two other officers were not offered immunity.

Members of Derek Williams' family and other witnesses from the Riverwest neighborhood where Williams was arrested testified as well. In many cases the testimony from community members and family members contradicted that of the officers.

Officers claimed that Williams stated that he couldn't breathe one time, but others stated that he pleaded with officers many times about his inability to breathe. Towards the end of the inquest, in a disappointing move, the prosecutor and judge decided that felony unintentional homicide charges would not be considered if the jury called for a criminal trial. In the end, the jury decided to recommend misdemeanor ‘Failure to Render Aide’ charges. It was clear by both testimony and the video tape of Derek Williams in the squad car that officers did not act soon enough when it was apparent that he was in distress.

The day after the inquest, Occupy Milwaukee and other community organizers released statements denouncing the court's decision to consider only misdemeanor charges while at the same time acknowledging that it was good thing that the jury decided to press charges at all.

Occupy Milwaukee demanded that the special prosecutor uphold the jury's decision and also demanded that a full investigation into MPD be launched, the officers be fired regardless of the outcome of the criminal trial and that MPD be subject to more citizen oversight from now on. There has been no final decision from the prosecutor on whether or not formal charges will be pressed against the cops who are liked to Williams’ death.

#MilwaukeeWI #PoliceBrutality #OccupyMilwaukee #MilwaukeePoliceDepartment #DerekWilliams

The city of Milwaukee, like many urban areas in the U.S., has a long history of police brutality, corruption and wrongful deaths at the hands of the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD). In some cases, police crimes were covered up.

This cycle of oppressive and brutal behavior committed by MPD reached it tipping point with the recent murder of Derek Williams while in police custody, and the mistreatment of the Simmons family when MPD responded to the shooting of 13-year old Darius Simmons. When officers responded, they proceeded to arrest Darius' older brother on an apparent warrant; they searched the house of the family and kept the mother in a police car for over an hour while her son died at the hospital.

Stolen Lives Project, Peace Action Wisconsin and MICAH (Milwaukee Inner-city Congregations Allied for Hope) organized the tribunal and it endorsed by many other groups.

The tribunal began with an overview of the history of police brutality. It detailed seven cases of shootings of unarmed individuals by officers and five cases of deaths while in police custody. Two of the instances of death in police custody were due to asphyxiation, similar to the cause of Derek William's death.

According to George Martin, who facilitated the overview, “There is no centralized record of police brutality.” The opening presentation also stated that 93 officers have had run-ins with the law but kept their jobs as officers. Alderwoman Milele Coggs addressed the crowd and acknowledged the problem of police brutality in the city and expressed solidarity with the victims. She pledged commitment to ending police brutality and corruption.

The tribunal also highlighted the disparity between police stops and police brutality between people of color and white people. There were 240,000 police stops in Milwaukee last year alone. Most of those who are stopped are Black or Latino. At some points, for every white person stopped by police 12 people of color are stopped.

Five families of victims of murder by police and eight other individuals who spoke out against police brutality or were victims of brutality themselves. This evidence is to be submitted to the federally overseen investigation that will be happening soon.

#MilwaukeeWI #PoliceBrutality #MilwaukeePoliceDepartment

Milwaukee, WI – Over 150 people took the streets here, Oct. 13, demanding justice for Derek Williams, a young Black man killed by the Milwaukee Police Department.

Originally covered up as a case of sickle cell anemia, protests since then have exposed this as a racist case of police brutality and murder. Williams' death is now seen on camera. Widely circulated on YouTube, Williams, gasping for breath, pleaded for help in the back of a police car for over eight minutes before dying as a police officer is heard saying, “You're breathing just fine,” and “You're just playing games.”

The spirited march, led by Occupy the Hood, brought in many community organizations and lasted for miles, marching directly down Center Street and past the death site of Williams before going to the notorious Milwaukee Fifth District Police Station. Protesters blocked streets all around the police station while holding a speak-out and prayer.

The group demanded the firing of Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn. The group also demands a real Fire and Police Commission. The current commission, criticized by the NAACP as a “rubber stamp” for police decisions, watched the video of Williams’ death and determined the police didn't do anything wrong.

In addition to the Derek Williams cover-up, two officers involved in the killing have also been part of an investigation regarding illegal cavity searches in Milwaukee's Black community. These officers, Gregory Kuspa and Jeffrey Cline, have now been charged with felonies. In one instance, an officer held a gun to a man's head as two more held his arms and a third choked him while jamming a hand into his anus, supposedly searching for evidence.

Ruthie, a grandmother of Derek Williams, was at the demonstration. “The event today was about justice. Nobody deserves to die like that. This has been going on for years.”

Join the Facebook group and donate and learn more here. Stay tuned for the online petition and more upcoming events.

A Citizens’ Tribunal will take place Monday, Oct. 22, from 5:30 until 8:00 p.m. at the DNR Building, 2300 N. Martin Luther King Drive.

#MilwaukeeWI #PoliceBrutality #Racism #OccupyTheHood #MilwaukeePoliceDepartment #DerekWilliams

Milwaukee, WI – On Oct. 7, dozens of people came together to challenge Police Chief Flynn and the Milwaukee Police Department on the murder of 22-year old Derek Williams.

This event, as well as others, comes in the wake of the release of new autopsy and video evidence that led to a homicide investigation of Milwaukee Police's District Five. Milwaukee Chief of Police Edward Flynn responded to the investigation, saying police would not be prosecuted and the officers involved would likely not be fired for their involvement Williams’ killing.

Many of those present at the event were family of Williams. Levi Mcdonald, Williams’ cousin, said, “I'm here to challenge injustice in Milwaukee and across the country. Someone needs to be held responsible for the death of Derek Williams. You cannot have a homicide without someone being held accountable. We want the officers prosecuted, and for Chief Flynn to resign.”

“The police will continue to do whatever we allow them to do,” he added.

Taking the microphone, another relative, Michelle McDonald, holding back tears, said, “All we want is justice. We love Derek and miss him and know we'll get justice and peace as long as we keep working together.”

In a show of defiance, organizers marched into the streets for nearly 20 blocks despite not having a permit, as the police eventually gave way and cleared traffic for those attending. The march route concluded, in the street, at the location of a recent homicide shooting in the community on 9th and Arlington.

Students from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee came out in a showing of solidarity. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organizer Tiffany Strong said, “I'm here to stand in solidarity with those who have been the subject of police repression and brutality in this city. We cannot ignore acts like this, and by building a united movement, we'll see justice served.”

#MilwaukeeWI #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #SDS #PoliceBrutality #policeKilling #UniversityOfWisconsinMilwaukee #MilwaukeePoliceDepartment #DerekWilliams #PoliceChiefFlynn

Milwaukee, WI – Students and community members rallied at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, March 29, to demand justice for Trayvon Martin. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized the rally with the Black Student Union, AFSCME Local 82 and the support of Occupy the Hood Milwaukee and Occupy Milwaukee. 75 students marched silently across campus behind a banner that read “Justice for Trayvon.” When the march reached the student union they began chanting a call and response “Jail the killer, fire the cops! Without justice we won't stop!”

Inside the student union, a crowd gathered to hear Brent Green of the Black Student Union speak about the now symbolic hoodie that Trayvon Martin was wearing when he was murdered. “Trayvon was killed wearing a hoodie. You wear a hoodie for warmth and safety,” he said, “Wanting to be safe is not a crime.”

SDS demanded that George Zimmerman be arrested for the murder of Trayvon Martin, but the rally also addressed the killing of Bo Morrison in Wisconsin, recent news of Milwaukee police department brutality in the community and the brutal murder of Iraqi immigrant Shaima Alawadi in her California home. Jameela Asmar from Students for Justice in Palestine linked the violent attacks on Black and Brown youth to the murder of Shaima Alawadi, committed by a racist anti-immigrant thug.

Bryan Pfeifer, representing Wisconsin Bailout the People Movement, spoke about the recent murder of a 20-year-old Black man, Bo Morrison, in Slinger, Wisconsin. The murder has received national attention for its parallels to the murder of Trayvon Martin. Bo Morrison fled an under-age drinking party and was his on a neighbor's porch when the homeowner shot him. This week, hundreds of community members rallied in support of the Morrison family. At the time of the killing, the homeowner knew of the party next door, had already called the police, and knew police were in the area. According to his own testimony, the homeowner loaded his weapon and walked outside to confront Morrison on the porch. When Morrison stood up, the homeowner shot and killed him. “He executed my son,” said Bo Morrison's mother, “this cannot happen to another kid.”

Brutality by Milwaukee Police

Community outrage is growing over allegations of brutality by the Milwaukee Police Department. This week, eight Milwaukee District 5 police were placed on “desk duty” for illegally strip-searching, cavity-searching and sexually assaulting neighborhood residents in public. One of the victims, a 22-year old woman, said the police illegally strip searched her “at least three times,” adding that they even searched her vagina and anus in public, without consent. The police department started an internal investigation into the sexual assault after piling up years of allegations, as well as a recent lawsuit.

One of the police under investigation for that crime is District 5 Supervisor Sergeant Jason Mucha. In 2011, Sgt. Mucha crashed his squad car into another driver. He then accused the other driver of possession and crashing into the police vehicle. That case was dismissed in court after video evidence contradicted Sgt. Mucha's testimony. The court found that Sgt. Mucha wrongfully searched the driver's car, but did not punish the officer. Sgt. Mucha has also been investigated for police brutality and planting drugs on search victims, but was never punished by the department's internal investigations. Now he is once again the subject of an internal investigation by the same department. But this time, community members are demanding an independent civilian review board.

More allegations of brutality were raised against Milwaukee Police District 5 after the death of a 22-year old Black man, Derek Williams, in the back of a squad car. The case recently resurfaced after new evidence revealed there was a broken bone in his neck when he died in custody on July 6, 2011. Police claim Williams died from a “sickle cell crisis” although Williams did not have sickle cell anemia disease and therefore could not have suffered a sickle cell crisis, according to doctors at the National Institutes of Health. Williams begged for help as he was handcuffed and shackled in the back of the squad car. Police failed to call for an ambulance and Williams died in the back of the squad car. His family has filed a lawsuit against the department.

Police brutality is nothing recent for residents of Milwaukee. This month, after a long public battle, the Milwaukee Police Department finally paid police brutality victim Frank Jude $2 million for a beating by Milwaukee police that nearly killed him in 2004. After celebrating that hard-won victory, community organizations are demanding justice for other victims of the Milwaukee Police Department.

Milwaukee organizations are mobilizing for a mass march on April 10, at 4:00 p.m. at the statue of Martin Luther King on MLK Drive. The rally is in correlation with George Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin’s killer, first day before a Florida grand jury.

#MilwaukeeWI #StudentMovement #InJusticeSystem #PoliceBrutality #AfricanAmerican #TrayvonMartin #MilwaukeePoliceDepartment