Rioting and Violence in Milwaukee, but for What Reason?
Milwaukee endured its second consecutive night of rioting and turmoil Sunday, following the shooting death of a young black man. “The shooting occurred near the location of an August 9 double homicide in which a man was shot dead and another was fatally stabbed,” the local Fox affiliate reports.
What happened:
Sylville Smith, 23, was shot and killed by a police officer Saturday after he refused to disarm himself and fled from law enforcement. Smith and his passenger were pulled over in a car by police in the late afternoon. While Smith and the other man were being questioned, they fled the vehicle and led the officers on a foot chase in a northern Milwaukee neighborhood. The “handgun, along with 500 rounds of ammunition, were stolen during a burglary in nearby Waukesha in March, police said.
Police body camera footage showed Smith brandishing a handgun during the pursuit. Smith was subsequently shot in the arm and chest after refusing to put the gun down, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said, adding that the gun was loaded with 23 rounds (more than the officer was carrying). The unidentified officer who fatally shot Smith is described as a 24-year-old African-American with six years of service in the Milwaukee Police Department.
Riots:
Just hours following the incident, riots broke out in the city that led to the burning of six local businesses and several cars torched. The Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel reported that a tense standoff between police and angry protesters Saturday night quickly turned violent despite repeated efforts by law enforcement and Mayor Barrett to quell the situation.
Police officers and a squad car were reportedly the targets of bricks rocks and glass bottles. One officer was struck in the head by a brick. All in all, four police officers were injured and 17 protesters arrested Saturday night.
Sunday night and into Monday morning, even more riots broke out on the city’s north side. According to CNN, shots were fired and police continued to be a target of protesters’ debris. The violence forced Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to declare a national emergency, but the National Guard had yet to be deployed Monday.
Why?
Community members are claiming that the violence is a protest against the systematically racist and oppressive police force nationwide. Others simply cite frustration. One rioter even claimed the reason for the riots are that “the rich people have all this money and they not trying to give us none.” (For more from the author of “Rioting and Violence in Milwaukee, but for What Reason?” please click HERE)
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