Author: Lee Matz

Raysean White reflects on recording the latest example of police brutality against a Black man

Following the string of police shootings of unarmed Black men this year, which culminated in nationwide and ongoing unrest after the death of George Floyd, a 22-year-old Kenosha man filmed the latest extrajudicial killing of an unarmed man of color by law enforcement. Raysean White saw 29-year-old Jacob Blake scuffling with three officers across the street, from his apartment window. The incident happened around 5:00pm on August 23. Kenosha police do not yet have body cameras, so White’s video is the only visual record of the shooting. I was just looking out and thought, I gotta record this. So...

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Thousands ride in unity across Milwaukee to affirm the message “Black is Beautiful”

© PHOTO NOTE: All the editorial images published here have been posted to the Milwaukee Independent’s Facebook Page. That collection of photos contains the MI copyright and watermark for attribution, and may be used for private social media sharing. Thousands of people from all over Milwaukee participated in a special “Black Is Beautiful Ride” on June 21. Led by WebsterX, Darius Smith, and Zed Kenzo, the effort was designed to dispel the negative perceptions within white society about people who have a dark skin color. The 16-mile route on the last day of the Juneteenth weekend went across Milwaukee’s...

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Marching for CPAC: Youth group chalks messages around City Hall demanding police accountability

“The Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression” and “Youth Rising Up (YRU) North Division High School” led one of the almost dozen marches held on June 13, for the sixteenth consecutive day of citywide demonstrations to make an interracial and intergenerational demand for police accountability. Hundreds of demonstrators marched from the south side of Milwaukee, across the historic James E. Groppi Unity Bridge on 16th Street, and down Wisconsin Avenue to City Hall. Once there, many of the demands and statements by protestors were expressed in chalk on the sidewalks and entrance area. “We have been walking up...

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Sterling Brown and Milwaukee Bucks lead thousands in peaceful protest march from Fiserv to Lakefront

The Milwaukee Bucks basketball team held an “Undivided” public march in support of social justice on June 6, attracting an estimated 7,500 participants to the plaza in front of the Fiserv Forum before Sterling Brown led the group to Veterans Park. It was the second time in two days that players have spoken out against inequality and police brutality. Bucks fans, and social justice advocates who have taken to the streets in protest for the ninth day in response to the death of George Floyd on May 25, attended the community event in a show of support for the...

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Cookie Math: Pint-sized protest gives Milwaukee’s youngest citizens a voice demanding equal justice

Dozens of children and their families assembled across from the Milwaukee Police Department District 1 administration building on June 6, demanding equal justice under the law for people of color as part of the protest movement following the death of George Floyd. Before the day began with massive crowds marching across Milwaukee, a smaller but unique rally kicked off downtown. The children’s protest at the Milwaukee Police Department was organized by families with little advance public notice, but still managed to attract a sizable gathering – including activist leader Frank Nitty. On any weekend morning during the summer it...

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