Blog recap: Protest updates from Milwaukee, Madison on Monday, June 1
Journal Sentinel reporters are reporting on events and protests in Milwaukee and around Wisconsin related to the death of George Floyd and other instances of police brutality.
We'll be updating this story throughout the day.
2 a.m. Protesters marching peacefully, slowly toward Milwaukee from Bayshore Town Center
Protesters who had made their way several miles north into Whitefish Bay and Glendale turned south back toward Milwaukee in the early morning hours Tuesday.
Protesters walked past Bayshore Town Center, where there was a heavy police presence, without incident, and turned south onto Port Washington Road.
Earlier, Glendale Mayor Bryan Kennedy released a statement saying that late Saturday evening, about 60 cars attempted to gather at Bayshore Town Center around midnight but were turned away by a large police presence.
The city had received "credible threats" that people planned to destroy businesses and harm police officers. This prompted him to issue a 9 p.m. curfew, which expired Monday morning and was no longer in effect when protesters made their way past the outdoor shopping mall.
—Rory Linnane
1:52 a.m.: State Rep. David Bowen marches with protesters
State Rep. David Bowen shared a photo of himself with protesters early Tuesday on Twitter.
"Marching with a diverse crowd of youth thru the conservative Milw Suburbs where they elect legislators who dont support progressive policy that would hold officers accountable," he wrote.
Bowen said he was with a psychologist, an Army veteran and others who were looking out for the youth who were marching.
"I'm with a group of community Brothers to make sure everything is everything for the youth! No exploitation by outsiders!" Bowen tweeted.
1:44 a.m.; Heavy law enforcement presence in Madison
In Madison, videos after 1:30 a.m. showed dozens of law enforcement officials in riot gear filling state street.
A Wisconsin State Journal reporter said some appeared to be with the National Guard.
1 a.m.: Protesters continue north through Whitefish Bay
A dwindling group of protesters continues to head north through Whitefish Bay.
The group was walking north on North Lake Drive and passed East Henry Clay Street as of 1 a.m.
12:30 p.m.: Protesters pass police barrier at Hampton Avenue in Whitefish Bay
Milwaukee police in a tweet that said they are continuing to arrest people who do not abide by the curfew.
The protesters were approaching Hampton Avenue, blocked by police, but they appeared to walk past Whitefish Bay squad cars without consequence.
12:20 p.m.: Protesters enter Whitefish Bay
The protesters have entered Whitefish Bay on Oakland Avenue, passing East Cumberland Boulevard.
Police are standing by but do not appear to be blocking their path.
12:01 a.m.: Protesters march past police barriers at Capitol, continue north
After being stopped by police at Oakland Avenue and Capitol Drive, protesters are now continuing north on Oakland Avenue.
With their hands in the air, protesters walked past police squad cars barricading traffic.
Marchers cheered when they were allowed past Capitol.
Cars were routed south but many wound back to catch up with protesters proceeding north.
Cars are weaving through the crowds and some were driving on the wrong side of the road or the sidewalks.
11:45 p.m.: Protesters march north through Shorewood
Protesters have entered Shorewood on Oakland Avenue and are heading north toward Capitol Drive.
On Sunday police prevented the protesters from entering Shorewood, which issued a 9 p.m. curfew Monday after violence along the border with Milwaukee there.
The crowd passed police officers, who were blocking off side streets. They chanted, "Hands up, don't shoot."
11:30 p.m.: Protesters head toward Shorewood via Oakland Avenue, where police are waiting
As protesters walk north on Oakland Avenue toward Shorewood, police are waiting, stationed with several squad cars at multiple intersections on the road ahead.
Shorewood issued a 9 p.m. curfew Monday.
Cars weaved in between the crowd of marchers, horns honking. The protesters continued to chant "I can't breathe!"
Near the border with Shorewood, two security officers handed out water bottles to marchers.
11 p.m.: Marchers continue north through east side
The group of marchers that was stopped momentarily at the intersection of North and Prospect Avenues continued north through the east side as of 11 p.m.
Some people reported cars driving on sidewalks. The protesters were generally peaceful but energized.
Milwaukee police again tweeted that officers were arresting people who participated in civil unrest. The marchers did not appear to be subject to mass arrests.
10:45 p.m.: Protesters stopped by police at North Avenue
With law enforcement officers lined up across North Avenue west of Prospect Avenue, protesters have stopped in the intersection.
The groups are facing each other with about a block's distance between them.
10:30 p.m.: Several hundred protesters peacefully gathered in Madison, no police presence
Nearly an hour after curfew in Madison several hundred protesters are still gathered at the Wisconsin Capitol peacefully chanting “black lives matter” and other slogans. There is no visible police presence.
It is a sharp contrast to last night, when there was a large police and National Guard presence and authorities repeatedly deployed tear gas.
— Patrick Marley
10:20 p.m.: Milwaukee police say they are arresting curfew violators, but marchers continue through east side undeterred
Milwaukee police said in a tweet that they are arresting people and towing vehicles in violation of the 9 p.m. curfew.
But the crowd of protesters, which stopped for a moment around 10:20 p.m. at the intersection of East Brady Street and North Farwell Avenue, did not appear to be subject to mass arrests.
Speakers were addressing the demonstrators. An organizer asked everyone to introduce themselves to someone else in the crowd.
10:10 p.m.: MCTS suspends bus service for the night
Milwaukee County Transit suspended all bus service for the night and will resume regular service Tuesday morning. In a tweet sent shortly before 10 p.m. MCTS said it was suspending bus service after consulting with public safety officials.
Most routes start service around 4 a.m.
10 p.m.: Protesters reach east side
About an hour after curfew in Milwaukee, protesters marching and driving north on Water Street rounded onto Brady Street.
"Walk with us," they shouted.
9:30 p.m.: Madison protest grows
In Madison a group of around 20 protesters, some wearing helmets and carrying medical supplies, gathered at the state Capitol steps about 15 minutes before curfew.
They were joined by a couple hundred more protesters who began walking up State Street, a major artery that links the Capitol with the University of Wisconsin campus.
9:08 p.m.: Growing crowd continues march down Water Street after curfew
As Milwaukee's 9 p.m. curfew approached, a growing crowd of about 200 people was marching downtown, trailed by a caravan of more than 100 cars.
The crowd was energized, taking over streets and sidewalks near City Hall. Some people sat on the roofs of cars as they traveled on North Water Street.
Organizers were encouraging anyone with kids to take the children home before curfew.
Four state patrol officers were blocking the northbound lanes of Water Street to ensure cars stayed on one side of the street. There were previous reports that cars were traveling in one direction into oncoming traffic.
The caravan traveled from the north side, to the east side, to downtown. They were headed south on Water Street into the Third Ward as of 9 p.m. Police were staying about a block ahead of the crowd but there were no reports of arrests yet.
A National Guard Black Hawk helicopter was flying over the crowd.
8:50 p.m.: Racine sets curfew
A curfew is in effect in the City of Racine from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. Tuesday. Mayor Cory Mason said evidence suggests a fire that destroyed the Community Oriented Policing building named after Racine civil rights leader Thelma Orr and vandalism of several businesses early Monday was done by people from outside the community.
“We know people need to be heard, and on both Saturday and today we saw a well-organized and peaceful demonstration and marches through the City. However, we don’t want outside forces to use peaceful protests as shields at night in order to cause destruction,” Mason said in a statement.
— Meg Jones
8:45 p.m.: Barrett warns of spike in COVID-19 cases following protests
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett warned of the possibility of a spike in coronavirus cases from thousands of protesters, many not wearing masks or practicing social distancing, walking closely on city streets to protest George Floyd’s death.
Just as he worried about protesters last month in Brookfield criticizing Gov. Tony Evers’ safer at home order, Barrett said the Floyd protesters are also at great risk from contracting the virus especially since people who shout or yell are more likely to send contagious droplets into the air which can be breathed by others.
The current protesters “are not exempt from COVID-19 either,” Barrett said at a Monday afternoon press conference at Ephesians Missionary Baptist Church on N. 6th St.
“The disease has not gone away,” said Barrett, who wore a mask at the press conference.
He advised protesters to wear masks and to get tested if they have symptoms of coronavirus. “We still have a very serious health issue,” Barrett said.
— Meg Jones
8:10 p.m.: National Guard arrives at Police District 5
About two dozen members of the Wisconsin National Guard arrived outside Milwaukee Police District 5, along with three Humvees.
The intersection of West Locust Street and North King Drive has been the site of protests and clashes with police for three days.
Minutes later, many in the group of protesters that was demonstrating outside the police station began to march east.
8:03 p.m.: Shorewood police arrested 10 protesters Sunday night
About 10 protesters were arrested at the Milwaukee-Shorewood border Sunday night after a peaceful protest ended with people throwing bottles at police, damaging two squad cars and stealing a police rifle.
Police heard a group of 1,500 protesters, followed by about 200 to 300 vehicles, planned to travel north on Oakland Avenue to Capitol Drive, then to Walmart, 401 E. Capitol Drive.
Shorewood police said the first group of protesters that passed through around 9:50 p.m. were peaceful and talked with officers.
Six minutes later, officers learned protesters damaged a Shorewood squad car parked at Oakland and Edgewood avenues. The squad was dented on the roof and hood from protesters stomping on it. A rifle had also been forcibly removed from a mount inside the car, according to the report.
Multiple protesters also threw ice bottles and beer cans at officers at the intersection, on the Milwaukee-Shorewood border. One officer was hit in the back by half of a brick, according to the statement.
A Brown Deer police vehicle at the intersection also sustained extensive damage. Protesters poured liquor on top of the squad, with some yelling to set it on fire. The protesters did not start a fire.
— Jeff Rumage
7:53 p.m.: Police say text message that said 20K rioters will come to the suburbs is false
A message originating on an area Nextdoor and that was sent via text to many residents in Brookfield and Elm Grove that said there would be rioters tonight turned out to be false.
The message, which has since been taken down, said "Rumor is, over 20,000 rioters will be making their way into the suburbs tonight to take back what is their’s (sic)."
Jason Hennen, assistant chief for the Elm Grove Police Department, said the department received more than 20 calls about the message on Monday.
The message said the rioters would be headed into Brookfield and Elm Grove Monday night.
"It is not accurate," Hennen said.
— Evan Casey
7:48 p.m.: Police stations remain open for those who need it, despite barricades
Milwaukee police stations remain open to anyone who needs to contact police despite barricades placed near entrances. The barricades were placed next to the stations to deter reckless motorists during protests.
Police are enforcing a city-wide curfew from 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.
— Meg Jones
7:40 p.m.: About 50 protesters gather outside Police District 5; Separate group is marching to north side
About 50 protesters gathered in the center median of West Locust Street outside Milwaukee Police Department District 5.
Several people carried signs saying “Justice for Floyd” and “Black Lives Matter,” and the crowd chanted “I can’t breathe!”
About two dozen officers were stationed in the District 5 parking lot, and more than 10 were on the building’s roof.
A group of about eight protesters was speaking with officers.
And a caravan of cars was beginning to gather near the intersection of North King Drive and Locust.
A separate group of demonstrators began marching downtown and as of 7:45 p.m. had reached the north side.
— Bill Glauber
6:15 p.m.: Barrett renews call to fire Milwaukee police officer Michael Mattioli
For the second time in two weeks, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett called Monday for the firing of police officer Michael Mattioli.
Mattioli faces a charge of first-degree reckless homicide in the death of 25-year-old Joel Acevedo.
Mattioli, off-duty at the time of the incident, is accused of putting Acevedo in a fatal "chokehold" during an April fight at his house. He is suspended from the police force but still receiving a paycheck.
“Whether the authority to fire Officer Mattioli lies with the Police Chief, who has the authority to fire officers under section 62.50 of the Wisconsin Statutes, or the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission, which took over the case, one thing is clear: Officer Mattioli must be fired," Barrett said.
“At a time when our community and nation need to restore trust in police officers, it is a slap in the face to the residents of this city to be forced to continue to pay the salary of an officer charged with homicide," he said.
— Bill Glauber
5:34 p.m.: Wauwatosa enacts another curfew Monday night
For the third night in a row, Wauwatosa will have a curfew Monday, from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Tuesday.
This, after the city alerted residents of reckless driving occurring across the city after curfews were in place.
"Over the past few nights, we have experienced multiple incidents of large numbers of vehicles driving recklessly throughout the city and endangering the safety of the public in the late evening hours," said a press release from the city.
The city said groups of up to 100 vehicles have been traveling at high rates of speed, while driving into oncoming traffic with their lights off.
Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride said Saturday night police used "stop sticks" after approximately 40 cars were recklessly driving on Mayfair Road and North Avenue.
McBride said police issued citations and towed two cars.
The city also reported two instances of vandalism, which occurred at two businesses on North Avenue on Saturday, May 30.
— Evan Casey
5:20 p.m.: ATF seeks 'persons of interest' in Walgreens arson on Milwaukee's north side
Investigators released a photo Monday and asked for the public's help in identifying "persons of interest" involved in the arson at the Walgreens Pharmacy at 2826 N. King Drive.
They also released a short clip on Twitter in which one man was heard saying: "Hey, y'all got a lighter? I'm going to burn this bitch down."
The incident occurred early Saturday amid rioting that followed demonstrations against the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
According to a news release, looting at the Walgreens took place at 12:37 a.m. Saturday and a fire was reported at 12:57 a.m.
"It's a federal crime to set fire to a commercial building," U.S. Attorney Matthew Krueger said. "We're asking for help to identify who participated in attempting to set that building on fire."
"Thankfully, a citizen of good will went in and put that fire out before it caught blaze and set more damage," Krueger said.
— Bill Glauber
4:30 p.m.: Morales reports 24 stores burglarized, 11 stores damaged overnight
Overnight, 24 stores were burglarized and 11 stores were damaged in the city of Milwaukee, Police Chief Alfonso Morales said.
Over the last three nights, police arrested 109 people for violating curfew, including at least five people from outside the city of Milwaukee. Police also ordered 37 cars towed, Morales said.
"Milwaukee does not deserve this. The people in our community do not deserve this. And most importantly our local businesses do not deserve this," Morales said.
Police are concerned about the reckless driving that they've seen after dark, he said.
"Motorized vehicles are 4,000-pound bullets that are operating on our city streets in a reckless manner," Morales said.
— Sophie Carson
3:57 p.m.: Milwaukee sets curfew Monday night
The City of Milwaukee will again have a curfew Monday night.
Mayor Tom Barrett said the curfew will start at 9 p.m. and end at 5:30 a.m. This is the third night in a row Milwaukee has set a curfew.
—Mary Spicuzza
2 p.m.: Fire at Racine COP house started by outsiders, police chief says
Protesters demanded justice for George Floyd in Racine on Sunday, but after a majority of them dispersed, some people became destructive and looted Racine businesses, mostly cellular phone stores, and set fire to a Community Oriented Policing building.
Racine Police Chief Art Howell said the people who had done this were "not a part of the community."
"We already have some intel to some of the people involved," Howell said. "This is clearly strategic in nature. We monitor this group from Kenosha to Pleasant Prarie and beyond. The people who are responsible for these acts will be addressed appropriately."
Howell said he was not able to say at this time specifically where he thought the people who had destroyed buildings had come from.
The Racine Journal Times reported that protesters were outside the Racine Police Station around 1 a.m. Monday while protest organizer VT Johnson called for people to leave the scene when he saw how little progress was being made.
When people did not leave, Racine police released tear gas on the crowd, which did lead it to disperse.
The Racine County Eye reported that at 2 a.m. people had set the Community Oriented Policing, or COP, building on fire at 1146 Villa St.
The particular COP house was named after Thelma Orr, a civil rights leader in Racine.
"We lost more than a building," Howell said. "It was a desecration to Thelma Orr’s memory.
"I will tell you that anyone that is from this community would not do that to the Thelma Orr COP house," he said.
— Jordyn Noennig
1:45 p.m.: Hundreds turn out in Waukesha for protest
For those who didn't know ahead of time what the mass of marching people was all about on Monday, all they had to do was listen.
In numerous chants, hundreds of protesters could be heard saying "What's his name? George Floyd," "I can't breathe," "No justice, no peace" and "black lives matter," among other things, as they walked steadily throughout central and southern Waukesha, covering more ground than anyone anticipated.
Protests last week surrounding the death of Floyd in Minneapolis spilled into Waukesha on Monday, beginning at 11 a.m. in Frame Park, with protesters then climbing the steep hill along Moreland Boulevard to the Waukesha County Courthouse, where the group stopped to chant in front of the courthouse steps.
That was only the beginning.
From there, protesters worked their way along St. Paul Avenue into downtown, wound back toward Grand Avenue and proceeded south toward Sunset Drive by about 12:30 p.m.
The motivation of the participants varied. For most, however, it started with the video showing Minneapolis police officers restraining an African American man, with one officer holding a knee to Floyd's neck, as Floyd strained to tell them "I can't breathe." Floyd died minutes later.
— Jim Riccioli
12:40 p.m.: Grocery stores, mobile phone stores damaged
Three grocery stores and multiple mobile phone stores were damaged by looting over the weekend.
Charnjit Kaur, who owns a Metro PCS phone store and a clothing shop at 1309 W. Atkinson Ave., said that location had approximately $100,000 in damage from looters who smashed doors and windows to get inside and then stole nearly everything.
“They destroyed the whole building,” she said.
Three of her Stark Foods stores also were damaged.
“I was so scared, but there was nothing I could do to stop them,” she said.
A Cricket Wireless store at 2131 W. Capitol Drive was broken into twice in 24 hours, once Saturday night and then again early Sunday morning.
“They smashed the front windows and the side windows to get in, and then they took as much stuff as they could before they ran away,” said store owner Nas Sarsour.
Nearly all of the store’s mobile phones and accessories were stolen. Monday, the business reopened with boarded-up windows.
Sarsour has owned the store for three years. He said he supported the protests but the looting only made things worse.
“People have the right to be angry, they have the right to protest. But they don’t have the right to come and break into local businesses,” he said.
— Rick Barrett
9 a.m.: MPS superintendent calls for healing, justice
Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Keith P. Posley called for justice and urged people to focus on the massive peaceful protests occurring, not the "disruptors and damage."
"The protest taking place in our city and around the nation reflect our anger and outrage at injustice," Posley said in the statement released Sunday.
"I believe the protesters intend to demonstrate peacefully and expect their voices to be heard," he said. "To focus more on the disruptors and damage is only a symptom of a much larger issue and should not be used as the narrative to distract from the injustice that people of color face. We need solutions and a cure to heal our people."
— Ashley Luthern
8:50 a.m.: Looting, vandalism follow peaceful protests in Green Bay
Buildings were damaged, at least one person was injured and a convenience store was looted early Monday after a peaceful protest over police brutality turned into a clash with Green Bay officers.
Police confirmed someone had fired a gun at the Marathon Food gas station at Walnut and Monroe streets, but no one was shot.
Protest organizer Dajahnae Williams told the Green Bay Press-Gazette that she lost control of the crowd just after midnight when some of the demonstrators started looting the Marathon Foods store and a "little boy" fired shots from a nearby car.
— Mark Treinen
8:45 a.m.: Milwaukee community leaders tried to calm violence overnight
Milwaukee activist Vaun Mayes, Office of Violence Prevention Director Reggie Moore and many other community members worked to put out fires on King Drive overnight, a WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) videographer reported.
After another set of peaceful daytime marches on Sunday calling for justice for George Floyd, another dynamic took hold overnight. Multiple street fires burned on or near King Drive between West Wright and Center streets in Milwaukee's Harambee neighborhood.
— Ashley Luthern
8:40 a.m.: Sen. Johnson calls on Homeland Security to help on protests
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., on Monday called on the federal government and U.S. Department of Homeland Security to assist state and local governments responding to protests that turn violent, calling them a “dystopian display of anarchy.”
Johnson, the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said he supports the prosecutions of police officers involved in killing George Floyd and peaceful protests.
But he added while peaceful protests are justified, “destructive riots are not.”
“The federal government and the Department of Homeland Security should use all their resources and authorities to assist frontline local and state officials in countering this dystopian display of anarchy.”
Peaceful protests have been held nationwide, but violence has erupted in cities around the country.
— Mary Spicuzza
7:50 a.m.: Street fires set, some businesses damaged in Milwaukee as protesters ignore curfew
Protesters walked miles around Milwaukee and were on Oakland Avenue on the east side when the clock struck 9 p.m. Sunday, when people officially could be arrested for violating curfew.
Protesters were able to continue briefly as they marched toward Edgewood Avenue, but police began to make curfew arrests and posted on Facebook at 11:30 p.m. showing some arrests and warning people to get off the street.
Videos on Snapchat showed people, some with signs, on North King Drive around midnight as multiple street fires were burning on or near King Drive between West Wright and Center streets.
Fox6 News reported that a gas station on the corner of North 4th and West Center streets had been broken into.
A TMJ4 reporter tweeted a video just after midnight showing cars honking and people walking around outside the District 5 Police Station.
The tweet said the scene was dispersed within minutes after the National Guard and police used tear gas.
7:40 a.m.: Violent protests hit Madison's downtown for second night
Violent and destructive protests covered Madison’s downtown for a second night — chaos that lasted until well after 2 a.m. Monday.
Dozens more police officers and National Guard members were on hand compared with Saturday night’s dangerous scene, when protesters carried rifles, stole an assault-style rifle from a police car, 75 businesses were broken into and squad cars were destroyed and burned.
On Sunday, a vehicle was torched, a Dumpster was set on fire and pushed into a downtown street and another fire was set in the middle of an intersection on a well-traveled street connecting the east side of Madison’s isthmus to the downtown area, according to reporters from WKOW and Madison’s Isthmus newspaper.
Madison police said rioters tried to steal another Madison police car on Sunday and another 15 stores were looted on Madison’s State Street, where dozens were hit on Saturday.
One person carrying a handgun at the protest was arrested.
— Molly Beck
7:30 a.m.: COP House in Racine set on fire as protests turn violent overnight
Protests in Racine turned violent overnight as some people set fire to a Community Oriented Policing house at 1146 Villa St.
According to Racine County Eye, the house was set on fire at 2 a.m. following a confrontation with police. The fire was put out by 2:36 a.m. The article did not say how much damage the building had.
The Racine Journal Times reported that about 150 protesters dispersed after police used tear gas as the protesters arrived at the Racine Police Station around 1 a.m.
— Jordyn Noennig
12:14 a.m. Monday: Milwaukee's protest marchers were peaceful, but large contingent of vehicles sometimes reckless
Sunday night's protest seemed at times like two protests: There were the marchers in front, who were boisterous but also peaceful. Then, there was the swarm of cars following them, which were rowdier and sometimes reckless.
As the marchers headed east and north through some of the most exclusive Milwaukee east-side neighborhoods, the walkers chanted and called on residents watching from their porches to join them. At one stopping point, a leader asked members of the largely integrated crowd to introduce themselves to someone they didn't know.
Many cars that followed the walkers also chanted but also blared music, honked loudly and at times drove up on sidewalks and over front lawns. There were a couple of instances of cars nearly running over protesters on foot.
As the night wore on, police from Milwaukee and several suburbs were blocking streets and the protest stayed inside Milwaukee, south of Shorewood.
— John Diedrich
