Law enforcement and protesters clashed Tuesday on the Hoan Bridge, here's what we know
Lainey SeylerOn Tuesday evening, protesters made their way from downtown Milwaukee to the Hoan Bridge.
Protesters marched past City Hall and eventually onto Interstate 794, heading south over the Hoan Bridge. While on the bridge, they eventually were turned back by Milwaukee police officers and Milwaukee County Sheriff deputies, who took protest organizer Frank Sensabaugh, more commonly known as Frank Nitty, into custody.
The following timeline was taken from Facebook live videos recorded by activist Frank Sensabaugh and labor organizer Maxwell Love.
Around 5:45 p.m., Frank Nitty went live on Facebook
Nitty's was live on Facebook for about 40 minutes. The first 18 minutes of the video shows the protesters marching south on North Water Street past City Hall then making their way onto East Milwaukee Street, still walking south.
About 18 minutes into the video, protesters discuss marching onto I-794. Nitty is near the front of the group, at about 25 minutes into the video.
The group turns east and attempts to enter the highway at East Milwaukee and East Clybourn streets, but sheriffs deputies are blocking the entrance, so the crowd turns and walks one block west and enters I-794 at North Broadway and East Clybourn Street.
The protesters make their way up the ramp a little after 6 p.m.
Nitty is near the front of the group. Love is near the back. He starts his Facebook Live as protesters march up the I-794 entrance ramp. There are enough protesters to fully block traffic trying to enter the highway.
On his video, Nitty can be heard saying: “Listen, rich white people, all over Milwaukee: your community is not safe. No justice, no peace."
Earlier in the video, he said of Mayor Tom Barrett and Police Chief Alfonso Morales: "You been playing with me."
Sirens can be heard about 32 minutes into the video
As sirens are heard, cars can be seen blocking traffic traveling east on I-794 from getting onto the Hoan Bridge.
Protesters link arms and spread across eastbound I-794, and Nitty says he has a "big move."
Thirty-three minutes into the video, police can be seen running up the shoulder of I-794 attempting to get in front of the protesters.
Nitty instructs protesters to "fill in" while some cars attempt to get through the crowd.
35 minutes into the video, there's a small scuffle with law enforcement
There's a small scuffle at 35 minutes, which the officers appear to push through to get in front of the crowd. It's unclear if anyone falls to the ground or is injured.
Nitty runs up to officers as the scuffle continues. Law enforcement officers are able to get to the front of the crowd and form a line, batons out.
Nitty does get close to an officer, who can be heard saying "please step back."
Nitty turns back to the crowd and approaches a smaller group of protesters on the side of the freeway who are holding back a small group of police officers against the wall of the highway.
At 36:45 minutes in, law enforcement deploys tear gas
The pop of tear gas canisters being deployed can be heard in the video, and protesters fall back while Nitty tells them to stay together.
More tear gas canisters are tossed into the crowd as they walk the protesters back off the highway.
Nitty says: "You see them. Peaceful, this is what they do."
Law enforcement continue walking protesters back off the highway.
Nitty falls back into the group, he flips the camera to selfie mode and is seen wearing a gas mask, then he flips the camera back and catches a deputy lunging toward him when the feed cuts out.
Love's video shows that police had Nitty on the ground. Law enforcement pauses for a minute while two deputies cuff Nitty. Then law enforcement continues to walk the protesters back off the highway.
Sheriff's deputies had lined up and blocked all traffic from entering the Hoan Bridge and deputies funneled the protesters back onto the entrance ramp.
Contact Lainey Seyler at (414) 224-2863 or lainey.seyler@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @lainey_seyler.