Milwaukee Black Riots After Police Shoot Armed Black Suspect; Police Cars Burned, Officer Injured
Racist and violent “protesters” chanted “Black Power!” at least 30 times as a gas station burned.
Yet another police shooting sparked riots on Saturday evening, this time in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “Protesters” caused mayhem in the city, burning businesses and reportedly even throwing a brick at a police officer’s head. Perhaps less known, however, is that horrible violence also came before the shooting — a nine-hour stretch of homicides Friday night and Saturday morning killed five people.
Protesters chanted “Black Power!” at least 30 times as a gas station burned. Police told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that at least 200 people had gathered to protest the shooting. Three people inside the gas station escaped and got to safety despite the fire, Assistant Police Chief James Harpole said.
… The protesters occasionally pushed against a line of 20 to 30 officers, some of whom wore riot gear, Harpole recounted. When the officers got in their cars to leave, some in the crowd started smashing the windows of a squad car and another vehicle, which was set on fire. Gunshots could be heard at about 8:45 p.m., and they appeared to be fired in the air by someone in the crowd.
Fires were started at local businesses: at a branch of BMO Harris Bank, at a beauty supply company, and at an O’Reilly Auto Parts store.
“Hey beat up every white person!” said one protester caught on camera. “He white! Beat his sh*t!”
The crowd also turned on reporters, chasing them. One reporter was shoved to the ground and punched.
Police reported that one of their officers was hit in the head with a brick thrown through a car window. The officer went to the hospital for treatment.
