During this past week in Port Washington, the atmosphere in the community has had a rocky development from fear to empowerment. A Black Lives Matter protest on Friday, July 10, was crashed by armed counter protesters spurred by a false rumor that a flag burning would take place at Veteran’s Memorial Park that evening. Frank Nitty II and other Milwaukee protest leaders lead a march of over a hundred people around the town the following Sunday after hearing about the intimidation the first march faced. Activists from Break the Silence in the Burbs, the group that organized Friday’s march, attended an Ozaukee County Board meeting this Wednesday and brought the racism, disinformation and threats they faced to attention.
Brittany Vulich, the founding member of Break the Silence, said her group met 30 or more counter-protesters toting AR-style rifles and Trump gear in front of Lake Michigan on Friday. Counter protesters shouted over and tried to drown out speakers from the picnic tables that surrounded the Bandshell stage throughout most of the rally. The Black Lives Matter protest, with only about 30 people participating, did their best to carry on.
“When we kicked off the event, immediately they started interrupting our speakers,” said Vulich. “They did not come there in peace or to listen to our message. They came there to disrupt and intimidate.”
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Photo credit: John Harvie
Facebook Spreads More Lies
Many of the counter protesters were older white men, some wearing rigs strapped with extra ammunition and Thin Blue Line shirts. Others wore Harley-Davidson shirts and leather vests with back patches representing local motorcycle clubs. The Black Lives Matter protesters, all unarmed, held homemade signs and wore medical masks. There were some teenagers in the protest group that tried to speak and were shouted down by counter protesters.
Janette Braverman, a member of the Ozaukee County Board, was on stage when counter protesters heckled the speakers. “I asked them to allow us to proceed peacefully,” she said. “We weren’t harming anybody, and they were there to scare us. And to prevent us from moving forward and to prevent us from having a positive experience.”
According to the Port Washington Police Department, the counter protesters were there because they read that the group was going to burn an American flag. The flag-burning rumor had circulated on Facebook that morning. “We never have, we never would suggest or even allude to having a flag burning at any of our marches,” Vulich said. “All of our marches, the purpose has always been to be peaceful and educational.”
When one speaker on the Bandshell sang the Black National Anthem, the counter protesters —mostly white men in their 50s—started singing the Star-Spangled Banner. The protest group mostly made of women and children responded by chanting “Black Lives Matter,” and the counter protest group chanted, “All Lives Matter.” Counter protesters in trucks, cars or on motorcycles rode around the park, revving their engines or yelling obscenities out their windows. They continued to circle protesters when they marched on the sidewalk around Port Washington’s downtown that evening.
“A lot of them were there to say, y’all aren’t going to bring that in our community,” said Bianca Shaw, who also spoke on the Bandshell. “Whatever they thought we were bringing, or whatever they thought we’d come to do, their whole thing was to say not here, not Port Washington.” Shaw said that her message for them was that she could go anywhere in the state that she wanted to go as a Black woman—“They ought not to look at us like we’re three-fifths of a person.”
Photo credit: John Harvie
Counter protesters observe a Black Lives Matter protest on Friday, July 10, 2020, in Port Washington, Wis.
Threats and Intimidation
At one point, a man with the counter protest group tried to rush the protesters and get onto the Bandshell stage. The Black Lives Matter protesters had to form a human line to keep him away. When the protesters returned from their march, the same man harassed the group several more times and specifically targeted women protesters with verbal threats. Other protesters said they saw the man throw up a Nazi salute at the group once.
A disorderly conduct citation was issued to one of the counter protesters that night, but the police report has not been released yet. “This individual had been warned to leave after the protest,” said Kevin Hingiss, the Port Washington Police Chief. “He was told to leave these individuals alone, and he didn’t, so he received a disorderly conduct citation.” Protesters present Friday said that the man who received the citation returned to the park anyways.
“I don’t know how much of that is true, but what I heard over the radio was that it took a little time for this individual to leave,” said Hingiss. The chief also said that the department doesn’t place people in custody for municipal citations.
Most of the armed group left the rally when they realized there was no flag burning, and some other counter protesters stayed behind to conduct a discussion with Black Lives Matter protesters.
Only a few officers from the Port Washington Police Department appeared at the park, even though the police chief had warned Vulich that there would be a counter protest. Some of the protesters said they saw the department captain chatting with and encouraging some of the armed, belligerent counter protesters. “He shook hands with them all night, gave them hugs,” said Shaw, “He blatantly let us know which side he was on. It was very odd.”
Chief Hingiss said that the allegation of his captain fraternizing with the counter protesters is “simply false.” Hingiss also said that the department didn’t know how many counter protesters would attend the rally, or if any of them would be armed. “The police captain and the police lieutenant that were there were working with both sides,” Hingiss said. “To alienate either side is not a good plan. Our officers were professional.”
The false rumor passed around by counter protesters that morning had hurt Break the Silence’s attendance. The rumor had also damaged the reputation of a local business that offered discounts to those marching for Black lives. Robert Meredith, founder of Yummy Bones Barbeque, said he was asked if his business supported burning an American flag. Similar comments were left on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
“When [Break the Silence] called me Thursday and asked if I wanted to support in any way, I wasn’t sure what was going on,” said Meredith. “I said sure, I would put a sign up and give five percent off to the marchers. A gentleman messaged me Friday morning, and I didn’t see the message. He came into the restaurant and asked if I was supporting the march. I said yeah. He asked if I heard they could possibly be burning the flag. I said no. I don’t support anyone burning the flag or any violence through the movement.”
Meredith still honored the five percent discount to marchers that evening.
Photo credit: John Harvie
Speakers on stage at a Black Lives Matter protest on Friday, July 10, 2020 in Port Washington, Wis.
Calm Returns
On Sunday, July 12, the atmosphere of the next Port Washington protest was calmer. After hearing about the harassment protesters received at Veteran’s Memorial Park on Friday, Frank Nitty II, Vaun Mayes and other Milwaukee protest leaders drove up and joined organizers from Break the Silence for a second march. Nitty, who streamed the event over Facebook, met and debated with counter protesters at the beginning. Only a quarter of the counter protesters present Friday appeared for Sunday’s march.
The amount of people marching for Black Lives Matter tripled – there were over a hundred protesters marching on the road for three hours, followed by a caravan of protest cars. Along the way, Nitty introduced himself to locals sitting on porches and restaurant patios, talked with police officers and said hello to local kids. “You know, it was a pride thing. I think when he get home, he’ll think about what I said,” Nitty said while walking, monologuing to his phone camera about his argument with a counter protester. “Some people… they can’t give up their point.”
“When Frank Nitty brought his protesters out, [the counter protesters] didn’t say half as much as they did to the women on Friday,” said Shaw, who participated in Sunday’s march. “They didn’t disrespect those brothers like they disrespected the women on Friday.”
The Port Washington Police Department had a stronger presence on Sunday and spent most of their time directing the march and directing traffic. According to Chief Hingiss, most of the Black Lives Matter group didn’t announce they were coming.
“Friday, they stayed on the sidewalk,” said Hingiss. “Sunday, they took over the street.”
The march ended around 9 p.m. that night and regrouped back at Veteran’s Memorial Park, back in front of the Bandshell where so many armed counter protesters gathered a couple nights earlier. Nitty passed around the megaphone and members of the community were able to speak their mind. “My family has been here for a hundred plus years,” said one local over the megaphone, “And I am disgusted at the racism I see every day in this city.”
Photo credit: John Harvie
Members of the Break the Silence in the Burbs group spoke during the public comments period during a Ozaukee County Board meeting on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.
Spreading the Message
After spreading their message in the streets, Break the Silence decided to make the Ozaukee County Board aware of the hate they received and shared their experiences at the beginning of a meeting at the Ozaukee County Administration Building on Wednesday, July 15. Activists Brittany Vulich, Dan Larsen and a handful of others spoke during the public comments session before the meeting started. Janette Braverman and Natalia Minkel-Dumit, both board members who attended the Friday rally, spoke up as well.
“I don’t ever want to have to experience anything like that in this county,” Braverman said to her fellow board members. “There have been people that brought to my attention that they didn’t feel that our county was racist, or that there isn’t any racism in the county. Well, that evening, I felt the hate. I felt it strongly and I want you guys to all know that.”
Though the board meeting was about COVID-19, Braverman mentioned how people of color passing through the county were stopped by police officers often. On Sunday, Frank Nitty had talked about something similar, how Black people who worked in the suburbs were pulled over and questioned frequently.
“I don’t think the Port Washington police officers that were there did enough to protect people from harm,” Minkel-Dumit said. “No one was physically harmed, but there was a lot of emotional harm.”
Many of the other board members were perplexed by what they had heard and asked for more information. Others looked on in skepticism or concern. One board member was handed a printed photograph of the police officer mingling with counter protesters Friday, before it was snatched away by a clerk.
“If this is uncomfortable and unusual for you,” said one speaker. “You’re going to have to adjust, and you’re going to have to adjust quick, or you’re going to be out.”
Reason to Keep Pushing
Though Friday’s rally was turbulent, its organizers said they felt energized afterward. Seeing counter protesters respond to their peaceful protest with aggression only gave the protesters more reason to keep pushing. Organizers at Break the Silence agree that having Frank Nitty and other Milwaukee protesters join made a difference in their struggle. “What Brittany’s protest did was it exposed the racism in the community,” said Bianca Shaw. “And Frank Nitty and his organization came and responded to that exposure.”
Shaw explained that in suburban communities, there are some people willing to be persuaded by the Black Lives Matter movement but lack the support in their area to speak up. “But now, community members that want to support the movement, they know they have the support from Milwaukee, which is a big deal for a lot of people that are maybe scared to speak out or stand up.”
Alexus Beach, who grew up in Port Washington, was supposed to recite a poem she wrote on the Bandshell on Friday but wasn’t able to when counter protesters escalated things. “I understand why people in the population would be confused as to why BLM needs to be in Port Washington,” she said. “It’s one of those places where it’s not diverse enough that people always see privilege that they could be experiencing. But there’s enough diversity where if you’re a person of color, you can feel it. The negative effect, that is.”
Beach said that she received a lot of apologies online after her performance was interrupted. “Don’t apologize because this is exactly what this town needed. They needed to see that there is hate here, there is resistance to the truth here. Resistance to love and compassion."
“It’s not unfortunate that it happened to me,” continued Beach. “I’m blessed to have an experience like that. So when I speak about the things I speak about, I know exactly how it feels. These are my feelings now and that gives me so much more motivation and strength. If I didn’t already know from the people supporting me, I know now that there is so much value in the things I have to say. If there wasn’t any value, people wouldn’t try to silence me.”
For more of our coverage of the protests occurring across Milwaukee, click here.
To read more stories by Ethan Duran, click here.
