Photo by Ethan Duran
A 500-person march that had walked and driven from Cathedral Square Park (520 E. Wells St.) to the middle of the 16th Street Bridge was forced turn around by a waiting line of Milwaukee Police Department officers on the south end of the bridge. Protest organizers blamed police presence on “reckless drivers,” as the group had been harassed by motorists while passing through the Upper East Side. The march started at 3 p.m. and officially ended at 10 p.m. on Thursday, June 4. Over the course of seven hours, the group had walked almost nine miles.
This has been the sixth night of rallies across Milwaukee demanding justice for the murder of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by four police officers in Minneapolis.
Though the protest was peaceful, there were some aggravated pedestrians that argued with the organizers in the early hours of the march. Tommy Franecki and Jeremiah Thomas, who put the march together, told marchers to ignore disruptors and keep moving. One man who confronted and berated the march leaders on East North Avenue refused to get out of the way. Protesters covered him with signs and drowned out his words with chants.
Some cars would still make it through intersections that motorized protestors would block, sometimes driving over grass or sidewalks to get through. Several motorists crossed over the grass on East Brady Street and North Holton Street when protesters arrived to take a break from walking.
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Photo by Ethan Duran
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Photo by Ethan Duran
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Photo by Ethan Duran
Chanting the Names
The protesters chanted slogans like “No justice, no peace,” and “The cops in my hood ain’t no good,” as they passed through West Wisconsin Avenue. They chanted George Floyd’s name and the name of Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was shot to death by police in Louisville, Ky. in March.
After passing through Marquette University, the march reached the 16th Street Bridge at 8 p.m. and began to cross from the north. Cars in the front line of the protest directed traffic away and spotted police approaching from the south end of the bridge. It is not clear why the police department was called there, but Thomas blamed reckless drivers for gathering negative attention.
Not wanting to confront the police, protest organizers had the march turn onto W. Canal Street and head back to Cathedral Square Park. The protest hadn’t lost steam, still honking their horns, chanting and waving signs. The march returned to where it first met at 10 p.m.
Ecstatic after a second night of protesting without violent confrontation with police, Franecki held a round of applause for the first responders of the event—medics and frontline drivers who volunteered to provide aid, food and water. Thomas announced his appreciation for teachers who walked with the movement.
“The fact that we have a teacher out here for our students,” said Thomas, “A good example of what it means to show everybody equality.”
After 10 p.m., the crowd began to finally disperse. Many people went home, while others left to join another ongoing protest in Wauwatosa.
For more of our coverage of the protests occurring across Milwaukee, click here.
