Author: Lee Matz

Thousands ride in unity across Milwaukee to affirm the message “Black is Beautiful”

© PHOTO NOTE: All the editorial images published here have been posted to the Milwaukee Independent’s Facebook Page. That collection of photos contains the MI copyright and watermark for attribution, and may be used for private social media sharing. Thousands of people from all over Milwaukee participated in a special “Black Is Beautiful Ride” on June 21. Led by WebsterX, Darius Smith, and Zed Kenzo, the effort was designed to dispel the negative perceptions within white society about people who have a dark skin color. The 16-mile route on the last day of the Juneteenth weekend went across Milwaukee’s...

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Marching for CPAC: Youth group chalks messages around City Hall demanding police accountability

“The Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression” and “Youth Rising Up (YRU) North Division High School” led one of the almost dozen marches held on June 13, for the sixteenth consecutive day of citywide demonstrations to make an interracial and intergenerational demand for police accountability. Hundreds of demonstrators marched from the south side of Milwaukee, across the historic James E. Groppi Unity Bridge on 16th Street, and down Wisconsin Avenue to City Hall. Once there, many of the demands and statements by protestors were expressed in chalk on the sidewalks and entrance area. “We have been walking up...

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Sterling Brown and Milwaukee Bucks lead thousands in peaceful protest march from Fiserv to Lakefront

The Milwaukee Bucks basketball team held an “Undivided” public march in support of social justice on June 6, attracting an estimated 7,500 participants to the plaza in front of the Fiserv Forum before Sterling Brown led the group to Veterans Park. It was the second time in two days that players have spoken out against inequality and police brutality. Bucks fans, and social justice advocates who have taken to the streets in protest for the ninth day in response to the death of George Floyd on May 25, attended the community event in a show of support for the...

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Cookie Math: Pint-sized protest gives Milwaukee’s youngest citizens a voice demanding equal justice

Dozens of children and their families assembled across from the Milwaukee Police Department District 1 administration building on June 6, demanding equal justice under the law for people of color as part of the protest movement following the death of George Floyd. Before the day began with massive crowds marching across Milwaukee, a smaller but unique rally kicked off downtown. The children’s protest at the Milwaukee Police Department was organized by families with little advance public notice, but still managed to attract a sizable gathering – including activist leader Frank Nitty. On any weekend morning during the summer it...

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Peaceful protest for George Floyd marches into Wauwatosa as racial equality movement grows

Peaceful protests demanding “Justice for George Floyd” have been held in Milwaukee since May 29, four days after the African American resident of Minneapolis was killed by a local police officer. The June 4 protest marked the seventh continuous day of marching across the city by residents of all colors. The June 4 march began at 27th and Center Streets, the same spot as the original May 29 rally. Protesters took to the street and headed west, with the goal of reaching Wauwatosa for the first time. Groups have intentionally marched through different areas and neighborhoods to build a...

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