Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett says that a curfew will be in effect for the third consecutive night, from 9 p.m. tonight until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday morning.
Watch the news conference below:
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett says that a curfew will be in effect for the third consecutive night, from 9 p.m. tonight until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday morning.
The move comes after a fourth night of unrest in Milwaukee, which has included:
– 24 stores burglarized
– 11 stores damaged
– 37 cars towed, all on Sunday night
– 100 people arrested for violating curfew since Saturday night
“We’ve had three days of very peaceful demonstrations,” says Barrett. “Three days of thousands of people walking through the streets of Milwaukee to show their indignation…and their despair, exercising their First Amendment rights, doing so peacefully.
“But we’ve seen something else in this community as well, generally speaking after 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. at night; Individuals, some within our community, some (not from) our community who have decided to take a different course of action.
“If (businesses) are destroyed, the jobs that are there and the conveniences that are there to the residents, really, really solid people who live in this neighborhood, is going to be lost. We cannot allow that to happen. We cannot allow disorder to replace order, particularly when it’s going to hit the people who need the services in this community the most. It is for that reason that our curfew will continue tonight,” Barrett concluded.
Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales joined Barrett at Monday’s news conference. The two made a clear distinction between the large majority of those who have been peaceful protesters and the smaller number of people who have been committing “the looting, the rioting going on once the sun goes down,” in Morales’ words.
“Absolute chaos has been spewing in our city streets,” Morales added. “Not by individuals who truly want change, but individuals who want to steal, commit felonies and destroy the neighborhoods we work so hard to protect and serve.
“If you are out engaging in civil unrest, you will be held accountable.”