WAUKESHA – A night of reflection for the City of Waukesha, two years removed from a night that the community will never forget.
At 4:39pm on November 21st, 2021, Darrell Brooks drove through the city’s Christmas Parade route attempting to evade arrest. That decision ultimately led to the deaths of six people and more than 60 injuries. While Brooks was ultimately found guilty of all charges against him and sentenced to over 1,000 years in prison, the pain of that night remains for many.
Two years later, the community will gather again at the Five Points intersection downtown for a commemoration of the Main Street Parade Memorial. The moment will begin at exactly 4:39pm. Waukesha Alderwoman Alicia Halvenslaben was on Wisconsin’s Morning News today previewing the event. She tells WTMJ safety will be top of mind tonight.
“I know that initially a lot of folks felt weird, strange or afraid to go down to Main Street” said Halvenslaben. “But I’ve really seen that change, and it changed pretty quickly because we came together as a community to make sure we were putting things in place to help protect the community.” One of those measures includes the installation of state-of-the-art barriers to prevent vehicle traffic from entering the area.
Ultimately, Halvenslaben says tonight should be less about the attack itself, and more on how the community united together under the #WaukeshaStrong moniker. “We were able to come together not just as families but as a community…it really feels as though we are all connected. Even people who weren’t at the parade I think still feel that sense of togetherness, that sense of community, as we head into the holidays.”
WTMJ’s Samantha Butzen, who lives in Waukesha and was watching the parade two years ago, remembers how that togetherness was evident even in the face of tragedy that night.
“You saw people trying to help as much as they could, whether it was keeping an injured person warm with their coat, or talking with them until paramedics arrived. It was chaotic, but very impressive to see how willing people were to help in a time of just…terror.”
Work continues on another memorial being built in Grede Park, which Halvenslaben says will honor those impacted and offer a space to heal and reflect; that memorial will be dedicated next year.
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