Thousands of Milwaukeeans took to the streets Saturday to demand justice and police reform. They were joined by people across the world who did everything from close down the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to march in Japan and New Zealand.

It’s an expression of frustration, it’s a call for justice and it’s a movement for a more equitable society.

Meanwhile in Fayetteville, North Carolina, over 100 people attended a funeral for George Floyd. It was Floyd’s murder at the knee of a Minneapolis police officer that triggered the nationwide protests.

But the fact that all four officers involved were arrested and charged won’t end the movement.

“Just because you arrested four officers doesn’t change anything, it’s the system. Because they’ll kill somebody else next week and we will have to march again,” said Frank Nitty, the de facto leader of the Milwaukee movement, at a daytime march near the Shorewood-Milwaukee border on N. Oakland Ave. “We don’t care about the officers. We want to change the system.”

The march, led by Darius Smith, drew thousands of people, the biggest one Urban Milwaukee has observed over the nine days of protests. The march went from Milwaukee’s Lower East Side to the Riverwest neighborhood into suburban Shorewood and Whitefish Bay before looping back.

Marchers took over five minutes to pass by Urban Milwaukee as we filmed from above. When Smith went to address the group, he had to ditch his bullhorn and instead climb atop a van with top-mounted speakers in the middle of the crowd.

It was one of at least seven marches that took place in the Milwaukee area Saturday.

Those in another march, coming from the Mitchell Park Domes, made their way north onto the 27th Street Viaduct when Milwaukee Bucks players Giannis Antetokounmpo, Sterling Brown, Brook Lopez, Donte DiVincenzo, Frank Mason III and Thanasis Antetokounmpo appeared.

The march was in honor of Joel Acevedo who died at the hands of an off-duty Milwaukee police officer in April.

“It means a lot to the city to see you,” said Nitty to Antetokounmpo in announcing the surprise in a Facebook live video. He praised Giannis for helping change the narrative around black people in Milwaukee. Giannis said he was there in support of his city and justice.

And while Antetokounmpo will draw the national headlines as the league’s reigning most valuable player, it is Brown that unfortunately has first-hand knowledge of police brutality.

Brown has a pending lawsuit against the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee Police Department for an incident in which he was tased, stepped on and arrested after parking illegally in a Walgreens parking lot. The parking lot Brown was arrested in is at the south end of the bridge the players greeted the marchers on.

Nitty said the players approached him through area pastors. “This isn’t just a photo [opportunity],” he said. The players handed out water and marched briefly alongside pastor Kenneth Lock II, Khalil Coleman, Rafael Mercado and Nitty.

But the day wasn’t all highlights.

Attorney In Custody for Spitting in Teens Face

While walking through Shorewood, hundreds of people, many wearing masks because of the pandemic, cheered on the mostly-masked marchers and businesses handed out food and water. But one woman parked in the street to obstruct the marchers and then spit in a teenager’s face while standing on the sidewalk.

The incident was captured on video by Caress Gonzalez Ramirez and attorney Stephanie Rapkin, 64, was led from her home in handcuffs Saturday night at around 10:00 p.m.

A photo, shared by Public Allies Milwaukee executive director Ashley Lee, showed Rapkin being walked away from her house in handcuffs by police officers.

Neither Rapkin nor the unidentified victim was wearing a mask at the time of the incident. The victim had one around his neck.

The Shorewood Police Department said she was in custody, but not yet charged. The case has been referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney.

Protesters quickly identified Rapkin, in part based on the personalized license plate of her car left in the street.

Otherwise Peaceful

The marches observed by Urban Milwaukee, with the exception of the Rapkin incident, were peaceful affairs.

One march coming east down W. Vliet St. near N. 35th St. parted to let a Milwaukee Fire Department truck through and then applauded. At another point teenagers were called out to stop setting off fireworks.

Three marches converged at N. 27th St. and W. Vliet St. around 9:00 p.m. with some people heading home and the “all night” group of several hundred forming to head east down Vliet towards Downtown. Urban Milwaukee left the group at 10:30 p.m. when it was crossing the W. Winnebago St. bridge over Interstate 43 and entering The Brewery.

A number of familiar faces and some new ones were spotted at marches Saturday, including Mayor Tom Barrett, council members Ashanti Hamilton and Russell W. Stamper, II, state representatives Kalan Haywood II, Jonathan Brostoff and David Bowen and state senator Lena Taylor.

Reggie Moore, director of the city’s Office of Violence Prevention, was also out Saturday evening, and was spotted talking to Nate Hamilton. Hamilton’s brother, Dontre Hamilton, was killed in 2014 by a Milwaukee police offer in Red Arrow Park. Filmmaker Erik Ljung captured the encounter. His film, The Blood is at the Doorstep, is free to watch for this week.

At least three marches are scheduled for Sunday in Milwaukee.

Photos

Videos

 

The arrest of an NFL player could have turned deadly when police held a gun to his face when taking him into custody, TMZ reports.

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Bashaud Breeland was arrested Tuesday (April 28) at a gas station in Fort Mill, South Carolina, after a York County Sheriff’s Deputy claims he saw him and two other individuals in a car smoking marijuana. 

Breeland, 28, recently signed a new one-year contract with the Chiefs, who won Super Bowl LIV in February.

The cop says that Breeland became irate when questioned and a confrontation between the two began, then escalated. In video footage from the arrest, the officer tries to put Breeland in handcuffs, but he refused. The officer eventually pulls out a taser and tells him to cease resisting. 

“Put your hands behind your back or you will get tased,” the officer can be heard saying. “Turn around and face away from me! You’ll get tased!”

But Breeland gets away from the officer and moves back into the car. That’s when the cop pulls out his gun and places it inches from Breeland’s face. “Let me see your hands! … I’m not playing!”

Breeland gets out of the car, lays on the ground and allows the officer to place him in handcuffs. He was arrested and taken to jail, TMZ says.

Breeland was charged with resisting arrest, having open containers of liquor in a motor vehicle, marijuana possession and driving without a license, according to ESPN. He was released from jail Tuesday night on bond.

Breeland’s lawyers questioned the reason for police drawing a gun on him and reportedly “look forward to reviewing all available evidence in this matter.”

Breeland himself did not comment directly on the incident, only posting to Instagram a segment from his song “Bree Talk under his rap moniker, 26 Breezy.

[Editor’s Note: Explicit lyrics]

A Chiefs representative said the team was aware of what happened but had no comment, according to ESPN.

Four NFL players were arrested on Saturday, and are facing misdemeanor or felony charges ranging from armed robbery, assault, and unlawful possession of a firearm. Washington Redskins wide receiver Cody Latimer, Seattle Seahawk cornerback Quinton Dunbar, New York Giants cornerback Deandre Baker, and Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Ed Oliver were taken into custody on Saturday in three different incidents.

Latimer was the first of the four NFL players arrested. The 27-year-old was allegedly at a party in Douglass County, Colorado on Saturday when gunshots were reported. He was arrested by police and charged with assault in the second degree, illegal discharge of a firearm, prohibited use of a weapon, and reckless endangerment.

Harvey Steinberg, Latimer’s lawyer, said in a statement there are extenuating circumstances with his client.

“There’s an entire back story to this situation that constitutes one of the most highly provocative situations you can imagine,” the statement read. “Please withhold judgment until all the facts of what took place that night are known.”

The Redskins said in a separate statement that they are aware of the incident and reported it to league offices. Washington team officials didn’t mention anything regarding Latimer’s future with the team. He signed a free-agent deal with the Redskins last month. If the charges against him are upheld, the team could waive him.

Dunbar, Baker Incident Gets Cloudy

Quinton Dunbar and Deandre Baker surrendered to authorities in Miramar, Florida after being accused of robbing guests at a party on May 13. The duo was charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault.

Lawyers for the men denied their clients had anything to do with the robbery. Michael Grieco, Dunbar’s lawyer, issued a statement on social media professing his client’s innocence, though he misspelled his name.

“Today our client, Quintin [sic] Dubar [sic] voluntarily surrendered at the Broward County jail pursuant to a bogus arrest warrant based solely on uncorroborated witness statements that have since been recanted,” Grieco said. “As I write this, an innocent man sits in jail facing charges that hold no water. His career and reputation have been put in jeopardy as a result of an overzealous [Miramar police department] that was so excited about arresting a pro football player that they tweeted out their celebration and even tagged his employer in their ‘virtual touchdown dance.’”

Baker’s lawyer, Bradford Cohen, also said his client is not guilty. Both Cohen and Grieco said they have affidavits from party goers that the two were not involved.

Oliver Could Lose Millions Over DWI Arrest

Ed Oliver’s charges aren’t as serious as those faced by the other NFL players who were arrested. He could, however, face some serious financial consequences. Oliver was pulled over by Houston police Saturday night and arrested for driving while impaired and unlawfully carrying a handgun.

 

If convicted of the crimes, Oliver could be in violation of the league’s personal conduct policy and face suspension. That, according to Michael Ginnitti, founder of contracts website spotrac.com, could cause the second-year player to lose $81,725 in base salary for each week he misses. Ginnitti tweeted that the remaining $6.8 million on Oliver’s rookie contract would no longer be guaranteed.

Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott didn’t comment on Oliver’s situation. He is still participating in the team’s virtual offseason training program.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Six Lumberton men charged in the Sunday shooting on Ocean Boulevard that left four people injured were in court Tuesday.

Four of those men were former athletes at Lumberton and Purnell Swett high schools.

Twenty-year-old Kwashek Breeden, a former member of Lumberton High’s football, basketball and track teams, was charged with obstruction of justice and placed under a $15,000 unsecured bond, according to the Myrtle Beach Police Department.

Also charged with obstruction of justice were former Lumberton wrestler and football player Yakemiean Johnson, 20, and Lumberton wrestler Sincere Joshiano Johnson, 21. Each were given a $15,000 unsecured bond, according to the police department.

Darriante Tymaine Marriscell Parker, 19, was charged with obstruction of justice and unlawful carry of a pistol, according to a report by News 13. The former Purnell Swett basketball player was placed under a $25,000 unsecured bond.

Also charged in relation to the shooting were Lumberton residents Sequion Johnson, 18, and Ty’reck Demonte Hill, 20.

Sequion Johnson was charged with four counts of attempted murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and unlawful carrying of a pistol, according to News 13.

Myrtle Beach Municipal Judge Clifford L. Welsh denied bond to Sequion Johnson, stating that his shooting on a busy street showed “complete disregard for human life.”

Hill was charged with obstruction of justice and placed under a $15,000 unsecured bond, according to the police department. He was released Tuesday afternoon after satisfying the conditions of his bond.

The shooting occurred about 12:30 a.m. Sunday at 12th Avenue and Ocean Boulevard, according to News 13. The injured victims are expected to recover.

The Memorial Day shooting is the second of three shootings in the area within a week.

Greenwood resident Kemian Masonte’ Reese, 22, is charged with murder, unlawful carry and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in relation to the Monday shooting of Cadric Elmore Jr. at 15th Avenue South and Ocean Boulevard, according to WMBF News.

“For the 3rd time in one week our community has been violated by gang violence from outside of our borders. They brought their rivalries and disputes to MB to fight and that is not acceptable,” a Monday statement by Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune reads in part. “We will work with our counterparts across the State to address these issues and we will take swift and immediate action to protect us from these evil acts.”

Posted: Apr 17, 2020 / 11:50 AM EDT
/ Updated: Apr 17, 2020 / 11:58 AM EDT

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A former West Virginia University men’s basketball player and another man are facing charges after a call about a woman being held hostage lead sheriff’s deputies to find drugs in a home.

On April 16, deputies with the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department responded to a call for a welfare check at a residence at 536 Independence Hills Village in Morgantown in reference to an advisory that a female was being held hostage at that address over an argument about a rental car, according to a criminal complaint.

When deputies arrived on scene, they made contact with Aaric Murray, 30, and Richard Johnson, 23, both of Morgantown, who invited them into the residence and Murray and Johnson informed deputies they had no knowledge of the female being held hostage, deputies said.

Both men allowed deputies to search the residence to make sure the female wasn’t there, and during the search, deputies said they found a bag of crack rock cocaine, a bag of marijuana, cutting agents and drug packaging materials.

Upon a search of Murray’s person, deputies found $6,415 in U.S. currency, which he said he won from gambling at a local hotspot, but had no vouchers to prove this and “none of the hotspots in town are open due to the pandemic,” according to the complaint.

Deputies then took Murray into custody as a result of capias warrants he had against him; deputies searched Johnson and found him in possession of $2,768 in U.S. currency, as well as a “small amount of controlled substances” and taken into custody, deputies said.

A search warrant was later obtained for the residence and during the search, deputies said they found approximately 5 grams of crack rock cocaine, three grams of marijuana, an eighth of a gram of heroin, packaging materials, cutting agents, a set of digital scales, $100 in U.S. currency, four handguns, multiple ledgers and several cell phones.

During an interview, Johnson admitted that his only form of income is $600 a month for disability, according to the complaint.

Johnson has been charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. He is being held in North Central Regional Jail on $20,012 bond.

Murray has been charged as a result of the capias warrants against him. He is being held in North Central Regional Jail. Murray was a center on the WVU basketball team in 2013, after transferring from LaSalle University. After the 2013 season, Murray transferred to Texas Southern University.

RENO COUNTY — A former Hutchinson Community College basketball player charged with distributing marijuana was bound over for trial Wednesday.

Davon Michael Gill is charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute within a thousand feet of a school.

On September 11, police were called to a location on North Severance  in  Hutchinson after report of theft. Upon arrival, officers could smell marijuana coming from a vehicle parked along the street.

Gill was the driver of that vehicle and tried to back out and leave. Officers ordered him to stop. That led to a search warrant on the vehicle where police found 18 small individual bags of marijuana in an Old Spice bag. His vehicle was within 120 feet of Hutchinson High School.

Gill reportedly admitted that marijuana was his, but denies it was to sell. Gill told the officers that he had just purchased it for himself.

The 6-foot-7 Gill was a freshman on the 2016-17 Hutch Blue Dragon basketball team. He is a graduate of Wichita Heights High School.

Related

Associated Press

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The ex-wife of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright will not fight authorities’ attempt to send her from California to Tennessee, where she’s charged with killing him nearly eight years ago.

Sherra Wright briefly appeared in Riverside County Superior Court on Monday and agreed to go back to Tennessee to face first-degree murder charges, the Desert Sun newspaper reported.

Authorities now have 30 days to bring her to Memphis, where Lorenzen Wright’s decomposing body was found in 2010. The 34-year-old had been shot multiple times.

He played for 13 seasons as a forward and center in the NBA, including several for the Grizzlies in Memphis, where he was born and raised.

Sherra Wright was arrested in December. Her attorney, Eric Keen, would not say Monday why she decided to waive extradition after previously vowing to fight it. Keen said lawyers in Tennessee will now take over the case.

Superior Court Judge David Gunn asked Sherra Wright several questions to make sure she understood she would be extradited. Each time, she said, “Yes.”

A man, who Keen identified as Sherra Wright’s husband, attended the hearing, the newspaper reported. He did not speak to reporters.

A December statement from the Shelby County district attorney’s office in Tennessee said Sherra Wright and a landscaper named Billy R. Turner conspired to kill Lorenzen Wright.

Turner was arrested last month after a gun used in the killing was discovered in a lake in Mississippi. He also has been charged with first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

Sherra Wright received $1 million from her ex-husband’s life insurance policy. She agreed to a settlement in 2014 in a court dispute over how she spent the money meant to benefit their six children, the Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis has reported.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — The ex-wife of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright will not fight authorities’ attempt to send her from California to Tennessee, where she’s charged with killing him nearly eight years ago.

Sherra Wright briefly appeared in Riverside County Superior Court on Monday and agreed to go back to Tennessee to face first-degree murder charges, the Desert Sun newspaper reported.

Authorities now have 30 days to bring her to Memphis, where Lorenzen Wright’s decomposing body was found in 2010. The 34-year-old had been shot multiple times.

He played for 13 seasons as a forward and center in the NBA, including several for the Grizzlies in Memphis, where he was born and raised.

Sherra Wright was arrested in December. Her attorney, Eric Keen, would not say Monday why she decided to waive extradition after previously vowing to fight it. Keen said lawyers in Tennessee will now take over the case.

Superior Court Judge David Gunn asked Sherra Wright several questions to make sure she understood she would be extradited. Each time, she said, “Yes.”

A man, who Keen identified as Sherra Wright’s husband, attended the hearing, the newspaper reported. He did not speak to reporters.

A December statement from the Shelby County district attorney’s office in Tennessee said Sherra Wright and a landscaper named Billy R. Turner conspired to kill Lorenzen Wright.

Turner was arrested last month after a gun used in the killing was discovered in a lake in Mississippi. He also has been charged with first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

Sherra Wright received $1 million from her ex-husband’s life insurance policy. She agreed to a settlement in 2014 in a court dispute over how she spent the money meant to benefit their six children, the Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis has reported.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — The ex-wife of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright will not fight authorities’ attempt to send her from California to Tennessee, where she’s charged with killing him nearly eight years ago.

Sherra Wright briefly appeared in Riverside County Superior Court on Monday and agreed to go back to Tennessee to face first-degree murder charges, the Desert Sun newspaper reported.

Authorities now have 30 days to bring her to Memphis, where Lorenzen Wright’s decomposing body was found in 2010. The 34-year-old had been shot multiple times.

He played for 13 seasons as a forward and center in the NBA, including several for the Grizzlies in Memphis, where he was born and raised.

Sherra Wright was arrested in December. Her attorney, Eric Keen, would not say Monday why she decided to waive extradition after previously vowing to fight it. Keen said lawyers in Tennessee will now take over the case.

Superior Court Judge David Gunn asked Sherra Wright several questions to make sure she understood she would be extradited. Each time, she said, “Yes.”

A man, who Keen identified as Sherra Wright’s husband, attended the hearing, the newspaper reported. He did not speak to reporters.

A December statement from the Shelby County district attorney’s office in Tennessee said Sherra Wright and a landscaper named Billy R. Turner conspired to kill Lorenzen Wright.

Turner was arrested last month after a gun used in the killing was discovered in a lake in Mississippi. He also has been charged with first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

Sherra Wright received $1 million from her ex-husband’s life insurance policy. She agreed to a settlement in 2014 in a court dispute over how she spent the money meant to benefit their six children, the Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis has reported.