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‘We want change. We want justice.’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, Sterling Brown and other Bucks players join Milwaukee protest – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

admin — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 00:07:26 +0000

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and teammates marched with a group protesting racial injustice in Milwaukee.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The protest marches in Milwaukee added some star power on Saturday evening.

Several Milwaukee Bucks players, including reigning NBA most valuable player Giannis Antetokounmpo, joined local activist Frank Nitty as protesters marched down 27th Street.

Antetokounmpo was joined by Bucks teammates Sterling Brown, Donte DiVincenzo, Brook Lopez, two-way player Frank Mason II and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Giannis’ brother.

The group wore identical gray T-shirts with the slogan “I can’t breathe” printed on the front. All the players wore masks and gloves due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The Bucks players met the marchers as they crossed the 27th St. Bridge over Interstate 94. They arrived in U-Haul vans and handed out beverages and snacks.

Giannis’ girlfriend, Mariah Riddlesprigger, and their young son, Liam, also made an appearance.

In the below video, Antetokounmpo begins to speak about 30 minutes in.

Protest 3 day 9????

Posted by Frank Nitty II on Saturday, June 6, 2020

“This is our city, man,” Antetokounmpo said. “We got to come out here and support.”

The crowd roared its approval.

“We want change, we want justice, and that’s why we’re out here,” Antetokounmpo said. “That’s what we’re going to do today. That’s why I’m going to march with you.

“I want my kid to grow up here in Milwaukee, and not to be scared to walk in the streets. I don’t want my kid to have hate in his heart.”

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Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and some of his teammates march with a group protesting racial injustice on Saturday, June 6, near North 27th Street and West Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee. The group they were with joined a larger group led by activist Frank Nitty and continued their march. (Photo: Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

The players then marched behind Nitty.

Brown’s participation in the march is particularly poignant. In January 2018, a group of Milwaukee Police Department officers took Brown to the ground, tased and arrested him after a parking violation at a Walgreens, prompting an internal investigation that ended with several officers suspended and others retrained. Brown was not charged in the incident.

Brown has filed a lawsuit against the city. He rejected a $400,000 settlement offer.

The Bucks haven’t played since early March when the coronavirus prompted the suspension of the NBA season. On Friday, the NBA players approved a plan to return to action in late July at Disney World in Orlando.

RELATED: ‘I’m just like you:’ Former Bucks player Jabari Parker joins protests in Milwaukee

Contact Ben Steele at (414) 224-2676 or bmsteele@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BenSteeleMJS or Instagram at @bensteele_mjs

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Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown sues Milwaukee over stun-gun arrest

admin — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 00:18:08 +0000

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Latest on a lawsuit filed against Milwaukee and the city’s police department by NBA player Sterling Brown alleging excessive force (all times local):

11:15 a.m.

The attorney for Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown says police officers violated his client’s constitutional rights when they “set up, circled and then attacked” him outside a Walgreens store in January.

Attorney Mark Thomsen spoke at a news conference Tuesday morning outside City Hall, shortly after filing a federal lawsuit against the city of Milwaukee and its police department. Thomsen urged city leaders to acknowledge that Brown’s constitutional rights were violated and approve their claim.

Brown was accused of a parking violation outside the drug store. Police videos show Brown remained calm and did not resist, yet the situation escalated, officers surrounded him and one used a stun gun on him. Thomsen says the city’s policies don’t prevent such conduct by police who arrested Brown that day.

Brown was not charged following his arrest. The police chief has apologized for his officers’ actions.

——

10:55 a.m.

A federal lawsuit against Milwaukee police alleges officers tried to reframe what happened when they used a stun gun during the arrest of Bucks’ player Sterling Brown after a parking violation in January.

The lawsuit Brown filed Tuesday says a group of officers instructed a colleague writing an incident report to describe the basketball player as resisting and obstructing them. Videos released by police and obtained by WISN-TV show Brown never threatened the officers and appeared calm while he waited for a parking citation.

One officer involved in the arrest later sent a tweet mocking Brown, saying, “Nice meeting Sterling Brown of the Milwaukee Bucks at work this morning!”

Brown wasn’t charged with anything.

The lawsuit naming the city, police chief, and eight officers alleges excessive force and unlawful arrest.

——

10:12 a.m.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown is suing the city and its police department because officers used a stun gun on him during his arrest for a parking violation in January.

Brown’s attorney Mark Thomsen filed the lawsuit in federal court Tuesday alleging excessive force and unlawful arrest.

Brown had been talking with officers while waiting for a citation for illegally parking in a disabled spot outside a Walgreens. Officers swarmed Brown and took him down because he didn’t immediately remove his hands from his pockets as ordered.

Police Chief Alfonso Morales apologized to Brown last month when body-camera video of the arrest was released. Brown wasn’t charged and three officers were disciplined, with suspensions ranging from two to 15 days.

Eight other officers are undergoing remedial training in professional communications.

To read the full lawsuit complaint, click here.

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Alderman claims Mayor Tom Barrett intervened after arrest of Milwaukee Bucks rookie Sterling Brown

admin — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 19:50:47 +0000

Bucks interim coach Joe Prunty discusses the Sterling Brown incident, Malcolm Brogdon not playing Friday night and the Brooklyn Nets.
Jeff Maillet / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Mayor Tom Barrett (left) and Ald. Bob Donovan.(Photo: Journal Sentinel files, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

A Milwaukee alderman is claiming Mayor Tom Barrett requested to review body camera footage of the arrest of a Milwaukee Bucks player and “ordered” the player not be charged.

Ald. Bob Donovan made the brazen claim Tuesday, a day after Milwaukee police announced Bucks rookie Sterling Brown would not be charged after officers arrested and used a Taser on him during an encounter that began with a parking violation.

Donovan, who represents the area where Brown was arrested, cited unnamed sources for his claims about Barrett and said the allegations, if true, are “disturbing.”

“I’m confident that what I was told is accurate,” Donovan said in an interview.

Barrett did not immediately respond to questions about the alderman’s claims Tuesday.

Milwaukee police command staff reviewed reports and body camera footage of the arrest and decided not to refer Brown to prosecutors for criminal charges, a police spokesman said Monday.

RELATED: Police: No charges to be filed against Milwaukee Bucks rookie Sterling Brown

The department’s Internal Affairs division is reviewing the police response, including supervisory oversight. When that investigation is complete, the findings and camera footage will be released, according to the spokesman.

Barrett has discussed the case in the media. On Friday, he told reporters he had spoken with the police management team and Bucks president Peter Feigin about the incident.

“The police are reviewing the situation,” Barrett said at the time, adding he believed body camera footage was involved.

“My understanding is that there will be an investigation of the situation and as soon as possible, I want to make sure that there’s a transparent process here for the public,” he said Friday.

On Sunday, Barrett told WITI-TV (Channel 6) he did not expect Brown to face charges. His remarks caught Donovan’s attention.

“I thought that was rather strange,” he said.

The incident involving Brown began about 2 a.m. Friday when officers doing a business check at the Walgreens near W. National Ave. and S. 26th St. saw a vehicle parked across two handicap spaces, according to Milwaukee police.

Sterling Brown (Photo: Wisconsin Department of Justice)

Officers spoke with Brown, 22, about the situation and “an electronic control device was deployed” during the encounter, police said.

Brown was arrested on a tentative misdemeanor charge of resisting or obstructing an officer.

Donovan said he has repeatedly asked Milwaukee police to be more “proactive” in the area around Walgreens after reports of armed robberies and other criminal activities.

Donovan, who frequently aligns with the Milwaukee Police Association, echoed the police union’s comments and offered support for the officers.

He and Barrett have been political foes for years. Donovan ran for mayor in 2016, losing to Barrett 70% to 30%. Earlier this month, Donovan said he had not contemplated running again.

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