Dear Members of the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission;
City of Milwaukee Public Safety and Health Committee;
Sheriff Earnell Lucas;
City of Milwaukee Interim Police Chief Jeffrey Norman;
Police Chiefs of Milwaukee County;
Did our local officers participate in the assault on the Capitol?
We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the involvement of law enforcement agents in the events on Washington, D.C. on January 6th. Every day, media reports(1) add to the tally of police officers who are being investigated for their potential participation in the violent assault on Capitol Hill. Despite the heroic actions of a few individual law enforcement agents protecting the Capitol building, the inadequacy of the police response has been a keenly felt takeaway of the event. The inability to prevent terror, the destruction of property, and loss of human life has inspired fear. For many members of the public, the lack of effective response also suggests the potential of collusion between those agents of the law and the invaders.
To allay public concerns, we call upon local Fire and Police Commissions, the Milwaukee Common Council Committee on Public Safety and Health, and the various police agencies and Sheriff’s administration to investigate the extent of participation of local law enforcement agents in Milwaukee County. Police agencies across the country(2) have begun such investigations, and it is time for a similar care to be taken here in Milwaukee. As individuals from Wisconsin(3) have been identified as participants in the assault, the public must be assured that officers of the law did not travel to Washington, D.C. to participate in these illegal activities. Fleeting social media posts by law enforcement in Milwaukee since January 6th have demonstrated approval and support for the law breakers in Washington, D.C. As our Milwaukee County community struggles to heal from the violence in Washington, D.C., and to minimize the potential of future attacks locally and nationally, we must collectively be assured that our sworn officers of the law did not participate in these anti-democratic activities.
We urge you to investigate whether local law enforcement participated in the unlawful insurrection that took place at our nation’s Capital and report back to the public with your findings.
Sincerely,
The National Lawyers Guild of Milwaukee
African American Roundtable
American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin
Ayuda Mutua of Milwaukee
Black and Pink
Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin
BLOC – Black Leaders Organizing Communities
Brown Berets – Milwaukee
The Community
Community Task force – Milwaukee
ExPO – Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing
Forward Latino
Jewish Voices For Peace – Milwaukee
League of Progressive Seniors
Metcalfe Park Community Bridges
Milwaukee Action Intersection
Milwaukee County Human Rights Commission
Milwaukee Freedom Fund
Milwaukee Inner-city Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH)
Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coaltion
Milwaukee Turners
NAACP – Milwaukee
National Lawyers Guild, Milwaukee Chapter
Overpass Light Brigade
Pastors United
Peace Action of Wisconsin
People’s Revolution – Milwaukee
Progressive Baptist Church
Rid Racism – Milwaukee
Riverwest Outdoor Educational Adventures, Inc.
Sikh Temple of Milwaukee
Souls to the Polls
SURJ MKE
Veterans for Peace, Chapter 102
Wisconsin Justice Initiative
Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance
1. “US Capitol riot: police have long history of aiding neo-Nazis and extremists,” Sam Levin, The Guardian, January 16, 2021
2. “Police departments across the U.S. open probes into whether their own members took part in the Capitol riot,” Kim Bellware, The Washington Post, January 9, 2021
3. “West Allis man charged with entering U.S. Capitol during riot says he saw police shoot woman,” Sophie Carson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, January 15, 2021
