Thousands of protesters marched in Milwaukee Sunday as the city saw its tenth consecutive day of demonstrations in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. Members of the Milwaukee Bucks also joined the protests. More than 7,000 people gathered at the Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee early Sunday afternoon.
Bucks guard Sterling Brown called for nine seconds of silence — symbolic of the nearly nine minutes in which a Minneapolis police officer knelt on George Floyd’s neck, causing his death.
>>Latest WUWM & NPR Protest Coverage
Brown fired up the crowd with a send-off speech before the march: “We’re making something great happen. We’re making something positive happen, something that’s heard around the world. You got different countries coming together and fighting and standing for something. As we march today, let’s be loud, let’s be heard, let’s be known. So, let’s do it, let’s march!"
In 2018, Milwaukee police used a stun gun on Brown and arrested him after finding his car parked across two handicapped spots in a Walgreens parking lot.
Sterling Brown of the Bucks is leading chants calling for “no racist police.” In 2018, Milwaukee police officers took Brown to the ground, tased and arrested him after a parking violation at a Walgreens. pic.twitter.com/EZBZeIJBzP
— Rory Linnane (@RoryLinnane) June 7, 2020
On Sunday, one of the protesters was Antoinette Eiland. She held up a sign that read: “Black Mom of 13 – Their Lives Matter.” Eiland brought several of her 13 kids to the march and said they’ll remember this day for the rest of their lives.
“I am here to stand with my children for justice. I am here to stand with them to let them know beyond a shadow of a doubt that black lives matter," she said.
Eiland stopped short of calling for defunding of police departments across the country. But she said she would like to see the removal of what she called rogue officers from police forces. For Eiland’s 19-year-old daughter Aaliyah, it was her first march over the death of George Floyd. She said she’s pleased the Bucks are weighing in.
“It’s really great that they are doing this. It shows that we have a lot of support behind the black community, so it’s good to see,” she said.
Eiland said she’d like to see additional high-profile people speak up too, such as musicians and more political leaders.
