Supporters, Family Of Dontre Hamilton Protest At Milwaukee City Hall

Supporters and family members of Dontre Hamilton occupied the first floor of Milwaukee City Hall for about four hours on Tuesday night in an effort to urge officials to charge the police officer who shot and killed Hamilton earlier this year.

Eventually, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett agreed to a meeting later this week with Hamilton’s brother.

Hamilton’s family and about 100 supporters walked into City Hall just after 4 p.m., hoping to meet with Barrett or to set up a meeting. What the protesters found instead was about 25 police officers blocking the stairway and elevators to Barrett’s second-floor office.

The demonstrators began chanting.

“What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!” the group called out.

Chanting , singing and a teach-in went on for hours in the building.

A little after 8 p.m., Barrett spoke by phone with Hamilton’s brother, Nathaniel, who later told reporters that the mayor had agreed to meet with him, perhaps as early as Wednesday afternoon.

“We hope he can clear his schedule. What’s more important that a man dying and losing his life in a park?” Nathaniel Hamilton said.

The protesters want Barrett to encourage Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm to criminally charge the now-fired Milwaukee police officer who killed Dontre Hamilton during an altercation in April at a downtown park.

Nathaniel Hamilton said that the mayor could push Chisholm to act.

“We want him to say, ‘Hey, you’re affecting my community,’” Nathaniel Hamilton said.

Brenda Bell-White was one of the protesters who said she has been affected by the shooting of Dontre Hamilton and the wait for a decision on possible criminal charges — as well as by other police-involved shootings around the U.S.

“As an African-American mother, grandmother, I fear for black boys and men every waking day. I go to sleep worrying about it,” Bell-White said.

One person was arrested during Tuesday night’s protest and charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly banging on the outer doors of City Hall when police wouldn’t let him in the building.

Earlier in the day, Barrett said the police department has taken a cautious approach to arresting protesters.

“What we have is a police department that is very professional and dealing in a professional fashion with protesters,” he said.

Barrett backs police and sheriff’s deputies for arresting more than a dozen protesters last Saturday when demonstrators took children along when walking on a downtown freeway.