Maria Hamilton with picture
of son, Dontre

Tonight at a large hall in the library there was a Community Listening Session by the U.S. Department of Justice about the Milwaukee police department. The police chief agree to a collaborative process when the community wanted a separate investigation of the Milwaukee police as in other cities. When the mikes were open for community comments long lines quickly formed. Speaker after speaker spoke about how they or family members were mistreated by police. The Hamilton spoke about Dontre Hamilton who was shot 14 times by Milwaukee Police Office that was not charged by the District Attorney or Department of Justice. I could have added to the stories about police taking my ill son to jail instead to hospital or treatment facility but decided to make a comment about the killing of Dontre Hamilton by rhetorical questions. Here is my brief comments:

I would like to make my comment by way of some rhetorical questions:
If I, an old white guy at this public place and in front of this great crowd came up to the front of the room and went to sleep on the stage floor, what would you do?

Would you call the police to have me removed? Maybe, Probably Not!

Would the policeman try to wake me? Maybe, Probably Not!

If awoke from my sleep, would the police man frisk me? Maybe, Probably Not!

If I resisted the frisking and the policeman saw something bulky in my pockets would he take out his club to beat me. Maybe, Probably Not!

If to protect myself from the blows I grabbed his club and swung wildly at him would he take out his gun and shoot me fourteen times. Maybe, Probably Not!

However, if I was a young black man in a public place with no crowd around me would the police wake me, frisk me, beat me and shoot me 14 times. Maybe and Probably Yes.

I am Dontre Hamilton.

Comments

Please send any comments on this post to . Let us know which day’s post your comments pertain to. If the comments are appropriate we will post them here for you.