Open Carry on Cease Fire walk in Milwaukee Receives Positive Comments

Gun Watch ^ | 19 May, 2014 | Dean Weingarten

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Mayor Barrett posing for pictures before the walk

I arrived at the Milwaukee gun turn in (buy back) event a little after 9 am on Saturday, the 17th of May.   I estimate that more than a hundred had gathered and were listening to speeches.    I was looking to see if there were any people exercising their Second Amendment rights, so I paid attention to the man openly carrying a Glock 21  in a retention holster.  His name is William  Polster, and he had no problem with me taking pictures.  The Glock, openly carried against his dark grey clothing, did not scream for attention, but it was clearly visible.


I decided not to go on the Cease Fire walk that was scheduled, because I wanted to get some information about the organization of the main event.     William (Bill) joined the walk, but said that he would not be at the turn in event because he had family obligations and could not make it.

It was quite a change from just five years ago when Milwaukee Police Chief Flynn made his infamous  threat against people who exercised their rights:

“my message to my troops is if you see anybody carrying a gun on the streets of Milwaukee, we’ll put them on the ground, take the gun away and then decide whether you have a right to carry it.” 

Bill was congratulated on his Glock by a member of the crowd just before they left, but I was busy.   I see it all the time, so it wasn't until later that the contrast from 2009 and Chief Flynn hit me.

When I was covering the private sales at the turn in, one  of the private buyers knew Bill and mentioned that the walk had gone well.   I talked to Bill on the phone at the end of the day.   He said that people reacted positively during the walk, and thanked him for coming.  He did not get any negative comments and shared some concerns about police behavior with a woman who was also on the walk.  He reminded people that the police have no legal duty to protect individual citizens.

No one made any fuss about him exercising his rights, though a few complimented him on his willingness to do so.    The walk took place in one of the higher crime neighborhoods in Milwaukee, and was populated by people who were concerned about violent crime.   I have often thought that these neighborhoods would benefit from the approach that Chief Craig of Detroit, or Sheriff Clark of Milwaukee County, suggest.   The Police Chief and Sheriff know that officers can seldom get to a crime scene fast enough to stop the crime from happening.  They appreciate the positive effects of an armed population in deterring crime.

A citizen openly exercised his Second Amendment rights in urban Milwaukee, surrounded by people who are concerned about violent crime.   The response was: thank you for coming; it is good to exercise your rights; and a worry that police can get carried away with procedure instead of exercising common sense.

Milwaukee has come a long way in five short years.


 ©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

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Chief Flynn is from Massachusetts.

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2 die as more shootings are reported in Milwaukee

Mayor Barrett talks about recent Milwaukee shooting

Two men died Sunday after being wounded in a triple shooting on the north side while the Milwaukee Police Department continues to investigate a wave of incidents that occurred late Saturday night and early Sunday within 20 minutes of each other.

Three people were shot at N. 11th St. and W. Atkinson Ave. around 1:40 p.m. Sunday. A 31-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene while a 49-year-old man died at a hospital. The third victim, a 48-year-old man, was in stable condition, police said.

Later Sunday, police responded to another shooting. A 24-year-old man was wounded in the 2500 block of W. Vliet St. around 8 p.m. His gunshot wound was not life-threatening.

About 11:45 p.m. Saturday, a 37-year-old woman was shot in the 2400 block of W. Medford Ave. Police said the victim was treated at a hospital for injuries and was expected to survive. The shooting was termed accidental.

The second shooting occurred five minutes later in the 1500 block of N. 22nd St., when a 40-year-old man was shot. Police said he was in grave condition at a hospital. The motive wasn’t known, and there were no suspects in custody.

At 12:05 a.m. Sunday, a 24-year-old man was shot in the 1700 block of N. 35th St., in an apparent robbery. He was being treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Police said they had no suspects in custody.

The shootings come on the heels of a violent Friday in which two men were injured in separate shootings on Milwaukee’s north side, police said.

In addition, five people were wounded earlier in the week in four separate shootings in Milwaukee, including an 11-year-old girl.

The violence occurred during Ceasefire Week, which featured a four-hour gun buyback Saturday. Cars lined up and waited for Milwaukee police officers wearing bullet-resistant vests to take the guns out of vehicle trunks, bags or cases, briefly inspect them and then hand out prepaid cards for each gun relinquished.

The program collected 353 firearms, which included 234 handguns, 115 rifles and four assault-type guns, said Mayor Tom Barrett.