Posted on 06/20/2007 11:04:00 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
The city's Juneteenth festivities were marred by violence Tuesday, after a man was pulled from his car and beaten and a police officer injured while trying to break up a large-scale fight after the festival let out.
It was the second year in a row that police in riot gear were used to disperse the crowds.
While the event was largely peaceful and calm during the day, spurts of chaos ensued as police in riot gear attempted to disperse large groups of rowdy festival goers who ignored orders to leave, said Anne E. Schwartz, Milwaukee Police Department spokeswoman.
"During the day crowd was very well behaved and everything was fine throughout the afternoon. Unfortunately at closing time everything came unhinged and there were some problems," Schwartz said.
After the festival winded down around 6 p.m. a large group of festival goers leaving the area attacked at least two cars, one of which drivers was pulled from his vehicle and beaten near N. 1st and W. Burleigh, Schwartz said.
Footage captured by WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) showed a large group of people who surrounded and jumped on a car stuck in traffic and smashed out its windows. That car's driver escaped unharmed, the station reported.
Next the crowd targeted another vehicle, smashing in the hood and trunk and shattering its windshield, the station reported.
The driver got out and was attacked, being thrown to the ground and kicked in the head, Schwartz said.
Around the same time a large fight started in the area between groups of girls and then grew larger as more people got involved, she added.
Police in riot gear attempted to disperse the crowd who resisted, Schwartz said.
An officer wearing a face shield who tried to break up the fight was hit by one of the girls in the face. The shield shattered and the officer was cut by the shards, requiring stitches, Schwartz said.
Police in riot gear were called in at the end of last year's Juneteenth festival to break up a disturbance involving a group of people who tore down a tent and used its poles to beat each other.
And in 2002 a group of people at the festival - which commemorates the day in 1865 when word of freedom made it to slaves in Texas - began throwing sticks and bottles at uniformed officers.
Schwartz said it is unfortunate that the festival's reputation was again damaged by the acts of certain individuals.
"It seems that the trouble happens when we get the large groups leaving at closing time and ruining the festival for everyone," Schwartz said.
Tryin’ to keep up with the Texans.
This the third story today about violence at a Juneteenth ‘celebration’.
Can’t you see
We’re free to be?
And what, exactly, caused the “youths” to attack those specific drivers?
sounds like another big city chief of police is going to get a new one
Juneteenth be a propah beat-down celebrashun!
There's yer problem! Not only did it "wine" down, it probably "Colt 45'd" down too!
I’ve been watching for an article about Texas Juneteenth celebrations, and haven’t come across one. Can you point me in the right direction?
The surge doesn’t appear to be working. The US should immediately withdraw from Wisconsin.
LOL!
Funny, that. There’s never any rioting by the ‘German Bachelor Farmer’ population when they shut down the beer tent at our local German Fest. You’d think those guys would have good reason to take a swing at one another, LOL!
Report on the Austin celebration here:
Texas Crowd Kills Man After Car Hits Kid
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1853436/posts
When asked for a statement, baseball player Gary Sheffiled said, “You can’t control us.”
At this time I want to congratulate San Antonio for not succumbing to the orgy of violence that is becoming commonplace the night of championship.
Just out of curiosity, what was the race of the person pulled from the car and kicked in the head (not exactly “beaten”, eh MSM)? Something tells me he wasn’t Native American, Chinese, Latino or black, if you catch my meaning....
Most likely an Amish Agitator. ;)
LOL
Here's a link: Austin, Texas article
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