Why Appease Protesters?

(Across the street from Milwaukee’s City Hall – one of the tallest buildings in the USA when it was constructed around 1895 – lies Red Arrow Park.  The park is not large and probably contains more cement than grass, but a Starbucks attracts visitors, in summer to sit in the air conditioned interior or outside in the sunny outdoors.  In winter, there is ice-skating in part that converts into a rink.  The park is named after a military division that fought in WWI.

In April 2014, Dontre Hamilton, a man with a history of mental problems lay on the grass, and on the sidewalk.  The details follow.  To summarize, this has become Milwaukee’s Ferguson incident with many protests over the year, stopping traffic, marches, and considerable media play for the brother and family of the troubled man.  On 24 November 2015 the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the large newspaper for the city, published my letter on series of incidents.  HM)

                            WHY APPEASE PROTESTERS?

             On Thursday 19 November protestors disrupted the tree-lighting ceremony at Red Arrow Park.  Middle-schoolers’ songs for the occasion were drowned out by the shouts and megaphones of the disruptors.  The protestors claim they seek justice, but even Pres. Obama’s Dept. of Justice could find no reason to reopen the case.

            If a church wanted to present a nativity scene in the park, it would be denied because of the religious nature of the scene.  However, for months there has been a memorial in Red Arrow Park to Dontre Hamilton which includes a cross.  If a church asked to place a cross in the park, it would be denied, but the Hamilton crowd can have a cross and a memorial.

            Dontre Hamilton was killed in the park in April 2014 after several calls to police about the man on the ground.  One policeman approached Hamilton and wanted to pat him down – the park is across the street from City Hall and no one wants threats to city leaders.  Hamilton resisted, grabbed the officer’s baton, and was shot numerous times by the policeman.  Hamilton may have been unarmed (the policeman did not know that till the pat down), but a 300-pound man who is mentally unstable can be and proved to be dangerous.  Unarmed AND dangerous.  The policeman did his duty to protect the general public.  For that, he was fired.

            Suppose some want a memorial in Red Arrow Park to the fired policeman.  Will they be allowed?  Will a church be allowed to display a cross in the park?  Or a nativity scene?

            Hugh Murray