Jabril Faraj is a freelance reporter who has written several pieces for Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Over that time, I have also reported on a select number of news events including coverage of a dispute over student government and free speech at UWM, an event and subsequent march supporting Dontre Hamilton and his family, a press conference opposing the proposed I expansion and the recent announcement that the officer who shot Mr.
Hamilton would not be charged. So, when I received a call from my father on Friday, December 26th, around p. Unfortunately, that situation β something newsworthy occurring in the central city but not being covered β is all too familiar, here.
The fact is that media serve to keep both protesters and police honest. When I saw a posting on Facebook saying there would be a meeting there Saturday, December 27th, at 3 p. I dropped what I was doing, grabbed my camera and recorder and got in my car. I arrived at the corner of 27th and Burleigh around and greeted three other people standing there β one black male, one black girl and one white male, who identified himself as Christopher. I simply waited in the cold β wearing a blue jacket and bright orange winter hat β unaware of what, if anything, was happening.
While waiting, the girl said there would be no marching, today. To that, Christopher mentioned that he had come from the west and observed about ten police squad cars and a bus. This, to me, indicated an effort on the part of police to arrest a large number of protesters, should any activity occur. A couple minutes later, another black man, who identified himself as Corey, got out of a car, came up to us and said nothing would be happening, as well. Immediately after, he and two other people who had also parked left in their cars, leaving the four of us still on the corner.
We, then, decided to go our separate ways but, before doing so, I handed a card to all three and asked them to keep me in the know, should anything else occur in the future. Around , I headed back to my car, which had been parked on 26th Street just north of Burleigh.
