Saturday, October 23, 2021

Village Of Greendale Police Department Facing Major Protest Over Arrest Of Black Teens Involving An Alleged Assault By Five White Teens Over Candy Sale

People of color protest and a press conference set for Monday at the Village of Greendale Village Hall to address the arrest of Black teens by village police after one of the Black teens was allegedly assaulted by at least 5 White teens over a candy sale rejection.

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
October 23, 2021

Village of Greendale, WI - A major community of color gathering (press conference/protest) is planned for Monday, October 25, 2021 at 5:00p.m. in front of the Village of Greendale Village Hall, 6500 Northway in Greendale, according to a Facebook post event by Chanese 4 Justice. The anticipated press conference is in regards to a village police incident that resulted with the arrest of multiple Black teens shortly after one of the Black teens was allegedly assaulted by five White teens when he refused to sell candy for $2 to a White teen. Apparently, the White teen including four other accomplices (all White teens) then assaulted the Black teen.

According to protest organizer, "The Greendale police used excessive force against African American children who were selling candy bars. The children were previously jumped by 5 white boys who were not talked to by the police or harmed in any way."

Village police responding to the incident at Elberton Ave. and Westway arrested at least three Black teens including the teen that was assaulted by the White teens. None of the White teens were taken into custody, according to the aunt of the Black teen that was assaulted by the White teens. The aunt of the Black teen posted her account of what allegedly occurred in her Facebook account and included photos of her nephew being arrested as well and video of at least three Black teens being arrested including her own son for criticizing village police for targeting the Black teens after they verbally taunted the village police officers, according to the aunt.

It is not clear, if any of the White teens involved were either cited or taken into custody for assaulting the Black teen. At least one of the White teens involved was located after the vehicle that the Black victims were in stalled in front of his house and the White teen's father came out and got into a verbal confrontation with the aunt, according to her FB post (Angelica Vs Angie).

The aunt hasn't updated her FB post to include what her son, nephew and the other Black teen were cited for.

The Village of Greendale police has had a history of profiling Latinos at Southridge Mall including an incident where a Latina driver was stopped by a Village of Greendale police sergeant and was asked for her social security number and citizenship. By law, no person is obligated to give their social security number to police when asked during a traffic violation stop.

In the Latino profiling incident, a brief history of former Village of Greendale Police Chief Robert Malasuk when he was a sergeant: In 2006, then Sergeant Malasuk, along with then Police Officer Matt Borkoski and a Lt. were conducting an illegal operation inside the Southridge Mall, which they profiled and targeted suspected Latino gang members by the clothing they were wearing. Sgt. Malasuk, Officer Borkoski and a unidentified Lt. stopped a male Latino teen and his sister and began to harass him, which was witnessed by the former managing editor of El Conquistador Newspaper, H. Nelson Goodson who was shopping at the mall. 

Sgt. Malasuk noticed the editor and came up to him and threatened to arrest him for just withnessing the incident. Goodson identified himself as a news reporter too.

Goodson then followed up on the incident and contacted then Robert J. Dams, the Chief of Police in that time. Sgt. Malasuk later denied that he had threaten Goodson. In response, Goodson said that Malasuk had lied to Chief Dams.

Goodson in response wrote multiple articles exposing the illegal and profiling operation by the Village of Greendale Police Department to warn Latinos in the metropolitan area about being targeted while shopping at Southridge Mall in 2006.

Goodson was also a witness in the Village of Greendale case that local Attorney Narciso Aleman handle in representing the Latino male and his sister.

In the traffic stop incident, a Latina driver in 2017 was stopped by Village of Greendale Police Sergeant Karczewski and was asked for her Social Security and U.S. Citizenship. When she attempted to file a complaint against the sergeant, Chief Malasuk threatened her with filing criminal charges against her. She decided not to file a police complaint against Sgt. Karczewski.

Chief Malasuk retired in 2018 from the Village of Greendale Police Department and joined the Wisconsin State Fair Park Police as a part time Detective Lieutenant in 2019.

The current Village of Greendale Police Chief is Ryan Rosenow.


Update: On Monday (10/25/21), dozens of protesters (people of color including Whites, some residents of Greendale) gathered at the Greendale Village Hall to address the arrest of three Black youths on October 17 by Greendale police. The Greendale police released a press release on Monday detailing their account of what had happened. 

One of the Black youths, an 11-year-old male was the victim of an assault by 5 White teens in bicycles. One White teen was located by the victims, but has yet to be held accountable for the assault by police. 

Police say, that none of the alleged White suspects has been arrested and no leads have been found to make arrests in the alleged Black youth assault. 

Unfortunately, Greendale police only arrested a Black adult and three Black youths for disorderly conduct and other related charges, according to their press release. 


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