Milwaukee Original Black Panthers And Brown Berets Filed Federal Lawsuit Against Milwaukee Common Council President Cavalier Johnson, And Milwaukee Police For Denying Entry And Participation To An Open Town Hall Meeting In October

Both the Milwaukee Original Black Panthers and Brown Berets in a filed federal lawsuit claimed that on October 16, 2021 several Milwaukee police officers prevented them from entering a public Town Hall being held by Milwaukee Common Council President and Alderman Cavalier Johnson at the Redemption Lutheran Church that was open to the public.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

December 19, 2021

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Friday, both Darryl Farmer, the Executive Director of the Original Black Panthers and Walter Garron, the Executive Director of the Brown Berets in Milwaukee announced that a federal lawsuit was filed on December 15, 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin against Milwaukee Common Council President and 7th District Alderman Cavalier Johnson and the Milwaukee Police Department claiming that Johnson held an open Town Hall meeting on October 16, 2021 at the Redemption Lutheran Church, 5641 N. 68th Street and were repeatedly "denied entry and participation" to the meeting by police. A female police officer confronted members of the Original Black Panthers and Brown Berets as they entered the building to participate in the open Town Hall meeting, but the police officer stopped them and told them that Milwaukee Common Council President Johnson didn't want them to participate and that Christian Winkel, the pastor of the church wouldn't allow them access to participate in the Town Hall meeting while other organizations from the Black community were allowed to participate.

In a flyer that released by Milwaukee Common Council President Johnson made it clear that it was an open Town Hall meeting and no restrictions were included in the flyer prior to the meeting.

According to the federal lawsuit, both Farmer and Garron are claiming that their 1st and 14th Amendment rights were violated by Milwaukee police and Johnson and seek compensatory damages for both by a jury including attorney fees, also a Consent Decree that Farmer and Garron rights including their groups rights won't be violated in the future, according to the federal lawsuit filed by Attorney Walter W. Stern III, who is representing both Farmer and Garron.