Dontre Hamilton memorial unveiled at Red Arrow Park in Milwaukee

A park bench in entrance of a downtown Starbucks is now not a spot of solely sorrow for the household of Dontre Hamilton and a scar on town of Milwaukee.

On Saturday, eight years to the day since Hamilton was awoken as he slept on the bench and shot 14 occasions by a Milwaukee police officer, the bench at Crimson Arrow Park grew to become a spot of hope.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony, dozens of mates, relations and neighborhood leaders gathered to unveil a memorial bench that they hope will spark conversations round psychological well being and result in significant change.

A plaque centered on the again of the bench reads:

“Dontre Hamilton was a person given to us to encourage, encourage, encourage, strengthen, love, and a lot extra. Each day he continues to manifest inside our lives, to maintain us united and powerful not solely as a neighborhood however as a household, to uplift us, to proceed our combat in the direction of justice. We even have used Dontre’s identify to make clear the difficulties we face round psychological well being points. We will problem Milwaukee to be higher educated and knowledgeable on how one can carry extra consciousness in supporting those that take care of psychological well being.”

Hamilton suffered from psychological sickness and relations say he didn’t get the assist he wanted from Milwaukee County’s psychological well being companies. And the police officer who killed him wasn’t adequately educated on approaching individuals who could also be affected by psychological sickness.

Hamilton’s mom, Maria Hamilton, advised the racially various crowd that seeing the neighborhood come collectively over time to combat for justice has stuffed her coronary heart with pleasure.

“I misplaced a son however I gained tons of and tons of of human beings as my household,” she mentioned. “You all strengthen me.”

She additionally made it clear that Milwaukee and the nation must do extra to fight racial injustice and defend folks with psychological sickness. 

“Each time we begin feeling higher about it there are extra killings,” she mentioned. “It continues to maintain occurring.” 

Milwaukee County Supervisor Sequanna Taylor, a lead sponsor of county laws in assist of offering the $3,000 bench, mentioned the Hamilton household wished the bench to be a therapeutic place for a hurting metropolis. 

“It is a bench to commemorate her son however under no circumstances is that this justice for the lifetime of her son,” she mentioned. “We’ve obtained loads of work to do.”

Standing round speaking earlier than the ceremony, longtime Milwaukee resident Xavier Thomas, took discover of what gave the impression of police sirens within the neighborhood.  

“I believe we’ll be performed with this when that sound doesn’t make my knees shake and make me scared,” mentioned Thomas, who’s Black. “That’s a paramedic and all people who’s Black out right here broke their neck to show round and look.” 

What’s equally disturbing to Thomas is what his younger son says throughout imaginary play time. 

“What’s loopy is my 4-year-old son saying ‘the police are coming to get you.’ I’m like ‘the place did you be taught that?’” 

County Govt David Crowley mentioned the Hamilton household’s continued deal with the problem of psychological well being and justice over time has had a optimistic affect on the neighborhood. 

“It is a time not solely to recollect his loss of life and acknowledge the lots of the injustices and disparities we proceed to see not solely in our personal neighborhood however throughout this nation, that is additionally a possibility to acknowledge how this household has continued to make use of this loss of life to encourage others,” Crowley mentioned. “They won’t permit Dontre’s loss of life to be in useless.” 

Police officer Christopher Manney was fired following Hamilton’s killing.

Manney’s use of lethal pressure was deemed justified by then-police chief Edward Flynn, however Flynn fired him for violating two division guidelines pertaining to when to provoke a pat-down and how one can strategy individuals who might undergo from psychological sickness.

Manney appealed his firing and tried unsuccessfully for a number of years to achieve his job again.

Extra:Dontre Hamilton memorial bench permitted by Milwaukee County Board following tense debate