Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee protest group announces new RNC march route, drops legal fight with city
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The Milwaukee protest group prepared to march on the Republican National Convention next week announced a new route Tuesday that complies with the U.S. Secret Service’s security perimeter.
The announcement came a day after a federal judge ruled against the group in its court fight over the march route.
Though parties had 48 hours to respond to the ruling, the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024 is no longer participating in legal action against the City of Milwaukee and the Secret Service, Coalition Co-Chair Omar Flores said at a Tuesday news conference outside the Federal Courthouse in Milwaukee.
The ACLU represented the Coalition in a lawsuit filed against the city in early June.
The new route comes after U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig ruled that the Coalition could not cross into the “hard” security zone surrounding the main sites of the RNC. The lawsuit had alleged the city’s RNC demonstration plans violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
“While the courts have decided exactly a week out that the city is not infringing on our First Amendment rights, we are firm in our demand to march within sight and sound of the front doors of the Fiserv Forum,” Flores said.
City spokesperson Jeff Fleming that the city officials “entirely respect the decision that was reached.”
The Coalition’s original route had the group marching directly next to Fiserv Forum, where delegates are expected to officially name former President Donald Trump as their nominee for the November election. After the security perimeter was officially announced, the group moved the route, but it still crossed into the security perimeter at Kilbourn Avenue.
The revised route avoids the crossing, starting at Red Arrow Park and crossing the Milwaukee River four times to approach the main sites of the RNC while avoiding the security perimeter surrounding Pere Marquette Park.
The group plans to gather in Red Arrow Park at 10 a.m. on July 15, the first day of the convention. Flores said there would be a rally at 11 a.m. and the march would begin at noon.
While the ACLU was not successful in the main parts of its lawsuit, Ludwig ruled in the organization’s favor that the Commissioner of Public Works could not deny speaker and demonstration platforms on the basis of a prior criminal history.
Flores said that the ruling was an “extremely weak win” and that it should not have been the case to begin with.
Fleming said that nobody who applied for a demonstration slot was turned away.
Alison Dirr of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this story.
Tristan Hernandez can be reached at thernandez@gannett.com.
A street takeover was held at the intersection of South14th and West Burnham streets
On June 8, a street takeover was held at South 14th and West Burnham streets. Hundreds congregated at the intersection to watch cars squeal tires or do donuts.
The Milwaukee Common Council on Sept. 23 unanimously passed new legislation addressing street takeovers, including fines for those who attend them.
The legislation states that no person should knowingly be present at a street takeover, which are gatherings in the public roadway as participating vehicles do burnouts and donuts. The events happen suddenly, with organizers turning to private messaging apps, and one event can be attended by hundreds.
Any person at a street takeover is now subject to a fine between $300 and $1,000, according to the legislation.
- Spectators: $500 to $1,000 fine
- Operators or organizers: $400 to $1,000 fine
- Passengers: $300 to $1,000 fine
Those who attend more than one in the same year will receive a minimum $1,000 fine. And the municipal court can impose community service related to traffic safety and default of payment could result in jail time, the legislation states.
The legislation defines a “spectator” as someone knowingly present for the purpose of viewing, encouraging, recording or otherwise attending a street takeover. This includes people filming or livestreaming the event on social media.
In recent weeks, Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Common Council members signaled an intent to pass legislation as police reported responding to hundreds of takeovers this year. The mayor’s office said Sept. 23 that he plans to sign the legislation.
Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic said at the Common Council meeting that she wanted to be “careful” that this legislation will not result in enforcement for “pop-up, organic gatherings” that she sees in her district, which includes Bay View, sometimes surrounding political actions.
“We should be able to go in our streets and voice our support or discontent with anything. That is quite different than what (we) … seek to stop,” she said. “I feel we have a delicate balance here to stop this poor behavior but still allow … open free speech at any time.”
Street takeovers returned to the forefront over Labor Day weekend, when police received about 15 calls related to them. Those took place throughout the city, including downtown, and police arrested three people. The department also issued 26 citations and towed six vehicles.
Milwaukee police previously told the Common Council the police task force responsible for the takeovers was paused Labor Day weekend to deal with violent crime on Water Street.
30th annual Milwaukee zoo bike ride
Nearly 700 cyclists rode through the Milwaukee County Zoo before opening hours for the Ride on the Wild Side fundraiser on Sunday, Sept. 14.
MILWAUKEE – Hundreds of riders pedaled through the Milwaukee County Zoo on Sunday morning, Sept. 14, for the Zoological Society of Milwaukee’s 30th annual Ride on the Wild Side.
What we know:
Organizers said nearly 700 cyclists participated, including some who took on a special 30-mile ride to mark the 30th year of the event. The big draw: a chance to ride bikes inside the zoo before it opened to the public.
“This is the one time a year you can come with your two wheels or four wheels, if you needed training wheels,” said Katie Krecklow with the Zoological Society of Milwaukee. “We have some brave souls today that decided to do a 30 mile ride today to celebrate 30 years.”
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Families described the early-morning ride as a unique experience, with animals just beginning to emerge into their exhibits.
“I think being early in the morning and you just see it from a different perspective – the animals are just coming out,” said Heather Anderson, who attended with her family.
In addition to the bike rides, participants enjoyed activities, like face painting, an obstacle course, and, of course, plenty of animal sightings.
Local perspective:
“Getting to see all the animals when they are coming out and the baby monkeys,” said Claire Anderson. “A lot of animals, like peacocks, like to walk around, and bears and elephants.”
These true stars of the show fuel the heart of the event.
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“We love supporting the zoo,” Heather Anderson said. “We live close and we come often through the year and we take part in their summer camps and family programs.”
Why you should care:
This year’s event raised more than $50,000, money that will go toward supporting zoo operations, conservation efforts, and the society’s mission of teaching children empathy for animals.
“The Zoological Society is the nonprofit partner of the Milwaukee County Zoo, so we take on a lot of the fundraising to try to help the zoo do what they do best, which is care for the animals,” Krecklow said.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.
MILWAUKEE – The last of six men charged in what Milwaukee County prosecutors described as a prostitution ring pleaded no contest and was fined on Friday.
Pleas and sentencings
In Court:
Court records show 56-year-old Christopher Riegg, an investment banker, pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct. He was fined $1,500.
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Prosecutors initially charged all six men with misdemeanor pandering solicitation. One of the six, 55-year-old Travis Schwantes, was charged with additional crimes.
Schwantes, a former public defender who once ran for a judgeship, pleaded guilty to one felony and two misdemeanors in August. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail, two years of probation and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service.
Court records show 60-year-old William Green, a former attorney, pleaded guilty to pandering solicitation and was sentenced to nine months of probation in June.
In July, 51-year-old Milwaukee firefighter David Ornstein pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and was fined $600. George Easton, a 77-year-old retired municipal judge, pleaded guilty to two such counts and was fined $1,000 in May.
Leroy Stewart, a funeral director in Oak Creek, pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct. The 54-year-old was fined $1,200 in April.
The backstory:
Hundreds of pages of search warrants were unsealed last December, and FOX6 News learned the investigation into the prostitution ring began years earlier.
The scope of what investigators uncovered included accusations of extortion. It centered on an apartment building at 29th and Kilbourn in Milwaukee.
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Dig deeper:
A woman, Roya Sedghi, was charged in fall 2023 with keeping a place of prostitution. Court records said she billed herself as the “Iranian Princess.” Records show Sedghi registered “Iranian Princess Fetish Services LLC” with the state in March 2022.
Court records show it all began to unravel a month later when a woman came forward to investigators in Dodge County, detailing what happened, and with whom, in that apartment building.
Sedghi pleaded guilty in October 2024 to keeping a place of prostitution. She was sentenced to one year in prison and three years of extended supervision.
The Source: FOX6 News referenced documents filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, as well as Wisconsin Circuit Court records, for this story.
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