Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee protest group slams RNC demonstrations plan, vows to march its own route
Republican National Convention sets safety perimeters, protest zones
The Secret Service and the City of Milwaukee discuss the security measures and protest zones that will be in place during the 2024 Republican National Convention.
Secret Service
Hours after the demonstration areas for next month’s Republican National Convention were unveiled Friday, the most prominent group planning to protest the event slammed the plan and vowed to march its own route.
Omar Flores, co-chair of the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024, rejected the city’s plans for demonstration areas at parks on the north and south ends of a “hard” security zone that will encompass the primary convention sites of Fiserv Forum on the north down to the Baird Center on the south.
“It’s completely insulting for them to offer either of those parks because they’re not within sight and sound of the Fiserv Forum,” Flores said at a press conference outside the federal Courthouse where earlier discussions failed to produce a resolution to the group’s lawsuit against the city over its plans for demonstrations.
On Friday, representatives from the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, city and Milwaukee County announced the location of the demonstration areas and a march route in addition to the boundaries of a hard security zone that credentials will be needed to enter for the July 15-18 event.
Of note was the inclusion of Pere Marquette Park in the hard security zone, a move the Secret Service had previously resisted despite pressure from Republicans to do so. The city had been expected to designate the space just west of the Milwaukee River and two block from Fiserv Forum as a demonstration area, causing consternation for Republicans, the Coalition and nearby businesses for different reasons.
Two demonstration areas will instead be located at Haymarket Square on the north side of the hard zone and at Zeidler Union Square on the south side.
A demonstration march route will be on the south side of the hard zone, beginning and ending at Zeidler Union Square.
“We believe we provided premier access on both the south and the north side,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s Chief of Staff Nick DeSiato said.
He pointed to the area where the march route will take demonstrators directly up to the fence outside the Baird Center, where media from around the nation and globe will be working.
On the north side, he said, demonstrators will be close to Fiserv Forum, where primary convention activities will take place. Former President Donald Trump is expected to formally accept the party’s nomination in the arena during the convention, setting up a rematch of the 2020 race for the White House between Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden.
The northern demonstration zone is also by an area where delegates will be entering, DeSiato said.
Citing the group’s lawsuit, he said he could not speak to how the city would respond if anyone chose to march a route different than the one designated by the city.
It’s difficult to gauge how many people will choose to demonstrate at the city’s designated areas because the city does not ask how many people are expected to accompany the applicant, he said. About 100 applications have been filed with the city to demonstrate during the RNC, he said.
“We also suspect that just like any national convention, there’ll be some ad hoc demonstrating,” he said. “And if you’re lawfully demonstrating on a sidewalk, you can lawfully demonstrate on a sidewalk. If you’re lawfully demonstrating on public property, you can lawfully demonstrate on public property.”
Flores vowed to march a route the group expects to release soon, saying it will be a “family-friendly protest.” And while he said the group does not plan to try to march into the hard zone, the group won’t be limited to the sidewalk, either.
Flores said he expected thousands of people to be part of the group’s march, making it unsafe to try to squeeze onto the sidewalk.
As for the group’s plans to march its own route, he said, “If MPD is serious about what they’re saying, then we shouldn’t be worried about any type of arrest and honestly, I’d encourage them to not even show up.”
At an earlier press conference, Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said police would seek to be patient and communicative, though he said there would be limits.
Friday’s back and forth was the latest in a monthslong debate over the city’s plans for demonstrations during the convention.
Representatives of the Coalition to March on the RNC met with officials on June 17 in an ultimately failed effort to resolve the federal lawsuit the group brought earlier this month over the city’s demonstration plans.
The group is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, which on Friday also criticized the demonstration plans and the size of the downtown hard zone.
“The large size of this zone makes it more critical than ever that the City take steps to allow for effective opportunities for expression and assembly by those with differing viewpoints,” Tim Muth, staff attorney for the ACLU of Wisconsin, said in a statement.
He also said the inclusion of Pere Marquette Park in the hard zone “cannot be justified” and “represents an impermissible concession to the Republican National Committee, which did not want to see or hear demonstrators near its convention.”
Republicans previously argued that locating a demonstration zone at Pere Marquette Park would force convention attendees to walk right by protestors, creating a “mandated confrontational area.”
Secret Service RNC Coordinator Audrey Gibson-Cicchino cited the RNC’s rental of the Milwaukee County Historical Society building on the park’s southwest corner as the reason it was included in the perimeter.
Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@jrn.com. Tristan Hernandez can be reached at thernandez@gannett.com.
All-In Milwaukee will soon be able to significantly expand its reach through a new five-year, $7.4 million grant from Ascendium, a Madison-based nonprofit.
All-In Milwaukee is a nonprofit organization that provides advising, financial aid and career-focused support to help students finish college and begin careers. Since launching in 2017, All-In Milwaukee has supported 600 students.
Ascendium, which was founded in 1967, provides funds nationwide for efforts to remove barriers for individuals from low-income backgrounds seeking education and training after high school.
With this funding from Ascendium, All-In Milwaukee aims to expand its reach to serve 1,000 students annually by 2029. All-In Milwaukee currently serves 30% of eligible applicants. Of the students served, 90% are on track to graduate in six years or less, 85% are free of student debt and 88% of graduates have chosen to remain in Wisconsin through employment or graduate studies, according to the organization.
“To fully align the potential of all our scholars, we need every community member and every employer to join us and be — no pun intended — all in,” said Allison Wagner, executive director of All-In Milwaukee. “Together, we will build a bright future for Milwaukee and for Wisconsin by cultivating the college educated workforce that will drive our success.”
All-In Milwaukee and Ascendium gathered with supporters and partners at the Baird Center on Tuesday morning to announce the $7.4 million award.
“It’s a day of celebration, a day to look forward to a very bright future, and most of all, a day where we celebrate and say thank you to lots of people,” said Mary Ellen Stanek, Baird managing director and All-In Milwaukee board member.
Adrian Mora, a former All-In Milwaukee scholar who graduated from Marquette University in 2023, is now a budget analyst at Baird. As a first-generation college student, Mora said he was grateful for the resources and guidance he received as an All-In Milwaukee scholar.
“Your investment empowers more students like me to build my life here in Milwaukee,” Mora said. “I am living the life I always dreamed of, and I owe that to All-In Milwaukee, All-In Milwaukee career partners like Baird, and most importantly, the donors that make it all possible.”
Ascendium board member Joan Prince, who grew up in Milwaukee and formerly served as the vice chancellor of global inclusion and engagement at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee before she retired, said the grant to All-In Milwaukee received unanimous board approval.
“Another critical piece of this grant is actually the learning and the assessment work that we will be supporting,” Prince said. “We are going to closely study what works. We will help strengthen this program any way that we can, but we also want to develop insights that can be applied to similar initiatives worldwide. It’s just our way of ensuring that the impact of this work extends far beyond Milwaukee.”
Prince said this investment is one of the largest “big bets” Ascendium has ever made in Milwaukee.
“Our eyes are on you,” Prince said to Wagner. “Do a good job, and we might just be back here in a couple of years.”
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – JANUARY 27: Damian Lillard #0 of the Milwaukee Bucks looks to pass the ball during the game against the Utah Jazz on January 27, 2025 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo
SALT LAKE CITY – Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard each scored 35 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 125-110 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
What we know:
Antetokounmpo also had 18 rebounds and seven assists, powering the Bucks to their ninth victory in 11 games. Lillard added eight assists, and Khris Middleton provided 22 points off the bench.
Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with 19 points and nine rebounds. Collin Sexton scored 19 and Brice Sensabaugh finished with 17, including five 3-pointers.
Antetokounmpo combined with Middleton to score five baskets over six possessions and give Milwaukee a 35-26 lead going into the second quarter. Lillard then assisted on four straight buckets and drove for back-to-back layups to put the Bucks up 51-38 midway through the second.
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Utah twice cut the deficit to three, but Milwaukee pulled away for good after halftime. Back-to-back baskets from Antetokounmpo and Lillard ignited a 20-3 run, extending the Bucks’ lead to 93-69 late in the third quarter.
Takeaways
Bucks: Milwaukee shot 61% from the field and had 33 assists on 52 baskets.
Jazz: Jordan Clarkson made four 3s and finished with 13 points and five assists after missing 10 games due to left plantar fasciitis.
Key moment
Starting with back-to-back baskets, Antetokounmpo and Lillard combined for seven field goals to power Milwaukee’s decisive third-quarter run.
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Key stats
Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Lillard picked apart Utah’s defense for 40 minutes. Milwaukee’s top three scorers combined to make 40 baskets and score 92 points. Each player shot better than 60% from the field, with Middleton topping the trio at 77%.
Up next
What’s next:
Both teams are back in action Tuesday. Milwaukee is at Portland, while Utah visits Golden State.
The Source: The Associated Press
Milwaukee Police Department (MPD)
MILWAUKEE – One person was injured in a shooting in Milwaukee on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.
According to the Milwaukee Police Department, the shooting happened at about 11:30 a.m. near Darien and Green Tree.
The suspect shot into the 29-year-old victim’s vehicle, striking the victim.
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The victim went to a local hospital for treatment of injuries.
Police say the shooting resulted from an ongoing dispute, and they are looking for a known suspect.
MPD tips
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Milwaukee Police at 414-935-7360 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-Tips or use the P3 Tips app.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by the Milwaukee Police Department.
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