MILWAUKEE — It has been a decade since Isaiah Taylor was apprehended by Milwaukee police, yet the emotional toll of that night remains vivid for him.

“When I was in the back of that car, I was terrified. I didn’t know if I was going to be taken away or what my end was going to look like,” Taylor recalled.

Related content: 1-on-1 with Isaiah Taylor, detained by MPD while delivering frozen turkey in 2016

At just 16 years old, Taylor was crossing busy Capitol Drive to deliver a frozen turkey to a neighbor just days before Christmas when he was stopped, frisked and detained by Officers Justin Schwarzhuber and Jasen Rydzewski.

Body camera footage revealed that the officers approached Taylor and continued to question him after discovering the frozen bird inside a brown paper bag.

“All I could do was look back at my house across the street with my porch light still on, knowing my mom didn’t know what was going on,” Taylor said.

His mother, former State Senator Lena Taylor, said she remembers that night as if it were yesterday.

“I remember being in the foyer of the house,” she said. “I remember just holding him for a long time. We just cried together.”

Watch: Milwaukee man’s legal battle over unlawful detention continues after decade

Isaiah Taylor granted new trial

In 2021, Isaiah Taylor sued the City of Milwaukee and the officers for violating his constitutional rights. A jury found the officers not liable, leading Taylor to appeal the decision in 2023.

This month, the Seventh Circuit Court ruled that the officers were not entitled to qualified immunity regarding Isaiah’s Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure.

“If you don’t have reasonable suspicion that someone has committed a crime, you can’t hold them for even a second,” attorney Mark Thomsen, who represents Taylor, said. “They ran for the warrant check after they both knew it was a turkey. They were just hoping to fish for something so they could arrest another young man.”

The Seventh Circuit Court has ordered a new trial. Taylor emphasized that the lawsuit is not about financial gain but rather about having his voice heard in a courtroom of his peers.

“To see if the justice system will work for me and not against me—I’m just happy I get to share my story and tell my truth,” he said.

As Isaiah Taylor continues to seek justice, he hopes his experience will resonate with others facing similar challenges, ultimately fostering a system that protects rather than persecutes.

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• Kohl’s will close 27 “underperforming” stores across 15 states by the end of March 2025.
• The closures come as the company struggles with declining sales and adapting to changing shopping trends.
• Kohl’s has also eliminated positions at its headquarters and other locations in recent years.

Menomonee Falls-based Kohl’s is set to close 27 “underperforming” stores by the end of the month.

In January, Kohl’s announced it was closing the stores, located across 15 states, along with its e-commerce distribution center in San Bernardino, California. According to USA TODAY, the 27 stores are closing on Saturday, March 29, per the stores’ webpages. The e-commerce center is slated to close in May.

Here’s what to know about the closures and if they’re affecting stores in Wisconsin:

Why is Kohl’s closing stores?

Recently, the company has struggled to maintain a customer base and adapt to changing shopping trends. Throughout 2024, Kohl’s reported decreasing sales each quarter. 

The retailer’s sales declined 9.4% in the fourth quarter of 2024 and 7.2% for the year. For 2025, the company expects a net decrease in sales for the year between 5% to 7% compared to last year.

A few weeks after announcing it would close the 27 stores, Kohl’s said it was eliminating roughly 10% of the positions at its headquarters. Additional layoffs took place in 2024 and 2023.

Amid the challenges, Kohl’s has worked to build partnerships with other brands like Sephora and Babies ‘R’ Us. It has also been experimenting with store layouts to drive sales.

More: Kohl’s has had a lot of big news lately. Here’s a rundown of everything that’s happened

Is Kohl’s closing stores in Wisconsin?

No Wisconsin stores are included on the list of Kohl’s locations closing Saturday.

Which Kohl’s stores are closing in March 2025?

The following Kohl’s stores are closing by the end of the month, according to USA TODAY:

Alabama

• Spanish Fort: 21000 Town Center Ave.

Arkansas

• Little Rock West: 13909 Chenal Pkwy.

California

• Balboa (San Diego): 5505 Balboa Ave.
• Encinitas: 134 N. El Camino Real
• Fremont: 43782 Christy St.
• Mountain View: 350 Showers Drive
• Napa: 1116 1st St.
• Pleasanton: 4525 Rosewood Drive
• Point West (Sacramento): 1896 Arden Way
• San Rafael: 5010 Northgate Drive
• San Luis Obispo: 205 Madonna Road
• Westchester: 8739 S. Sepulveda Blvd.

Colorado

• Arapahoe Crossing (Aurora): 6584 S. Parker Road

Georgia

• Duluth: 2050 W. Liddell Road

Idaho

• Boise: 400 N. Milwaukee St.

Illinois

• Plainfield: 11860 S. Route 59
• Spring Hill (West Dundee): 3000 Spring Hill Ring Road

Massachusetts

• Stoughton: 501 Technology Center Drive

New Jersey

• East Windsor: 72 Princeton Hightstown Road

Ohio

• Blue Ash: 4150 Hunt Road
• Forest Park (Cincinnati): 100 Cincinnati Mills Drive

Oregon

• Portland Gateway: 10010 NE Halsey St.

Pennsylvania

• Pottstown: 351 W. Schuylkill Road

Texas

• North Dallas: 18224 Preston Road

Utah

• Riverton: 13319 S. 3600 W Ste 13LOT

Virginia

• Herndon: 2100 Centreville Road
• Williamsburg: 100 Gristmill Plz

Where are Kohl’s stores in Milwaukee?

Kohl’s operates more than 1,100 stores nationwide, including 42 stores in Wisconsin, according to the company’s online store locator.

Kohl’s has two stores in Milwaukee, at 3737 S. 27th St. and 331 W. Wisconsin Ave. Its other Milwaukee-area locations are in Brookfield, Delafield, Glendale, Grafton, Greenfield, Menomonee Falls, Muskego, Oak Creek, Sussex, West Allis, West Bend and two in Waukesha.

More: Kohl’s Corp. sales decline 7.2% in 2024. Profit down sharply for the quarter and year.

Journal Sentinel reporter Ricardo Torres contributed to this report.

Officials are investigating a death at the old Milwaukee Mall location at West Fond du Lac and North avenues.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office says it responded to the location for a death but was unable to release more information Tuesday night.

The site was once Milwaukee’s first Sears store in the 1920s and this intersection was part of a booming retail center on the north side. Sears would close the store in 1981 and soon the Fondy Mall opened there for less than a year. The location was then marketed as Milwaukee Mall, but it was more of a indoor flea market that eventually closed over a decade ago.

In recent years, developer Kalan Haywood Sr. has been pursing plans to create a mix of uses, including a craft brewery, events venue, art gallery, office space and housing on a 7-acre site. He borrowed $3.79 million from the City of Milwaukee for a stalled hotel project and received more time to repay the loan. The deadline was this month, according to prior media coverage.

The Milwaukee Police Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for information Tuesday night about the death investigation.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.