MILWAUKEE — Wisconsin’s newest historical landmark debuted on the corner of North Plankinton and East St. Paul streets. The landmark is at the site of where the Black Nite, a gay bar from the 1960s, once stood.

On August 5, 1961, the patrons of the bar defended themselves against anti-LGBTQ violence in what would become known as the Black Nite Uprising. The uprising was led by Josie Carter, who was a Black Transgender woman.

It is the first historical landmark in the state that commemorates the LGBTQ community and the story of a Black Trans woman.

On Monday, the 63rd anniversary of the uprising, Sevyn Ryan Lockett, a Black Trans Woman, watched as leaders spoke about the landmark that stands because of people like her.

“It was important to me because representation is important, we’re one of the most marginalized groups of people here in America,” Lockett said.

For Lockett, this new landmark represents the progress that LGBTQ activists have made for their community, but it’s also a reminder of how much further there is to go.

According to Everytown.org, a gun violence prevention organization, 263 transgender or gender-expansive people were killed between 2017-2023.

“I don’t think it’s (the landmark) going to solve the problem,” Lockett said. “But, I think it’s adding to the fact that we’re here, we’re queer, we exist.”

Watch: Wisconsin’s first LGBTQ historical landmark tells the story of resistance

Wisconsin’s first LGBTQ historical landmark tells the story of resistance in Milwaukee

The landmark, which is right by I-794 and across the river from the Milwaukee Public Market, will be seen by a lot of people.

Bennett Williamson, a member of Wisconsin’s LGBTQ community says this will help educate people about the rich LGBTQ history in the state.

Brendyn Jones/TMJ4

“​I think that Milwaukee is in a really exciting period of growth and in order to grow you have to educate,” said Bennett Williamson. “The more we’re able to educate one another about what has occurred here, the more growth that we’ll have, and the better it’ll be for the citizens of Milwaukee I think.”

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The Milwaukee Bucks waived two-way guard Jaylin Galloway on Aug. 1, and then the agent for center Anžejs Pasečņiks announced on ESPN he would sign with the team.

Players on two-way contracts can play 50 games in the NBA. Pasečņiks will also be able to play with the Bucks’ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.

Pasečņiks, 28, was originally the No. 25 pick in the 2017 NBA draft by Orlando, but was immediately traded to Philadelphia. The 76ers eventually renounced his rights, and he didn’t appear in a regular-season game until he signed a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards in 2019.

The contract was converted to a full deal in January 2020. Pasečņiks was then waived in January 2021.

The last time the 7-footer played significant minutes in the NBA was on Aug. 11, 2020, against the Bucks when he went 4-for-9 from the floor, including 2 of 4 from behind the three-point line, in scoring 10 points in just under 21 minutes in the “bubble” during the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.

More: What a strong free agent summer means for the Milwaukee Bucks heading into next season

Pasečņiks played last season for Palencia in Spain, averaging 13 points per game in about 22 minutes of action over 34 contests. He made just 1 of 10 three-pointers and averaged fewer than one block per game.

Galloway never appeared in an NBA game for the Bucks after signing a two-way way deal out of the Australian National Basketball League in March.

The horrid footage behind a June police shooting in Milwaukee that claimed the life of an unborn baby has just been released by officials. Family members say the video was “extremely scary” to watch.

The controversial traffic stop occurred June 20 at the corner of N. 17th Street and W. Vliet Street, authorities said. Police sought the occupants of the vehicle in connection to two prior attempted armed carjackings. Officials said officers went on a speed chase until the car was blocked inside a construction lane by a cement truck. MPD officers then approached the car giving several commands to the occupants of the car to exit: six teenagers.

Police said the driver, 17-year-old Calveyon Jeans, then reversed the vehicle, hitting the squad car behind it. Jeans then drove forward and reversed again as an officer stood behind the vehicle, police said. Another officer fired into the vehicle striking two of the teens: Jeans and his 18-year-old girlfriend who was six months pregnant, per The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The teens were transported to the hospital for treatment. However, the unborn infant did not survive the injuries, authorities said.

The Police Video

In the police footage released Friday, the vehicle is seen pulled over but speeds off seconds later. The car then makes a U-turn, runs through a light and swerves into the opposite lane. After a few minutes of driving in and out the opposite flow of traffic, the car eventually led the police onto the highway, per the video.

The vehicle then drives into the construction lane and meets a dead-end where a cement truck was parked, according to another dash cam video. The vehicle is seen trying to make a U-turn inside the lane as three officers approached with their guns drawn. Before the vehicle finished turning, one officer fired into the driver’s window. In the video, four to five teens were ordered out of the car and placed in handcuffs. More officers arrived as they cleared the vehicle.

Jeans was escorted out of the car last, appearing to be bloodied, per the video. One officer appears to provide aid to him on the ground. Jeans was unresponsive to the officer’s questions. There were little to no visuals of the pregnant teen being taken out of the car. Officers are heard in the video saying three teens were shot.

The Aftermath

Following the shooting, the department stated the officer who fired the shots was placed on administrative duty. Meanwhile, Jeans’ family are trying to understand why he used the level of force he did.

“I just would not believe that they would use deadly force when he’s simply still just trying to evade police and capture. Nothing about his action showed he was trying to hurt any officer,” said Calvin Jeans, via the Journal Sentinel. He said his son is currently in county jail.

According to the police department’s use of force policy, officers are prohibited from firing at moving vehicles “unless deadly physical force is being used against the police member or another person by means other than a moving vehicle.” The use of force may be justified if the officer perceived the vehicle is being used as a weapon against the officer.

Authorities said the vehicle in question was stolen and a firearm was recovered from inside. Jeans was slammed with nine charges including second-degree recklessly endangering safety, operating a motor vehicle to flee or in an attempt to elude an officer and armed robbery. Three other teens, including the pregnant girl, were also slammed with armed robbery charges.