Milwaukee imposed a 10 p.m. curfew on teenagers Monday night, following two nights of violent unrest in the predominantly black Sherman Park neighborhood sparked by the officer-involved shooting of an armed suspect on Saturday. At 10:30 p.m., Mayor Tom Barrett and Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn were cautiously optimistic at a news conference. "We think we are in, comparatively speaking, a positive place," Flynn said. The Milwaukee police arrested about half a dozen people earlier in the night, and that "seemed to have some impact, but again, we had folks from the community step forward to take a leadership role in reducing tensions within the group that had assembled." He specifically thanked pastors and other faith leaders.
"It's not a situation where we're saying everything is great," Barrett said, "but again, up to this point, the signs have been very encouraging for tonight." He urged the Wisconsin Department of Justice to release the body-camera footage of the shooting death of 23-year-old Sylville K. Smith, which he has seen. Gov. Scott Walker (R) has sent 123 National Guard members to Milwaukee County at the request of Sheriff David Clarke, but they haven't been deployed on the streets. Flynn said that earlier Monday, Police District 7 station was briefly closed amid threats and nearby gunfire. You can watch part of Flynn and Barrett's news conference, plus scenes from Sherman Park, below. Peter Weber
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