• COVID-19 Resources
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Promotions
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • April 1, 2023

Milwaukee Courier Weekly Newspaper

"THE NEWSPAPER YOU CAN TRUST SINCE 1964"

  • News
  • Editorials
  • Education
  • Urban Business
  • Health
  • Religion
  • Upcoming Events
  • Classifieds

Dontre Day Calls Upon the Community to Take Action

May 7, 2016

By Mrinal Gokhale

protects-killer-vigilante-child-killer-cory-stingley-rip-sign-dontre-dayMany Milwaukeeans gathered outside Red Arrow Park Starbucks on the rainy day Saturday, April 30. Some were holding umbrellas, while others were letting the rain fall over them. A group of praise dancers along with some spoken word artists shared their words on the late Dontre Hamilton. Hamilton was an African American man shot to death by a Milwaukee police officer at Red Arrow Park on that same day in 2014.

“We need peace today more than anything,” said Sister Melissa Blue Muhammad.

woman-speaking-dontre-dayA spoken word performer known as Spitfire Shine also grabbed the crowd’s attention.

“My city has got every reason to be crying and weeping. Just moments ago, someone was let go at a funeral,” she said. She was referring to a shooting in a Milwaukee funeral that same day.

“Even in this rain, I hope someone has that tingling feeling in their veins to be better.”

participants-under-umbrellas-raincoats-dontre-dayThis event was known as Dontre Day, the two year anniversary of Hamilton’s death. The day started with a march from 27th and Center to Red Arrow Park. Hamilton’s mother, Maria and her two sons, Nate Hamilton and Dameion Perkins, organized the event. Upon arriving at the park, the group had 14 seconds of silence for the 14 times Hamilton had been shot.

The death of Hamilton was controversial for many reasons. Hamilton was mentally ill, and he had been sleeping on an outdoor bench at Starbucks. Allegedly, Hamilton grabbed Officer Christopher Manney’s baton to attack him while he was getting patted down. This led Manney to shoot him. Manney has since been fired, although he hasn’t been charged with civil rights violations.

federal-investigation-mpd-sign-dontre-day“Dontre was just minding his own business, and someone working at Starbucks called the police. The police officer must have given the caller the response they wanted,” Muhammed said.

Nate Hamilton and his mother have both led several marches since the incident, to bring light to police brutality. Hamilton said that Dontre Day was being held to honor his late brother. He is the founder of the Coalition for Justice, a nonprofit organization. He along with his brother, mother and many others wore blue to honor Dontre.

justice-for-dontre-hamilton-sign-dontre-day“We want to honor Dontre and those who have lost their lives at the hands of policemen,” Hamilton said. University of Wisconsin Milwaukee’s Community Counseling students displayed a table for children because the event was oriented around a sensitive subject. They handed out juice boxes and fruit snacks at their table, but were also there in case anyone found the speeches and performances triggering.

“We are here to help them cope in case they feel sad or nervous, and luckily, that hasn’t happened,” said Melisa Madsen, doctoral community psychology student at UWM.

The celebration was supposed to go until 6 p.m. Performers and speakers moved to All People’s Church to finish up at about 4 p.m. due to the rain.

Share:

  • Facebook
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

Popular Interests In This Article: Christopher Manney, Dontre Day, Dontre Hamilton, Mrinal Gokhale, Nate Hamilton, Sister Melissa Blue Muhammad, Spitfire Shine

Read More - Related Articles

  • “Art of Flavor” Mural Initiative Completed Upon Bucks Victory
  • ‘The Leader Our Parents Taught Us To Be’: The Evolution Of Nate Hamilton
  • President Trump and First Lady Test COVID-19 Positive
  • Kamala Harris Talks Small Business Recovery During Milwaukee Visit
  • Mike Bivins Endorses Biden-Harris Presidency

View COVID-19 Resources

Become Our Fan On Facebook
Find Us On Facebook


Follow Us On Twitter
Follow Us On Twitter

Editorials

Lena Taylor
Lakeshia Myers
Rev Jesse Jackson Sr Ashanti Hamilton

Journalists

Mrinal Gokhale
Dylan Deprey
Karen Stokes
Hayley Crandall
Ana Martinez-Ortiz

Topics

Health Care & Wellness
Climate Change
Upcoming Events
Obituaries
Milwaukee NAACP

Politicians

Pres. Barack Obama
Gwen Moore
Tom Barrett
Milele A. Coggs
Spencer Coggs

Classifieds

Job Openings
Bid Requests
Req Proposals
Req Quotations
Apts For Rent

Contact Us

Milwaukee Courier
2003 W. Capitol Dr.
Milwaukee, WI 53206
Ph: 414.449.4860
Fax: 414.906.5383

Copyright © 2023 · Courier Communications | View Privacy Policy | Site built and maintained by Farrell Marketing Technology LLC
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.