Bucks tear into 'shameful and inexcusable' cops after body cam footage surfaces
Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said Wednesday that officers “acted inappropriately” in a January incident involving Milwaukee Bucks rookie Sterling Brown and have been disciplined.
The department released the officers’ body camera video, which brought a strong statement from Brown’s team Wednesday.
“The abuse and intimidation that Sterling experienced at the hands of Milwaukee Police was shameful and inexcusable,” the Bucks said in a statement. “Sterling has our full support as he shares his story and takes action to provide accountability.
“Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated case. It shouldn’t require an incident involving a professional athlete to draw attention to the fact that vulnerable people in our communities have experienced similar, and even worse, treatment.
“We are grateful for the service of many good police officers that courageously protect us, our fans and our city, but racial biases and abuses of power must not be ignored.”
An officer confronted Brown at a Walgreens drugstore around 2 a.m. Jan. 26 because his vehicle was parked across two disabled parking spaces.
“You don’t see any issue here?” the officer asked Brown about his parking job, as shown in the released video.
The 6-foot-6, 230-pound rookie was standing close to the officer, and when asked to step back, he moved only slightly.
“Are you obstructing me? I just told you to back up,” the officer said.
“I just did,” Brown said. “You touched me first.”
The officer called for backup, and more police arrived on the scene. The first officer told them that Brown had been getting in his face.
While officers were talking to Brown, one of them could be heard telling him, “Take your hands out of your pockets, now!”
He didn’t do so, saying he had “stuff in my hands.”
Officers then surrounded Brown and tased him.
Shortly afterward, the first officer told Brown, “Sorry, I don’t follow the Bucks. I didn’t recognize you. I didn’t recognize your famous name.”
“No, it ain’t famous. It’s legit,” Brown said. At one point he added, “Look me up. Look me up.”
He was arrested but didn’t face any criminal charges.
Brown issued a statement of his own Wednesday.
“My experience in January with the Milwaukee Police Department was wrong and shouldn’t happen to anybody,” he said. “What should have been a simple parking ticket turned into an attempt at police intimidation, followed by the unlawful use of physical force, including being handcuffed and tased, and then unlawfully booked. This experience with the Milwaukee Police Department has forced me to stand up and tell my story so that I can help prevent these injustices from happening in the future.
“Situations like mine and worse happen every day in the black community. Being a voice and a face for people who won’t be heard and don’t have the same platform as I have is a responsibility I take seriously. I am speaking for Dontre Hamilton of Milwaukee, Laquan McDonald of Chicago, Stephon Clark of Sacramento, Eric Garner of New York, and the list goes on. These people aren’t able to speak anymore because of unjust actions by those who are supposed to ‘serve and protect’ the people.
“The common denominator in all of these situations has been racism towards the minority community, the abuse of power, and the lack of accountability for officers involved. The lack of repercussions for the police officers involved in so many of these cases is offensive. This is a slap in the face to the victims’ families and communities.”
Morales did not identify the officers involved, nor did the chief say what discipline was handed down.
The Milwaukee Police Association, which represents rank-and-file officers, addressed the Brown incident in a Facebook post, saying, “Use of Force will never look pretty, but it is – unfortunately, a necessary component of policing. The cause or need for force is always dictated by the subject confronting the police officer. A subject must cooperate at the point of arrest/contact; when an argument of the righteousness to the interaction is of issue, the subject may exercise the right to file a complaint.
“Inevitably every Use of Force will be scrutinized and often opinion gets in the way of fact.”
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