MILWAUKEE (AP) — The ACLU of Wisconsin is suing Milwaukee Police for what attorneys say was the unlawful arrest of two spectators at a memorial site for a black man fatally shot by police in 2016.
ACLU attorneys say in the lawsuit filed Wednesday that Jarrett English and Benetria McGowan stopped at the memorial for Sylville Smith on Aug. 30, 2016, when police began arresting people after ordering them to disperse. Smith's shooting Aug. 13 had triggered two days of riots.
The lawsuit says McGowan was on her way to work when she came to the memorial to pray for peace, and English showed up to watch the crowd. The lawsuit says McGowan and English weren't part of the group police ordered to disperse.
Milwaukee Police didn't immediately respond to an email seeking a response.
