NEW BERLIN, WI — For an hour Tuesday night, people waited to hear from the New Berlin Common Council as elected officials held a special session to discuss petitions of removal stemming from the Milwaukee Rescue Mission development.
Most were there hoping to hear an update nearly a month after Mayor David Ament reposted multiple Facebook posts that received outrage for being anti-Muslim and misogynistic including one showing soldiers holding bacon with the caption "How to stop a Muslim invasion."
After spending an hour in closed session, the council adjourned with no discussion in front of citizens.
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Shamshad Siddiqui, a New Berlin resident who has lived in the city for decades, said the posts stood out in an otherwise welcoming community.
"Being in the city of New Berlin for as long as I have, the people are great, they are friendly, I've never had an incident that stood out to me except this," Siddiqui said.
Siddiqui said the nature of the posts initially caught her off guard.
"Initially I thought his account was hacked by a teenager, the kind of posts I was seeing," Siddiqui said.
TMJ4 reporter Brendyn Jones tried to ask the aldermen to discuss what happened behind closed doors. Alder John Hopkins declined.
The lack of comment frustrated those who had sat through the hour-long session. Janan Najeeb, executive director of the Muslim Women's Coalition, questioned what steps the council had taken.
"What has the Common Council done to educate this mayor and to require him to make amends for what he has done," Najeeb asked.
Last month, Ament read a written statement before exiting ahead of public comment.
"For this I am sincerely sorry for the divisions and hurt I've caused many of you and in our community," Ament said.
I emailed Ament multiple times Tuesday night but did not receive a response.
Najeeb said the mayor's conduct has broader implications for the city.
"Across the board, this mayor is a problem for New Berlin," Najeeb said.
The council members did not discuss if or when any actions would be taken in the future, only adding to the frustration felt by residents.
"I think the Common Council needs to do more than to have these meetings in closed session — they have to step up," Siddiqui said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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