WAUWATOSA — The noon to 8 p.m. designated hours for peaceful protesting in Wauwatosa has now been removed after pushback from residents.
The change comes a day after protesters and Wauwatosa police clashed around the 8 p.m. protest cut off time.
The confrontation and arrests happened near the intersection of 70th Street and Aetna Ct.
Some people in the area said after several protests through here, they didn't expect to see anything like what they saw Friday night.
A man mowing his lawn early Saturday helped illustrate the beginning of a peaceful morning here in the neighborhood. It was a stark contrast from the tense night before.
Wauwatosa police said two people were arrested Friday night.
On Facebook Live, a man was seen being dragged off his bike and taken to the ground before being taken away by police.
It happened as protesters marched through the streets, as they've done for 78 consecutive days as of Friday.
“I think last night turned into something it didn’t have to be," said Wauwatosa Resident Robin Barry
Thursday, Wauwatosa mayor Dennis McBride instituted limited protesting hours between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m.
“if you have a time limit on it. That’s not free speech," Barry said.
The city's move comes after last week's unrest outside of a home belonging to the girlfriend of suspended Wauwatosa police officer Joseph Mensah.
Mensah has shot and killed three people in the last five years while on duty. Two of those shootings were deemed justified. A ruling on the third is pending.
The limited hours were called back Saturday afternoon after drawing a response from the American Civil Liberties Union.
State Representative Jonathan Brostoff said uninterrupted protesting Saturday would've ended sooner if not for the confrontation.
“They didn’t make anyone safer. In fact, they escalated things and someone could’ve gotten hurt because of their actions," he said.
In the meantime, Brostoff said protesters will not be intimidated as protesting continues.
