Here & Now

Tom Barrett Talks About Going Forward After Rioting

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

IT’S BEEN THE WORST KIND OF WEEK FOR ANY MAYOR OF A MAJOR CITY, OFFICER-INVOLVED FATAL SHOOTING, VIOLENT PROTESTS RESULTING IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN DAMAGE, INJURY TO COPS AND CITIZENS. A PART OF THE CITY TEETERING ON THE BRINK OF CHAOS. AT THE HELM AS ALL OF THIS UNFOLDED IN NEGATIVELY SPECTACULAR FASHION, MAYOR TOM BARRETT. HE JOINS US TONIGHT FROM MILWAUKEE WITH HOW THINGS STAND NOW. MAYOR, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

TOM BARRETT:

THANK YOU, FREDERICA.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WELL, AT WEEK’S END, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE TENSION LEVEL IN YOUR CITY?

TOM BARRETT:

WE OBVIOUSLY STILL HAVE ISSUES HERE THAT ARE UNDERLYING WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEKEND, BUT I’VE SEEN AN AMAZING RESILIENCE FROM CHURCH GROUPS, FROM RESIDENTS, FROM BUSINESSES, UNLIKE ANYTHING I’VE SEEN BEFORE. SO RIGHT NOW I’D SAY THE SPIRIT IS VERY MUCH ONE OF RESILIENCY AND DETERMINATION THAT WE’RE GOING TO MOVE THE CITY FORWARD IN A POSITIVE WAY AS OPPOSED TO NEGATIVE IMAGES WE SAW LATE LAST SATURDAY NIGHT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SPEAKING OF THOSE, HOW FEARFUL WERE YOU ABOUT ESCALATION WHEN THOSE VIOLENT PROTESTS BROKE OUT LAST WEEKEND?

TOM BARRETT:

THERE WAS ACTUALLY ABOUT A TWO-HOUR PERIOD WHERE THE POLICE HAD TO REGROUP. I HAD RECEIVED WORD OF THE SHOOTING AT A LITTLE BEFORE 4:00 ON SATURDAY. I WENT TO THE SCENE. IT DIDN’T LOOK LIKE IT WAS GOING TO BE TROUBLESOME AT THE SCENE WHEN I WAS THERE ABOUT FIVE O’CLOCK. OBVIOUSLY THINGS TURNED FOR THE WORSE AROUND 10:00. BETWEEN 10:00 AND 12:00, THAT WAS THE PERIOD IN WHICH THE POLICE HAD TO REGROUP. BUT ONCE THEY GOT IN THERE, ONCE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS ABLE TO GET IN, THINGS STARTED STABILIZING. WE HAD A SHORT PERIOD SUNDAY NIGHT AFTER THE VIGIL WHERE THINGS WERE TROUBLESOME AS WELL. BUT I THINK ONE THING I WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND IS DURING THIS ENTIRE ORDEAL, THE MILWAUKEE POLICE DEPARTMENT NEVER FIRED A SHOT. AND THAT’S SOMETHING THAT IS EXTRAORDINARY WHEN YOU THINK OF THIS POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE PRESSURE IT WAS UNDER BECAUSE ROCKS WERE BEING THROWN. THERE WERE SHOTS BEING FIRED. AND A LOT OF THIS HAS TO DO WITH POLICE COMMUNITY RELATIONS. AND THE FACT THAT OUR POLICE WERE VERY PROFESSIONAL, INCREDIBLY PROFESSIONAL WHEN THEY WERE TESTED THE MOST I THINK SPEAKS VOLUMES.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

PRIOR TO THAT, I’VE READ THAT POLICE CHIEF ED FLYNN EXPRESSED SURPRISE THAT THERE WAS SUCH A VIOLENT REACTION TO THE OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING. WERE YOU SURPRISED?

TOM BARRETT:

AGAIN, I WAS AT THE SCENE. I WAS AT THE SCENE BETWEEN 4:00 AND 5:00. THE SHOOTING TOOK PLACE AT ABOUT 3:30, 3:35. I WAS THERE SHORTLY AFTER FOUR O’CLOCK AND COULDN’T SEE ANY SIGNS AT THAT POINT THAT THINGS WERE GOING TO GO IN A BAD DIRECTION. OBVIOUSLY WE KNOW THERE’S A NATIONAL SCENARIO OUT THERE. THERE ARE ISSUES IN MILWAUKEE, POVERTY ISSUES, CRIME ISSUES. A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY THAT ECHOES WHAT YOU SEE NATIONALLY. SO I THINK WHAT HAPPENED WAS IT FINALLY CAUGHT THERE, IF YOU WILL. AND A LOT OF THIS HAD BEEN BREWING. THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH THE GAS STATION IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. THAT WAS A GAS STATION THAT HAD BEEN BURNED DOWN. SO I THINK IT’S MORE A CASE OF WHAT DO WE DO AS WE MOVE FORWARD NOW. AND I’VE TALKED TO ALMOST ALL THE BUSINESS OWNERS BECAUSE I’D LOVE TO SEE THEM REBUILD. I’D LOVE TO SEE THEM COME BACK INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. COME BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY. SO THAT’S ANOTHER STEP THAT WE’RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

NOW, WE KNOW THAT YOU’VE TOLD US THAT THE POLICE FORCE DID A REALLY ADMIRABLE JOB IN RESTRAINING, YOU KNOW, ANY FURTHER KIND OF VIOLENCE, BUT ARE YOU IN FAVOR OF HAVING THE NATIONAL GUARD ACTIVATED INTO YOUR CITY?

TOM BARRETT:

WELL, WHAT HAPPENED THERE WAS THE GOVERNOR AND THE SHERIFF MADE IT CLEAR THAT THEY WERE GOING TO ACTIVATE THE NATIONAL GUARD. WHAT I DID IS I SAID, BECAUSE WE’VE BEEN DOWN THIS ROAD BEFORE, IS THAT I WANTED THAT TO BE UNDER THE COMMAND OF THE POLICE CHIEF. SO YOU DIDN’T SEE THE NATIONAL GUARD OUT THERE. THEY WERE ACTIVATED. THEY WERE NOT DEPLOYED. AND THERE’S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO. SO THEY WERE SEVERAL MILES AWAY. THEY WERE PREPARED TO COME IN, BUT THE POLICE CHIEF FELT — AND I TOTALLY SUPPORT POLICE CHIEF FLYNN IN THIS — THAT THIS WAS A MATTER THAT WOULD BE BEST HANDLED BY THE MILWAUKEE POLICE. AND THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED FOR THE OFFICERS THAT WERE UNDER HIS JURISDICTION. BECAUSE I DIDN’T WANT TO AND THE POLICE CHIEF DIDN’T WANT TO ACCELERATE THIS. AND, AGAIN, I THINK WHAT YOU SAW WAS YOU SAW A FIRST NIGHT WITH SOME PROBLEMS. A SECOND NIGHT A SHORTER PERIOD, BUT BY MONDAY NIGHT UNDER THE DIRECTIVE OF THE POLICE CHIEF YOU SAW A MUCH, MUCH, MUCH MORE ORDERLY, NON-ACCELERATED SITUATION.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

MANY PEOPLE ARE CALLING FOR THE COP CAMERA VIDEO THAT THE OFFICER WAS WEARING AT THE TIME IT OF THE SHOOTING TO BE RELEASED QUICKLY. WHAT’S YOUR POSITION ON THAT?

TOM BARRETT:

I SHARE THAT SENTIMENT. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT RELEASED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT CAN YOU TELL US AT THIS HOUR ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW HAPPENED DURING THE STOP AND SUBSEQUENT SHOOTING? WE KNOW THAT THERE WAS AN AUTOPSY REPORT RELEASED LATE IN THE DAY TODAY TALKING ABOUT HOW THE PERSON WHO WAS SHOT BY THE OFFICER WAS SHOT IN THE ARM AND IN THE CHEST. WHAT ELSE CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW HAPPENED?

TOM BARRETT:

I HAVE NOT SEEN THE VIDEO. I DID SEE A SHOT THAT WAS TAKEN FROM THE VIDEO, IF YOU WILL. SO IT’S JUST ONE FRAME. IN THAT SHOT THE INDIVIDUAL WAS HOLDING A GUN. AND HE WAS LOOKING AT THE POLICE OFFICER. HE WAS PICKING UP THE GUN. AND FROM WHAT THEY HAD TOLD ME, HE HAD RUN. HE HAD FALLEN. HE HAD DROPPED THE GUN AND HAD PICKED UP THE GUN. AND THAT WAS THE SHOT THAT I SAW. I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THAT. SO WE’RE GOING TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THAT WHEN THE VIDEO IS RELEASED.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHERE DOES THE CITY GO FROM HERE?

TOM BARRETT:

I THINK THE CITY GOES FROM HERE IN THAT I THINK WE’RE GOING TO BE JUDGED BASED ON WHAT HAPPENS NOW. AGAIN, IT WAS A BAD TWO-HOUR PERIOD. THERE’S NO QUESTION THAT WAS A BAD TWO-HOUR PERIOD. BUT I’M INTERESTED IN THE FUTURE. AND I’M INTERESTED IN HOW THIS COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER. A LOT OF THE ISSUES UNDERLYING THE UNREST REALLY REVOLVE AROUND POVERTY, AROUND JOBLESSNESS, JOB TRAINING, EDUCATION, ISSUES LIKE PUBLIC SAFETY. AND I’M VIEWING THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING THIS COMMUNITY TOGETHER AND HOPEFULLY WITH SOME HELP FROM THE STATE BE ABLE TO HAVE SOME RESOURCES PUT HERE SO THAT WE CAN ADDRESS SOME OF THESE UNDERLYING ISSUES. I ALSO NEED TO HAVE HELP FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. BUT I’LL SAY THAT THUS FAR I’VE GOTTEN A GREAT RESPONSE FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. AND THE CHURCH GROUPS, THE NEIGHBORHOODS, HAVE BEEN PHENOMENAL. THE FACT THAT LITERALLY THE MORNING AFTER THIS HAPPENED YOU HAD HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE OUT THERE PICKING UP THE NEIGHBORHOOD TELLS YOU PEOPLE WANT THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. PEOPLE WANT THIS CITY TO SUCCEED AND THAT IS VERY, VERY HEARTENING.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

ALL RIGHT. TOM BARRETT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

TOM BARRETT:

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.