Full Notification

JUNE 6, 2020, PROTEST MARCHES IN OUR VILLAGE
 
This Saturday, June 6, 2020, three different protest marches will likely pass through Whitefish Bay. Whitefish Bay’s protest march begins at Big Bay Park at 1:00 pm. Shorewood has a protest march starting at Atwater Park at 1:00 pm. A third protest march is scheduled to begin at 1:00 pm in Milwaukee. The routes of all three marches are similar. Streets that potentially will be impacted are Lake Drive, Silver Spring, Hampton Road and Santa Monica.

We hope that the protestors will utilize sidewalks but that has not been the practice during recent times.  The majority of the protest marches have been non-violent. Our belief based on what has been shared and what we have observed in the area is that this will be a non-violent march. A concern that we have is that motor vehicles will be part of the protest march.

In most of the protest marches in the metro Milwaukee area; the associated motor vehicles have been the safety concern. It is not uncommon for the cars to drive in a reckless manner in the areas in front of or alongside the march. While most of the reckless driving has occurred at night when traffic is light; tomorrow’s protests are during the time of day when citizens are out and about living their lives. We expect the parade organizers to have the motor vehicle participants in their marches to operate their motor vehicles in a considerate, safe and lawful manner.

We ask that when you are out enjoying the beautiful weather tomorrow in our Village that you remain alert as it pertains to you and your children’s pedestrian safety, bicycle safety and motor vehicle safety. If you have shopping or church plans please plan accordingly. It’s possible that we could have protest marchers throughout Whitefish Bay off and on from approximately 1:00 pm to approximately 5:00 pm.

Our policing plan is to facilitate the marches to allow the participants to exercise their right to protest. We will do what we can to see that their marches are a safe and fulfilling event. We fully anticipate that any activity in Whitefish Bay will occur in a safe and respectful manner.
 
Chief of Police Michael Young
Village of Whitefish Bay Police Department