Milwaukee Riots: Sister of Slain Suspect Tells Rioters ‘Take That Sh*t to the Suburbs’

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By Emily Zanotti | 1:04 pm, August 15, 2016
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The sister of an armed African-American suspect shot by Milwaukee police appears to have told a crowd of gathered protesters to stop burning down the neighborhood and instead take their violent behavior to “the suburbs.”

Sherelle Smith, whose brother Sylvelle K. Smith’s death ignited a weekend of racially charged protests, rioting, looting and burning in Milwaukee, spoke in front of the media on Sunday afternoon, ostensibly to urge her fellow community members to take a more peaceful approach to activism.

CNN and others reported Sherelle Smith’s comments as pleas to stop the destruction.

Smith’s sister, Sherelle Smith, condemned violence carried out in her brother’s name, saying the community needs those businesses.

But it appears her comments went on, even after most of the media turned off their cameras. According to video footage that surfaced on social media, she appears to tell protesters to burn white neighborhoods: “Take that shit to the suburbs.”

Her statements about “peace”?

“Burning down shit ain’t going to help nothing. Y’all burning down shit we need in our community. Take that shit to the suburbs. Burn that shit down. We need our weave. I don’t wear it, but we need it.”

Milwaukee’s suburbs are predominantly white.

Sherelle Smith’s comments are likely to only fan the flames of Milwaukee’s unrest, which has roiled the city since Saturday, injuring several cops and a number of rioters.

Bystanders and journalists captured the riots on social media, as did the rioters themselves, who often accompany their footage with racially charged commentary.

While other protests of law enforcement have been mostly peaceful, Milwaukee’s quickly took a dark turn, as protesters appeared to target white motorists and white-owned businesses.

(The protesters have not claimed an affiliation with the national #BlackLivesMatter movement.)

https://twitter.com/BrotherTooTurnt/status/764706238894604288

The situation became dangerous for first responders.

Journalists cleared the streets after a group of Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reporters were targeted and chased, and one was injured.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has declared a state of emergency, but says he will not send the National Guard unless the unrest worsens.

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