Emotional TV interview captures the frustration over police shooting in Milwaukee

'We are losing loved ones every day to the people who are sworn to protect us.'
 By 
Keith Wagstaff
 on 

An impassioned speech by a young man who identified himself as the brother of the man killed by police in Milwaukee on Saturday night has gone viral.

Riots broke out after Sylville Smith was shot by police after he allegedly fled a traffic stop while armed. Smith, 23, was black; the name and race of the police officer who shot him has not been released.

At least four businesses were burned down during the unrest. Later, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker activated the National Guard.


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The situation calmed down on Sunday, as neighbors came out to clean the debris from the night before.

As people on social media tried to make sense of what happened, a video of a man who said he was the brother of Smith talking to the local CBS affiliate made the rounds.

"Once again, the police failed to protect us like they said they would do," he said. "We are losing loved ones every day to the people who are sworn to protect us."

When asked by the reporter what it would take for "you guys" to "stop this chaos," the young pointed to the police as the source of the violence.

"This is the madness that they spark up. This is what they encourage. This is what they provoke," he said.

"This is what you get. You get a lot of people that is hurt. They can't vent the right way."

He then got very emotional, adding, "We're not the one who is killing us. You're killing us. We can't make a change if you all don't change."

This isn't the first time Milwaukee has experienced protests over a police shooting. Back in 2014, many in the city were upset after an officer shot Dontre Hamilton -- a mentally ill black man who prompted a police complaint by sleeping in a park -- a total of 14 times.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Keith Wagstaff

Keith Wagstaff is an assistant editor at Mashable and a terrible Settlers of Catan player. He has written for TIME, The Wall Street Journal Magazine, NBC News, The Village Voice, VICE, GQ and New York Magazine, among many other reputable and not-so-reputable publications. After nearly a decade in New York City, he now lives in his native Los Angeles.

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