Dontre Hamilton's family hopes his new downtown Milwaukee memorial can help better the city
A park bench in front of a downtown Starbucks is no longer a place of only sorrow for the family of Dontre Hamilton and a scar on the city of Milwaukee.
On Saturday, eight years to the day since Hamilton was awoken as he slept on the bench and shot 14 times by a Milwaukee police officer, the bench at Red Arrow Park became a place of hope.
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony, dozens of friends, family members and community leaders gathered to unveil a memorial bench that they hope will spark conversations around mental health and lead to meaningful change.
A plaque centered on the back of the bench reads:
“Dontre Hamilton was a man given to us to inspire, motivate, encourage, strengthen, love, and so much more. Every day he continues to manifest within our lives, to keep us united and strong not only as a community but as a family, to uplift us, to continue our fight towards justice. We also have used Dontre’s name to shed light on the difficulties we face around mental health issues. We can challenge Milwaukee to be better educated and informed on how to bring more consciousness in supporting those who deal with mental health.”
Hamilton suffered from mental illness and family members say he didn’t get the support he needed from Milwaukee County’s mental health services. And the police officer who killed him wasn’t adequately trained on approaching people who may be suffering from mental illness.
Hamilton’s mother, Maria Hamilton, told the racially diverse crowd that seeing the community come together over the years to fight for justice has filled her heart with joy.
“I lost a son but I gained hundreds and hundreds of human beings as my family,” she said. “You all strengthen me.”
She also made it clear that Milwaukee and the country need to do more to combat racial injustice and protect people with mental illness.
“Every time we start feeling better about it there are more killings,” she said. “It continues to keep happening.”
Milwaukee County Supervisor Sequanna Taylor, a lead sponsor of county legislation in support of providing the $3,000 bench, said the Hamilton family wanted the bench to be a healing place for a hurting city.
“This is a bench to commemorate her son but in no way is this justice for the life of her son,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Standing around talking before the ceremony, longtime Milwaukee resident Xavier Thomas, took notice of what sounded like police sirens in the neighborhood.
“I think we’ll be done with this when that sound doesn’t make my knees shake and make me scared,” said Thomas, who is Black. “That’s a paramedic and everybody who is Black out here broke their neck to turn around and look.”
What’s equally disturbing to Thomas is what his young son says during imaginary play time.
“What’s crazy is my 4-year-old son saying ‘the police are coming to get you.’ I’m like ‘where did you learn that?’”
County Executive David Crowley said the Hamilton family’s continued focus on the issue of mental health and justice over the years has had a positive impact on the community.
“This is a time not only to remember his death and recognize the many of the injustices and disparities we continue to see not only in our own community but across this country, this is also an opportunity to recognize how this family has continued to use this death to inspire others,” Crowley said. “They will not allow Dontre’s death to be in vain.”
Police officer Christopher Manney was fired following Hamilton's killing.
Manney’s use of deadly force was deemed justified by then-police chief Edward Flynn, but Flynn fired him for violating two department rules pertaining to when to initiate a pat-down and how to approach people who may suffer from mental illness.
Manney appealed his firing and tried unsuccessfully for several years to gain his job back.
More: Dontre Hamilton memorial bench approved by Milwaukee County Board following tense debate
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Dontre Hamilton memorial unveiled at Red Arrow Park in Milwaukee
