Wiza releases statement on ‘recent events’ at Sunday protest
By Brandi Makuski
Mayor Mike Wiza released a statement on Wednesday about incidents that occurred during the June 7 Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Stevens Point.
In the nearly four-minute video, Wiza said he wanted to take time before making the comment to “make sure I understood all of the pieces involved,” in what police have described as a “confrontation” between BLM protesters and a group of young people driving through downtown in pickup trucks, flying American, Gadsen, and Trump flags, during the rally.
Lt. Dana Williams from the SPPD said officers already at the protest on Sunday received a complaint from a woman who said someone from one of the pickup trucks grabbed her sign and threw it back at her. Several video clips of the protest have been posted to multiple social media platforms, but it was not immediately clear if a video of the confrontation itself was among them.
Wiza had his video message published to the city’s website and social media platforms shortly before 8 a.m. on Wednesday, June 10.
In the video, Wiza said there was “absolutely no room in our community for hate, bigotry, racism, or intimidation. Zero. None. It’s not who we are.”
Wiza went on to say it was “very clear” to him the young people in the trucks came downtown “with the sole intention of disrupting that protest and inciting a reaction. It was premeditated and choreographed. Regardless of their rights, the intent was transgression, and that is unacceptable. When they didn’t get the reaction they wanted the first time they drove through; they did it again, and again, until the got what they were seeking. This type of behavior is not something our community wants. We condemn it and denounce it in our loudest voices possible. And we assure you, we will pursue justice to the fullest extent possible. That is a promise.”
The incident will be investigated by the Marshfield Police Department to avoid any conflict of interest, as one of the boys involved in the grandson of a former Stevens Point police officer.
On Thursday afternoon, Marshfield Assistant Police Chief Patrick Zeps said they had not yet begun their investigation.
Wiza added the incident was “perpetrated by a small group of individuals who do not represent our city,” and that MPD would take over the investigation to “ensure we were able to completely separate the Stevens Point Police Department, the police and fire commission, and even city hall from any possible influence while the crimes are investigated….I’m sure they will help us deliver justice to those who organized and came downtown with the intention of inciting a reaction.”
Wiza closed the video by saying all city employees had the same goal of “wiping hate, racism, and injustices from our community, and we will continue to work with leaders in our marginalized population to learn, understand, and most importantly, to act, to provide a safe, respectful, and equitable community for all of us.”
City Attorney Andrew Beverage said he “did not have any input on the video, and was not consulted with regarding its content.”