It’s a concept that’s been in the news lately but may be unfamiliar to law-abiding Milwaukeeans: “street takeovers.”
It’s a problematic and potentially dangerous activity that has been plaguing cities across the country and became front and center here with the recent rash of street takeovers over Labor Day weekend. The Milwaukee Police Department said it responded to nearly 20 takeovers that began late on Saturday and extended into early Sunday morning.
One of the more prominent takeovers took place in the intersection of North Sixth and West Clybourn streets in the Westown section of Downtown.
In a nutshell, street takeovers involve drivers performing dangerous stunts like a sideways skid (known as drifting) and spinning doughnuts in intersections in front of large groups of boisterous spectators, causing traffic disruptions and significant risks to public safety. Fireworks are often set off and, in some cases, fires are set.
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Street takeovers, which have resulted in injuries and even deaths in some cities, are typically organized and spread through social media or word of mouth.
The illegal activity has been on the radar of city leaders and law enforcement officials for months, but the multitude of takeovers last weekend pushed the issue to the forefront.
City taking action
Mayor Cavalier Johnson expressed anger at a Friday morning press conference at City Hall. He said the city is working on ways to curb street takeovers, including filing criminal chargers against drivers and even spectators, towing vehicles involved, as well as making changes to highly traveled intersections to curb such activity.
“Anybody with an ounce of common sense will tell you that these actions are disruptive and they are averting police attention from other duties. They are simply outrageous,” Johnson said. “We’re lucky that the street takeover activities that have happened here in Milwaukee have not resulted in somebody dying.”
Johnson noted that a video he watched of one of the takeovers appeared to show a car striking a spectator; it appears a spectator in the Sixth and Clybourn takeover ran into the intersection and was sideswiped by a drifting car. “They are really, really dangerous,” he said.
Police are beefing up response strategies and working to gather intelligence around this issue, while the District Attorney’s office has pledged to take “firm and appropriate action” on street takeovers when cases are brought forward, Johnson said.
“These folks who are causing these disruptions should be held to account. That’s exactly what we want to see.”
Last weekend’s street takeovers resulted in three arrests, four citations and six cars towed.
“I’m angry. I’m upset. And I’ve got a right to be. And so do the people who hear these things when they are woken up in the middle of the night,” Johnson said. “It’s very, very upsetting. Somebody is going to end up hurt or somebody is going to end up dead because of these activities.”
Johnson also put the blame on onlookers who gathered in droves to watch and record videos of the takeovers.
“The folks who show up – because you’re not doing doughnuts in the middle of the street for nobody – are helping to abet these illegal acts,” he said. “We’re acting to bring this trend to an end here in Milwaukee.”
Seeking consequences
Milwaukee County District Attorney Kent Lovern pledged to prosecute those who take part in street takeovers. “No one in any neighborhood in our community should have to put up with the type of activity that we’re talking about here today,” he said.
Lovern said he has requested that Assistant District Attorney Dax Odom work closely with law enforcement to review any appropriate individuals for criminal charges.
“Where the evidence supports it, we will not hesitate to issue criminal charges and zealously prosecute those individuals in our criminal courts,” Lovern said. “There are a range of charges that could potentially apply to those who engage in the driving behavior as well as those who insist on egging on this type of activity.”
Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said curbing street takeovers will take a collaborative effort, including from the public. He urged citizens to call 911 if they see a street takeover developing or to send tips to IFC@milwaukee.gov. “These are pop-ups and not something that is always planned, so it’s difficult to be in front of this,” Norman said. “All we can do is be ready. When we work together, we are able to have true impact.”
Norman said the Police Department monitors social media for potential leads on street takeovers. “There are a lot of different social media platforms that we have eyes and ears on, but we all know that there are social media platforms that we don’t know. There’s other ways to communicate that we don’t know,” he said. “That’s where the public comes in. It’s important for the public to know that we are tied together.”
Johnson said his office and the police department anticipated an increase in street takeovers heading into the summer months. “We were working to address this,” he said. “That’s why three months ago we endorsed an ordnance change to increase penalties, including for individuals who watch and participate in these street takeover activities.”
The proposal, which would levy fines of $500 for drivers and spectators, has “languished” with the Common Council since early June, Johnson said. “The lack of action doesn’t make much sense to me, but we’re not waiting.”
Ald. Scott Spiker, spoke out against the takeovers at Friday’s press conference but noted that any action taken by the council has to be enforceable. “You could raise the fine to $20,000 but good luck getting that through municipal court,” he said.
Norman vowed “aggressive follow-up” when investigating street takeovers.
“We will make sure that if we are able to identify you, we will find you wherever you may be,” Norman said. “The long arm of the law will come. We’ll tow your car and we’ll arrest you.”
An issue in many cities – at a sensitive time
Johnson said he has spoken with mayors of other cities about effective measures taken to combat street takeovers, including charging spectators and working to make changes to streets, even if they are short-term, to deter the activity.
He also suggested that those who set fires during the takeovers be charged with arson.
The issue of street takeovers in Milwaukee is coming to a head at a time when the federal government has deployed or has discussed deploying the National Guard to fight crime in cities across the country.
Milwaukee Police Association President Alex Ayala said this week that he plans to reach out to President Donald Trump to request the National Guard be brought into Milwaukee to assist Milwaukee police with crime control and prevention. Trump deployed the National Guard in Washington, D.C., in response to what he called a “public safety emergency” – despite dropping crime rates there.
“It’s inappropriate for the National Guard to be deployed for police missions. That is not their assignment,” Johnson said. “The National Guard and the United States military in general play a really important and crucial role here in the United States, but policing isn’t one of them. We have the partnerships here that can work to address this issue.”
Johnson went on to say:
“The National Guard has helped us in a number of ways in the past and I honor that and respect that but I don’t want to see the National Guard misused in the way that’s been happening in a national context. I don’t want Milwaukee contributing to that.”
As Johnson and other officials spoke, a protest against National Guard involvement in Milwaukee took place at nearby at Red Arrow Park.
