Supervisor Clancy Applauds Settlement in Clancy vs. City of Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE – This morning, the parties in the federal court case of Supervisor Clancy vs. the City of Milwaukee reached a settlement agreement. Supervisor Ryan Clancy made the following statement:

“I am grateful that, three and a half years after my unlawful arrest at the hands of the Milwaukee Police Department, we finally have what we were asking for from the beginning: an agreement from the City Attorney’s office to clarify that mayors cannot unilaterally declare curfews without action from the Common Council and that any future curfews have clear carve-outs for both elected officials and legal observers from organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Lawyers Guild. The goal of this case was never financial gain, but instead to shed light on the policies of law enforcement during largely peaceful protests. These policy concessions from the city allow us to collaborate on and correct harmful procedures moving forward.

“I am heartened that this settlement will allow new policies to be in place before the Republican National Convention, and the over-policing likely to come with it, descends on the city in 2024.

“The facts of the case that the trial brought to light should be troubling to any resident of Milwaukee. We now have sworn depositions that there was no probable cause to arrest me shortly after my inauguration in May of 2020; a Milwaukee police officer was impeached on the stand because of that testimony. We saw the footage of the brutal arrests of residents who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. We heard that the Milwaukee Police Department and the Sheriff’s Department intentionally turned off their body cameras before engaging in that brutality. We even heard a sworn officer bizarrely testify for the first time at trial that he arrested me because he thought I had a gun. The officer had not mentioned a gun once in any report, statement or deposition over the last three and a half years, nor was there any evidence for such a claim, including on the video footage. And we came to understand the dire need for residents to continue to document the actions of law enforcement which often operates without accountability or honesty.

“We must do better. Bringing this case to trial and pushing for policy change rather than accepting merely a fiscal settlement from the city, even knowing that the odds were against us, was the right thing to do. I am glad that it paid off. I am grateful for the dedication and support of the many individuals and groups working to hold law enforcement and elected leaders accountable, especially Attorneys Drew DeVinney and Frankie Ovando from the Martin Law Office who have spent years pursuing transparency and accountability in this case.”

In May of 2020, Supervisor Clancy was among approximately 70 individuals arrested and cited by Milwaukee police for violating the 9 p.m. curfew imposed by the City of Milwaukee. Video footage of the incident shows an unidentified officer charging at him before he was tackled and restrained with zip ties.

The links to the footage referenced in Supervisor Clancy’s statement can be found here and here.

The legal action taken by Supervisor Clancy highlights the broader issues surrounding civil rights violations, police brutality, First Amendment rights, and the use of curfews in the context of protests.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.