MILWAUKEE — It has been nearly a month since D’Vontaye Mitchell died after being held down by security guards outside the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Downtown Milwaukee.
Police said Mitchell caused some sort of disturbance in the hotel and then fought with security.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s preliminary report calls Mitchell’s death a homicide, and police have referred four charges of felony murder to the District Attorney’s office. However, no charges have been filed yet.
This is not sitting well with Mitchell’s family, or their attorney Ben Crump. On Monday evening, the family and supporters gathered outside the hotel. They held a press conference and staged a several hour-long protest, at one point the crowd shouting, “The Hyatt murdered D’Vontaye Mitchell.”
Crump and Mitchell's family said they demand that charges be filed against security officers and others involved in Mitchell’s death. In addition, they are calling for additional video to be released to the public.
Mitchell’s widow, DeAsia Harmon, expressed her frustration.
“I’ve seen it (the video), I had to sit there and watch them take my husband’s life, and nobody is in jail,” Harmon told the crowd Monday.
Crump expressed concern that, in his view, justice has not yet been served.
“D’Vontaye Mitchell, as of this day, hasn’t gotten any justice, in the criminal courts or the civil courts," said Crump. "That is why we continue to say until we get justice for D’Vontaye Mitchell, we are going the keep coming every day."
Earlier this month, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm released a statement saying “Mr. Mitchell’s death is a tragedy, and we extend our deepest condolences to his family.”
In that release, the DA’s office said that while they are reviewing Mitchell’s death as a homicide, they are awaiting the full results of an autopsy from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s office.
Crump said now is the time to charge and release the video. He said in his experience fighting on behalf of marginalized people and people of color, the passage of time does not help bring justice.
“The more time passes, the more they try to sweep it under the rug. We are not going to let them sweep it under the rug. It is not going to happen, not today,” said Crump.
Crump and Mitchell's family said they plan to continue to push for charges daily until they find justice.