[Milwaukee, WI] – On Thursday, February 19th 2026, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression will be picketing the Milwaukee Police Department’s District One office. We heard it loud and clear at the January Fire and Police Commission meeting: the community demands an end to reckless police chases, no collaboration with Israel, and a policy to protect our city from ICE.
The ever-so-slight changes made to Standard Operating Procedure 660 have already proven to be ineffective.Not even two full months into 2026, there have been two deaths related to police engaged high-speed car chases. A substantial change to the SOP is required to truly stop these chases from further endangering our community. We demand an end to reckless police chases and an increase in safety infrastructure that does not include intense surveillance of our communities.
Even outside of police chases, Police Chief Norman has made it clear that he does not care about the safety of our communities. By going to Israel later last year, he has made the decision to jeopardize the safety of people of color in Milwaukee. We have been told that he went to learn anti-terrorist tactics. The internet has seen these “tactics” play out for the past two and a half years in Gaza and the West Bank. We will not sit around and wait for Chief Norman to use these tactics on people in Milwaukee.
The tactics that are used in Israel to oppress are not unlike those used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers here in the States. Because of this, it should be unsurprising that Chief Norman has found no reason to make a plan to protect our city from ICE given his recent trip to Israel.
MPD must be held accountable for ignoring the needs and demands of the community. Earlier this week, a chase started by ICE agents in Georgia resulted in a fatal crash killing Linda Davis, a K-8 special education teacher. If ICE were to invade our city as it has in our neighboring states, they cannot be allowed to run rampant. The Milwaukee Police Department has the responsibility to keep this community safe, and it’s time they step up to that responsibility. On Thursday, February 19th, 2026, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression will be joined by Comite Sin Fronteras and other community members to demand that MPD listen to Milwaukee. We will meet at 4:00pm at Milwaukee Police Department District 1 (749 W State St, Milwaukee, WI 53233).
