Al Sharpton to deliver eulogy for Black man who died after being held down by Milwaukee hotel guards
MILWAUKEE — The Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver a eulogy for a black man who died last month after being pinned to the ground by security guards at a Milwaukee hotel, his office said Tuesday.
The death of Dvontaye Mitchell has drawn comparisons to the murder of George Floyda black man who was killed in 2020 after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck and back.
Sharpton, an activist and early leader who serves on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, said in a press release that he will speak at Mitchell’s funeral on Thursday. Republican National Convention opens just a few days later on July 15, and law enforcement agencies are brace for political protests around the convention center in Wisconsin’s largest city.
Sharpton said Congressmen should be aware of Mitchell’s death.
“We cannot stand by and watch the murder of Dvontaye Mitchell be swept under the carpet by the RNC coming to town, where they will confirm a nominee whose vision of justice is pure brute force,” Sharpton said, referring to former President Donald Trump.
Mitchell, 43, died June 30 at the Hyatt Regency after four security guards held him down on his stomach, media reported. Police said Mitchell entered the hotel, caused a disturbance and fought with guards as they escorted him out.
Mitchell’s family has hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented Floyd’s family. His death has sparked worldwide protests against racial violence and police brutality.
It is unclear why Mitchell was at the hotel or what happened before guards pinned him down. The initial report from the Milwaukee County coroner said Mitchell was homeless, but his family told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel That’s not true. Sharpton said in a press release announcing his visit to Milwaukee that Mitchell was struggling with a mental health crisis, but he did not elaborate.
Police officials were still investigating Mitchell’s death Tuesday, the Journal Sentinel reported. An email sent by The Associated Press to the police department’s general media inbox seeking an update on the investigation went unanswered.
The coroner’s office has said the preliminary cause of death was homicide, but the cause is still under investigation. As of Tuesday, no criminal charges had been filed.
A spokesman for Aimbridge Hospitality, which runs the Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee, told the Washington Post that the company extends its condolences to Mitchell’s family and supports the ongoing investigation.