The People’s Revolution Honors 200th day of Consecutive Action

A protest movement demanding social and racial justice and an end to police brutality began and hundreds of demonstrators gathered, sparked by the death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer.

Since spring, a mixed-race group known as The People’s Revolution has been carrying out the daily marches and demonstrations. The tireless group operated for several months under the daily direction of a team led by Khalil Coleman before the activist transitioned out of his leadership role.

With temperatures in the upper 20s and a trace of snow on the ground, a crowd of about 100 protesters gathered to march for the 200th consecutive day, matching a storied milestone in the city’s long history of activism.

The group on Monday marched along the same bridge where Groppi and members of the NAACP Youth Council made their crossings more than a half century ago. The bridge has been known as the James E. Groppi Unity Bridge since 1988.

Protesters led by the Rev. James Groppi, a Roman Catholic priest, set the standard by marching every day starting in the summer of 1967 until March 1968 while demanding the passage of a fair housing law in the city.

Groppi would lead protesters across the 16th Street bridge, or the viaduct as it is known to many locals. At the time, the bridge acted as a dividing line for the city’s Black and white neighborhoods.

Christine Groppi, the daughter of Groppi has been a dedicated participant in the marches that began this summer and have continued uninterrupted ever since.

“If I had been sitting at home and I wasn’t doing anything, I don’t know if I could have lived with myself,” Groppi said. “It was like a sense of moral obligation, or a sense of integrity and being true to the principles that I was raised with. I’m trying to walk that path.”\

The present demonstrators, marching to the beat of a drummer and echoing chants paused and turned silent at the north end of the bridge for an emotional and somber ceremony to remember more than 30 people, nearly all whom were Black or Hispanic, that have be killed or injured during encounters with law enforcement in Wisconsin.

For nearly half of its protest marches, the group has traversed the streets of Wauwatosa demanding accountability from the city’s elected leaders and police officials, mainly centered on issues tied to police officer Joseph Mensah, who fatally shot three people in the line of duty in five years.