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Robert Walczykowski: Outrage after Wisconsin White man grabs neck of Black man with special needs on theft suspicion

In the footage, the elderly man can be heard saying, 'This kid over here, one of his friends stole a bike right out of a friend of mine’s yard'

Warning: The article contains a video that depicts violence that may be triggering to some individuals. Discretion is advised.

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: A viral video on the internet has sparked protests in Milwaukee recently. The video shows a White male grabbing a younger Black male by the neck, holding his bike back, and preventing him from escaping, which are arrestable offenses.  

Deangelo Wright, a good samaritan, was driving when he saw an older White man grabbing the throat of a young Black man in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He quickly took out his phone and started filming while trying to intervene and control the situation from escalating further. He tried to give an opportunity to the Black man to escape from the threat at hand by calmly coercing the older man to let go of his neck. The internet has identified the White man as Robert Allen Walczykowski, 62. The Black man is yet to be identified.

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Wright told WISN 12 that he was driving when he saw the encounter on the street. He got out of his car to film. "Just looking at it, it just looked like he was choking a kid. It was sad and very upsetting," said Wright. "He was shaking. He didn't really know what was going on, like he was confused."

According to Wright, the incident happened at the junction of Grant Avenue and 25th Street. "There's no reason why this man should be grabbing this boy by the neck. There's no excuse," Wright said.

In the footage, the elderly man can be heard saying, "This kid over here, one of his friends stole a bike right out of a friend of mine’s yard," while Wright repeatedly asks him to "let go of his neck". The video, first shared on Wright's Facebook page, has sparked outrage online. It has since circulated on all social media platforms and garnered thousands of likes. People are coming forward in favor of the young man with reportedly special needs and asking the authorities to take action against Walczykowski. 

American film producer Tariq Nasheed posted on Twitter, "This suspected white supremacist in Milwaukee who assaulted this special needs Black kid, is allegedly named Robert Allen Walczykowski. Milwaukee PD and DA John Chisholm are deliberately turning a blind eye to this crime. Remember, it was Milwaukee PD & DAs who enabled Dahmer."

The police and Milwaukee county DA haven’t released a statement about the incident, and on whether or not Walczykowski will face any charges. Some locals staged a sitdown in front of his house on Tuesday to protest against this apparent racism.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.