Oust Brier!

Milwaukee always tried to distinguish itself from Chicago. Because Chicago had a corrupt police department, Milwaukee opted to appoint a police chief for life to avoid corruption. It was a bad idea.  

Under Chief Brier, the police acted like a street gang—too often killing someone—usually a Black man, but occasionally a motorcycle gang member or a “hippie,” just to show that they were the toughest gang around. 

A law unto themselves, the police were notoriously racist and their Red Squad made no pretense that civil liberties applied to “subversives.” When the counter-cultural paper the Bugle publicized the name of undercover narcs, the police simply blew up the Bugle’s office and press. 

The referendum to oust him failed but set the stage for legislation that curbed his authority, resulting in his resignation in 1984.

1978–9