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Family, community members, and civil rights activists gathered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the funeral of D’Vontaye Mitchell, a Black man who died in June after being pinned to the ground outside of a Hyatt hotel.
"He was my best friend," Deasia Harmon, Mitchell’s wife, said at the Thursday service. "He protected me. He fought for me. He fought with me. My heart is so heavy."
Civil rights activist Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy at the Thursday funeral.
“We cannot watch D’Vontaye Mitchell’s murder be washed out by the RNC coming to town, where they will solidify a nominee whose view of justice is pure brute force,” Sharpton told the Associated Press ahead of the service.
The gathering at Milwaukee’s Holy Redeemer Institutional Church of God in Christ comes the same day that Aimbridge Hospitality, which operates downtown Milwaukee Hyatt Regency, announced that “several associates” had been fired for the June 30 incident, which has been compared to the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was pinned to the ground and murdered by Minneapolis police in 2020.
"The conduct we saw from several associates on June 30 violated our policies and procedures, and does not reflect our values as an organization or the behaviors we expect from our associates. Following review of their actions, their employment has been terminated," the company said in a statement to WISN.
In video of the June 30 incident, four individuals can be seen holding Mitchell on the ground, as he calls out for help.
“This is what happens when you go into the ladies room,” one of the individuals on top of the 43-year-old says.
Police said Mitchell entered the hotel, caused a disturbance, and fought with security guards escorting him out of the hotel.
The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the incident as a homicide and says it’s waiting to make a decision on filing charges until it receives information from an upcoming autopsy.
Mitchell’s family said the man was in the midst of a “mental health episode” at the time of his death.
Attorneys for the Mitchell family say they’ve reviewed additional video footage of the incident, which shows Mitchell “trying to run for his life” from something, and taking shelter in the women’s bathroom, then later being confronted by security guards with his hands up.
"This was outrageous and one of the most disgusting things that I’ve seen in 15 years of practice as an attorney," attorney William Sulton told WISN. "You will see him being beaten, punched, kicked over and over again, saying I’m sorry, please, I’ll go."
