Milwaukee activist Vaun Mayes reaches agreement with prosecutors

On By Yukito

Milwaukee community activist Vaun Mayes pleaded guilty to promoting and encouraging riots in his more than six-year-long federal criminal case related to riots that took place in the summer of 2016 in the Sherman Park neighborhood.

Civil unrest followed the fatal police shooting of a 23-year-old black man, Sylville Smith. His death sparked days of violent unrest that lasted from approximately August 13 to August 15, as rioters and protesters decried decades of systematic problems, including racism, segregation and poverty.

Mayes was charged with conspiring to firebomb a police station, and in 2018 he was charged with seven counts. Court records show prosecutors will agree to dismiss the superseding indictment at sentencing.

The plea agreement states that Mayes will plead guilty to violating a federal law for using an interstate commerce device – a cell phone – to “organize, promote, encourage, engage in or conduct a riot.”

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found that on Aug. 15, Mayes and several others “conspired, attempted to use, and used cell phones and social media to encourage others to participate in the riot,” the plea agreement said . says.

Mayes’ ongoing case has not kept him out of the public eye, as he remains an active participant in some of the community’s largest gatherings and events and can draw large crowds. This summer, he helped organize a late-night Juneteenth event at Washington Park, which was promoted to young people after booking well-known Milwaukee rappers to perform.

The event drew between 3,000 and 5,000 people and sparked outrage from public officials after a 17-year-old was shot and killed in a park after the event, and authorities said they recovered several weapons. One councilor said the event should be canceled due to a lack of coordination with law enforcement and organizers and the loss of philanthropic funds.

Mayes said other big-budget events or events coordinated by the city have had problems and haven’t faced such criticism.

On Saturday, he referred the Journal Sentinel to his lawyer but confirmed he would plead guilty. His lawyer, Robert LeBell, declined to comment. On Saturday, Mayes posted on his Facebook page.

“FINALLY,” he wrote. “The resolution is coming. People interested in supporting me, writing letters or speaking on my behalf, please contact me. Let’s end this chapter and move on!”

A change of hearing before Judge Pamela Pepper is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday in federal court.

Mayes will inevitably be sentenced at a later date. Under the agreement, the maximum penalty for this crime is five years in federal prison.