On a plane from Dallas to Milwaukee on Sunday, a resident of Riverwest had a brief exchange with Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke. That exchange led to the resident, Dan Black being confronted by a group of deputies when the plane landed at Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee.
Sheriff Clarke posted a statement on his Facebook page, saying, “Next time he or anyone else pulls this stunt on a plane they may get knocked out. The sheriff said he does not have to wait for some goof to assault him. He reserves the reasonable right to pre-empt a possible assault.”
Dan Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes
Black, who first told his story on the Riverwest Neighborhood’s Facebook page, thought that was the end of that. The freelance videographer said he was returning to Milwaukee from a wedding in Dallas.
But when he got off the plane, Black said, he was met by a group of six uniformed deputies and two dogs, all of whom were accompanied by the sheriff. Black said he was then escorted to the waiting area and questioned by two of the deputies, who said Clarke had told them that Black had made “some remarks” to the sheriff on the plane.
Black said he burst out laughing when he saw his “welcoming party” because he knew what was happening. In the interview, he said he was asked who he was, why he was traveling to Dallas and what he thought of Clarke — a question he said he refused to answer.
Not that his political views are a secret. Describing himself as “left leaning,” Black said he was a supporter of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, during the presidential campaign. Clarke was a frequent surrogate for President-elect Donald Trump.
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