UPDATE, October 24, 2011: Arrested Occupy Milwaukee Protester Registered to Vote in Wisconsin, Georgia
Last Thursday, Occupy Milwaukee protester Austin Lee Thompson (DOB 10/15/1986) was arrested by Milwaukee Police at M&I Bank after allegedly yelling “this is a hostile takeover!” inside the bank.
Now, after exclusive Media Trackers research, serious questions have come to light regarding Thompson and his political activity in Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board reveals that Austin Lee Thompson registered and voted in the April 5, 2011 spring election. The address that Thompson claimed as his residence is 7275 N. Port Washington Rd. Glendale, Wisconsin. This address belongs to the Residence Inn, a hotel in Glendale.
When registering to vote on election day prior to the new Voter ID law as Austin Lee Thompson did, one had to have been a resident of Wisconsin for 10 days with intent to stay and provide proof of residence.
...Claiming residency at a hotel in Glendale raises significant questions about what Thompson used as a proof of residence to vote on April 5, 2011.
Furthermore, two traffic incidents in May and June 2011, incidents that occurred after Thompson voted in April, raise questions about Thompson’s Wisconsin residency.
According to Wisconsin Circuit Court Access records, Thompson was cited on May 11, 2011 in Milwaukee County for speeding. The case details show Austin Lee Thompson’s given address to be 14250 Morning Mountain Way, Alpharetta, Georgia 30004. Furthermore, Thompson was driving a vehicle with Illinois license plate X188468.
Shortly thereafter, Thompson was cited again in Racine County for failure to yield for an emergency vehicle and speeding 14 MPH over the limit. Once again, Thompson’s given address is 14250 Morning Mountain Way, Alpharetta Georgia 30004. This time, Thompson was in a vehicle with Wisconsin license plate L273747. Records show this vehicle is a 2011 Chevy Equinox.
Adding further to the questions surrounding Thompson’s Wisconsin residency and his April 2011 vote, records from the Georgia Secretary of State reveal that Austin Lee Thompson of 14250 Morning Mountain Way, Alpharetta, Georgia has an active voting status.
...In sum, Austin Lee Thompson registered and voted on April 5, 2011 using a Residence Inn as his voting address. In subsequent months, Thompson was cited for traffic violations and gave officers an address in Georgia as his residence. Furthermore, Thompson’s voting status remains active in the state of Georgia. Thompson is actively registered to vote in two different states, with his Wisconsin registration tied to a hotel.
Sound fishy?
Yes, it does.
I can't say I'm surprised by these revelations.
When Thompson shouted "this is a robbery," he may have been thinking about stealing elections.
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Although there are different versions of the story, it's fair to assume that Occupy Milwaukee protester Austin Thompson is not too bright.
Of course, if he set out to get arrested, then I guess he can be considered a smart, successful guy.
From Media Trackers:
According to reports by Sharif Durhams of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Occupy Milwaukee Facebook page, an Occupy Milwaukee protester walked into a downtown Milwaukee M & I Bank and yelled “this is a hostile takeover!” Fearing the bank was in the midst of a robbery, a bank teller hit an alarm, thus alerting police of the incident.
The Milwaukee Police Department have not confirmed the identity of the 25 year old individual, but they have confirmed that he has been arrested before at previous demonstrations.
The Occupy Milwaukee Facebook page was quick to confirm the incident with photographic evidence showing a young man in a brown sport coat being led away in handcuffs by two police officers. The individual who posted the picture said “our protest speaker got arrested downtown for apparently “disturbing the peace.”"
It's not a good idea to go into a bank and yell, "This is a hostile takeover!"
That sounds like a robbery in process to me.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
A 25-year-old man identified as Austin Thompson entered the downtown M&I branch and "yelled something to the effect of 'this is a hostile takeover' causing at least one clerk in the bank to believe that they were being robbed," said Anne Schwartz, police spokeswoman.
Police said they were not tying the man to the Occupy Milwaukee protests that started over the weekend, but noted he has been previously cited at demonstrations in Milwaukee.
However, people who identified themselves as participants in the gathering organized by Occupy Milwaukee said no one had threatened the bank or anyone else. The group is an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement, which focuses on the role large banks and multinational corporations play in government and the economy.
A video posted on the group's Facebook page late Thursday afternoon carried about nine minutes of footage from Thursday's protest. The video does not give a complete record of the gathering; it's not clear what might have happened before or after filming, or whether the video was edited.
At different points in the video, police can be seen in the background observing the event. Then, a man at the center of the protesters yells: "Folks, this is not a recession, this is a robbery. We are being robbed, and they're stealing and taking away from us every day."
At that point, officers can be seen on the video interceding and taking the man away. They refused to give any reasons for the arrest to other protesters.
You don't go into a bank and yell about robbery.
That's threatening. Customers and employees of M&I should feel safe. They should be able to go about their business without fear of criminal activity occurring.
Here's the Occupy Milwaukee press release on the arrest:
Occupy Milwaukee: “Drop the Charges and Release Austin Thompson!”
Milwaukee- Occupy Milwaukee organized a nonviolent “Teach In” to protest TARP bailout recipient M&I Bank on Oct. 20, 2011 at 12:00pm at 770 N. Water St.
Participants followed a script and left the building when asked. Police targeted Austin Thompson, an African-American organizer who led the Teach In, and arrested him later outside of the bank.
It’s been reported that Mr. Thompson stated to bank tellers that this is a “hostile takeover.” At no point during this demonstration did Mr. Thompson say these words or use any language that could be construed as threatening, hostile, or that would’ve endangered anyone in the bank.
“This is an attempt to criminalize Occupy Milwaukee and all those fighting against the greed and corruption of the banks, corporations, and elected officials” commented Occupy Milwaukee organizer and protest participant Khalil Coleman.
We call on all supporters and concerned individuals to share this and contact the District Attorneys office at 414-278-4646 and demand all charges be dropped against Austin Thompson.
Occupy Milwaukee is accusing Milwaukee police of "targeting" Austin Thompson because he's African-American.
That's a rather explosive charge. Racism?
The group denies that Thompson said anything threatening.
That's no surprise. What are the protesters going to say? Naturally, they're claiming Thompson is being treated unfairly.
These people will say anything.
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Watch video of the protest at M&I, posted on the Facebook page of Occupy Milwaukee.
The video is very choppy and incomplete and inconclusive. It doesn't include what happened INSIDE the bank. Apparently, something did happen inside or there wouldn't be this request:
URGENT! We're looking for someone who has video from the action today, from INSIDE the bank. If you have that, please get in touch with us right away.
Thanks!
Check out the comments from supporters, slamming the police:
I think it's awful that Occupy Milwaukee is suggesting Thompson was "targeted" by police because of his race.
Shameless.
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Video of Thompson's arrest:
AUSTIN THOMPSON: This is a robbery.
It's like saying "I have a bomb" when on an airplane.
If I were an M&I customer and heard a guy yell, "This is a robbery," I would be concerned.
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Video of TMJ4 interview with Austin Thompson:
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