A mob of protesters camped out in front of Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales' house over the weekend in what appeared to be an attempt to intimidate him and pressure him into resigning from office.
In a series of Facebook Live posts Wednesday evening, community activist and convicted felon Vaun Mayes posted Morales' address and urged his followers to show up for what Mayes called a "retirement party."
Morales faces a series of directives from the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission that could lead to his removal from office at a meeting next week.
"Our police chief has a very nice house," Mayes said as he turned his camera on Morales' home. "The yard is very well-kept, you know what I'm saying? They put up extra 'No Trespassing' signs, you know what I'm saying?"
A few minutes later, Mayes further attempted to intimidate the Morales family by telling them he saw Chief Morales' wife and 15 year-old daughter outside their home when he arrived.
"I pulled up and his wife was fixing the car--she was under the car--his daughter was riding the bike and whatnot, [and] somebody was cutting the grass," Mayes laughed. "Just no idea, just oblivious to the protest that was about to commence, you know what I mean? As you can see, they all hid once they figured out what the f*** was going on."
The obvious message was that Mayes and his supporters were watching the Chief's family.
More than 100 protesters showed up at various times over the next several days and neighbors told "The Dan O'Donnell Show" that they had trouble getting into and out of their driveways because of it. They reported feeling threatened by the mob's presence.
Mayes, 33, faces federal charges in connection to an alleged plot to firebomb a Milwaukee Police Department station during rioting in the city's Sherman Park neighborhood in 2016.
"Mayes and others pursued the plan by manufacturing Molotov cocktails in glass bottles that contained gasoline with a fabric wick inserted into the opening," the U.S. Justice Department said in a news release announcing the charges in 2018.
Mayes pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted arson, possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession of a destructive device in relation to a crime of violence but was subsequently charged last fall with a separate plot to firebomb two homes in West Allis.
In all, he faces ten federal charges but has been free since his initial arrest. In late June, he was arrested in connection with an arson fire at a Milwaukee home at which he and his supporters attacked Milwaukee Police officers and firefighters as they investigated a report of two missing girls and attempted to put out the fire that an angry mob of people had started.
A federal judge refused to order Mayes to jail for this seeming violation of the terms of his pretrial release when Mayes' supporters packed the courtroom.
Demonstrations in front of Morales' home continued Monday, and Milwaukee Alderwoman Nikiya Dodd issued a statement condemning them as having taken on a "lawless and nuisance identity."
"Powered by caravanning and marching, these protests illegally block and clog up residential streets while some participants gather to chant and yell. In some cases participants are openly smoking marijuana and grilling food in the street!"