Triangle North in Milwaukee in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Police Confrontation with Marchers

Photographed by Mallory Hanson

1. Police Confrontation with Marchers Marker

Inscription. On the evening of October 9, 1967, the intersection of 20th Street and North Avenue became crowded with clusters of Open Housing marchers, blocking traffic. Even though the marchers had a parade permit, police declared the march an unlawful assembly. As the protesters attempted to turn the march from the intersection, police blocked them in and confronted them with batons. NAACP Youth Council Commandos tried to shelter the marchers while remaining non-violent themselves; they took the brunt of the police clubbing. Many marchers were beaten and arrested. This confrontation solidified the Commandos as formidable figures in the community and in the Civil Rights Movement.

Erected 2026 by March On, Milwaukee and Funded by William G. Pomeroy Foundation. (Marker Number 642.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. In addition, it is included in the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, and the Wisconsin Historical Society series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is October 9, 1967.

Location. 43° 3.54′ N, 87° 56.246′ W. Marker is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,

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in Milwaukee County. It is in Triangle North. It is on North 19th Street, on the right when traveling north. Clarence & Cleopatra Johnson Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2222 N 19th Street, Milwaukee WI 53205, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Wisconsin. It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Stop on the Underground Railroad (approx. ¼ mile away); St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church (approx. 0.7 miles away); Rally at Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church (approx. 0.7 miles away); St. Boniface Catholic Church (approx. ¾ mile away); 15th Street Freedom House (approx. 0.8 miles away); Lynden Hill: A Site of African American Resilience (approx. 0.8 miles away); 5th Street Freedom House

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(approx. one mile away); Pabst Brewery (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Milwaukee.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 10, 2026, by Mallory Hanson of Madison, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 11 times since then. Photo 1. submitted on September 10, 2026, by Mallory Hanson of Madison, Wisconsin. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.