KENOSHA — Rep. Bryan Steil (R - Janesville) is calling U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr to investigate unrest in Kenosha - in particular, what he calls "the funding and leadership structure of criminal groups."
Barr visited Milwaukee on Tuesday to announce that 26 people in the city had been chargedfor their alleged involvement in a drug-trafficking operation that funneled drugs from California to Milwaukee.
On the same day, Steil said in a news release that the historic unrest in Kenosha is the problem, and that the U.S. Department of Justice should investigate it. Steil represents Wisconsin's 1st congressional district, which includes the City of Kenosha.
Businesses and other property were damaged following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha last month. The unrest followed peaceful protests in the city and across Wisconsin.
“The violence and destruction in Kenosha was heartbreaking to witness," Steil said in the release. "As we saw in the days that followed, many of the criminal agitators came from outside our community of Kenosha."
The congressman continued: "Thanks to our federal and local law enforcement agents, the U.S. Marshals and Kenosha Police Department successfully stopped out-of-state protesters whose van was filled with fireworks, helmets, and gas masks."
"Criminals must be held accountable and we must look into their source of funding. I will continue working with federal, state, and local partners to prevent riots and destruction from occurring in Kenosha and other cities across the nation,” according to Steil.
