A local business owner is accusing the Original Black Panthers of Milwaukee of intimidation, harassment and extortion, but the organization’s leaders fought back.
On Tuesday, a judge granted the owner of Stark Foods a restraining order against King Rick, the leader of the Original Black Panthers of Milwaukee, so he couldn't come near the store at 13th Street and Atkinson Avenue.
The fight between Stark Foods and the Original Black Panthers of Milwaukee started two weeks ago when a homeless man and an employee got into a fight at the store. Both were treated for injuries. Some of the altercation was captured on surveillance video.
"The Original Black Panthers of Milwaukee are here to protect, provide, and make sure the community is safe," King Rick said. "If an employee in any store beats up anyone, they need to be held accountable. That employee came from behind the counter and viciously and savagely beat that man. That's why we're here."
The employee says he was defending himself from the homeless man. He says the man had a knife and refused to leave.
The Black Panthers are boycotting the store. But many in the community are standing up for it.
Surveillance video shows the head of the Black Panthers confronting the employee involved in the altercation, and threatening him.
Ali Darorah, the manager of Stark Foods, says the Original Black Panthers of Milwaukee have an ulterior motive.
"They keep coming back and asking for more," he said. "It's not right. They take advantage of all these local businesses because they walk in with 15 people and threaten to shut us down if we don't comply with what they want. Everybody is scared about their business."
Darorah says the real reason the organization is mad is because he refuses to give them anymore "donations" for their work in the community.
"We give them a lot of money and food," he says. "We think it's important to help the community, but it's come to the point where we don't think what we're giving this organization is actually going to the community. They're using it. I stopped when they came and asked for liquor. I'm not giving anybody liquor."
King Rick denied that claim.
"We don't extort anyone for anything,” he said. “We did not come in and ask for alcohol. That's not true. It's absolutely, positively crazy."
He acknowledges that the Original Black Panthers of Milwaukee would collect donations from the store meant to help with their work in the community. In turn, he says the organization would help make sure the store was safe and secure.
