The community is gathering for the funeral of D'Vontaye Mitchell at Holy Redeemer Institutional Church of God in Christ in Milwaukee.
Mitchell died outside the Milwaukee Hyatt Regency Hotel on June 30th. The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office is investigating the incident as a homicide.
"He was my best friend," said Deasia Harmon, Mitchell's wife. "He protected me. He fought for me. He fought with me. My heart is so heavy."
Tears, support, laughter, and anger were the emotions overflowing the pews of Holy Redeemer Thursday.
"He was taken off this earth too soon, and he didn't deserve anything," Darrell Giles, Mitchell's brother said.
"He was my right-hand man growing up. He was my protector. He was always looking out for me," Rendell Giles, Mitchell's youngest brother, echoed.
Mitchell was a family man who now leaves behind his wife, two children, mother and siblings.
"I'm gonna miss my brother. I'm gonna miss him, everything about him," his sister, Nayisha Mitchell, said.
"I just thank each and every one of y'all for all y'all support, prayer, and y'all know we want justice. We want justice for D'Vontaye," Mitchell's mother said.
That call for justice now reaching even further than just Milwaukee.
"There's a lot going on in this country, but nothing more important than what they did to D'Vontaye, and I didn't want to send word, I wanted to come myself," Reverend Al Sharpton added.
Well-known civil rights and social justice activist Rev. Al Sharpton gave the eulogy, and echoed the calls for charges against the four men seen in witness video, on top of Mitchell, before he died.
"What they did was a crime, and criminals need to be prosecuted, and criminals need to face the penalty of their actions," Sharpton said.
Actions Sharpton said mirrors what happened to George Floyd in 2020.
"I thought after George Floyd and we fought until three cops went to jail, I thought y'all learned you can't put your knee on our necks, but if we gotta go from Minneapolis to Milwaukee, you gone learn to keep your knees off our necks," Sharpton explained.
Family, loved ones, and attorneys, calling for transparency and accountability.
"It cannot be swept under the rug. I will not let it be swept under the rug," Brenda Giles said.
Thursday morning's service follows the termination of several hospitality employees who were working at the time of Mitchell's death.
VIDEO:Community gathers for funeral of D'Vontaye Mitchell
Aimbridge Hospitality announced that termination. It's a third-party organization that oversees the management of hotel employees.
Crump released a statement Thursday morning in response to that news. He says, in part, "the decision to fire the Hyatt security personnel highlights just how unjustified D'Vontaye's death truly was."
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