MILWAUKEE — It has been a decade since Isaiah Taylor was apprehended by Milwaukee police, yet the emotional toll of that night remains vivid for him.
“When I was in the back of that car, I was terrified. I didn’t know if I was going to be taken away or what my end was going to look like,” Taylor recalled.
Related content: 1-on-1 with Isaiah Taylor, detained by MPD while delivering frozen turkey in 2016
At just 16 years old, Taylor was crossing busy Capitol Drive to deliver a frozen turkey to a neighbor just days before Christmas when he was stopped, frisked and detained by Officers Justin Schwarzhuber and Jasen Rydzewski.
Body camera footage revealed that the officers approached Taylor and continued to question him after discovering the frozen bird inside a brown paper bag.
“All I could do was look back at my house across the street with my porch light still on, knowing my mom didn’t know what was going on,” Taylor said.
His mother, former State Senator Lena Taylor, said she remembers that night as if it were yesterday.
“I remember being in the foyer of the house," she said. "I remember just holding him for a long time. We just cried together."
Watch: Milwaukee man's legal battle over unlawful detention continues after decade
In 2021, Isaiah Taylor sued the City of Milwaukee and the officers for violating his constitutional rights. A jury found the officers not liable, leading Taylor to appeal the decision in 2023.
This month, the Seventh Circuit Court ruled that the officers were not entitled to qualified immunity regarding Isaiah’s Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure.
“If you don’t have reasonable suspicion that someone has committed a crime, you can’t hold them for even a second," attorney Mark Thomsen, who represents Taylor, said. "They ran for the warrant check after they both knew it was a turkey. They were just hoping to fish for something so they could arrest another young man.”
The Seventh Circuit Court has ordered a new trial. Taylor emphasized that the lawsuit is not about financial gain but rather about having his voice heard in a courtroom of his peers.
“To see if the justice system will work for me and not against me—I'm just happy I get to share my story and tell my truth,” he said.
As Isaiah Taylor continues to seek justice, he hopes his experience will resonate with others facing similar challenges, ultimately fostering a system that protects rather than persecutes.
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