'It was very traumatizing': Women in hijab attacked at Cathedral Square Park

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office confirmed Monday deputies made two arrests following an assault on a group of women Sunday evening at a popular downtown gathering place.

Cell phone video provided to CBS 58 showed two women grabbing and punching a different group of women. Those victims, who spoke to CBS 58 Monday on the condition of anonymity, said they believed they were targeted because of their appearance. 

The victims, who are Muslim, were wearing traditional hijab while sitting at a picnic table at Cathedral Square Park. One woman, who was joined by her sister-in-law for the interview, said they were at the park with their children, as well as her aunt and grandmother, who was visiting the U.S. for the first time from her native county, Yemen.

The woman said she knew two women at a nearby table were having some kind of issue because they were speaking loudly and angrily but said she didn't know if the message was directed at them.

"They were saying, 'we are Black, aggressive women. We're going to defend our kind,'" the victim said. "Something along those lines."

The victims said, at that point, the two women approached their picnic table and asked if they had a problem.

The victims, who asked to remain anonymous, believe they were attacked because they were wearing hijab.

"I said, 'there is no problem between us, what is the problem?' Like, I truly don't know, you know?" one of the victims said. "And she goes, 'where are you from?' And I told her it was none of her business because she clearly wasn't trying to have a conversation about where I'm truly from."

The victim said, at that point, one of the women put her in a headlock and started punching her in the head. She said the other woman began punching her sister-in-law in the back of the head and neck.

Cell phone video showed two women attacking the women in hijab. The clip showed one of the aggressors throwing multiple punches; one of those punches appeared to land cleanly on a victim's head. 

The person who recorded that video did not want to show her face on television and only wanted to give her first name, Dezzy. She said she was taking her son to the park and added the attack appeared to be unprovoked.

"I saw what looked like a form of bullying," Dezzy said. "I saw a group of ladies being attacked, which was not OK."

The video recorded by Dezzy appeared to show one man attempting to break up the fight, but the victims said they were upset by what they felt was an overall lack of intervention in a fairly crowded area.

"I'm barely 5'1". I weigh 105 pounds," one of the victims said. "If I see a fight, I will do my best to break it up."

James Burnett, director of public affairs for the sheriff's office, said two women, ages 34 and 30, had been arrested on charges of substantial battery. Burnett said the arrests were made based on interviews with "all parties and witnesses."

"The abbreviated version is two women were “jumped” and assaulted by two other women who were inexplicably offended by or had perceived some slight by the victims," Burnett wrote in an email.

The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office will make the final charging decision. Chief Deputy District Kent Lovern said prosecutors haven't yet received the case from the sheriff's office.

Victims believe it was a hate crime

The victims said they believed the attack was a hate crime because of the comment about where they were from, as well as the attackers removing their hijabs during the struggle.

"The smaller piece (inside the outer scarf), it's not easy to take off," the victim said. "It's not something that slips off, you know what I mean? You have to intentionally grab it."

Wisconsin law includes an enhancer for hate crimes. In cases where the original charge is a felony, the sentence can be increased by an additional five years in prison and/or a fine can be increased by another $5,000.

Substantial battery carries a maximum sentence of 3.5 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000.

Burnett said he was not aware of any "possible religious, racial or otherwise cultural components" of the attack and added the assault was still under investigation. 

He said if investigators conclude any form of discrimination was a motivating factor in the attack, investigators will share that belief with prosecutors.

Medical records for one of the victims show she was treated for a fractured nose following the assault.

The victims, who provided copies of medical records showing one of the women was treated for a fractured nose Sunday night, said the incident has shaken their belief Milwaukee is a safe place.

One of them added she was worried her grandmother will never again visit the U.S. after watching her family get attacked during her first visit to the U.S.

"She's gonna go back home thinking this is how we live on a daily basis," the woman said.