Tim Cast pulls out of Milwaukee: 'For those who are perceivably White, it is just not safe to be here'
A well-known journalist who frequently covers civil unrest across the country has decided to leave Milwaukee because of "racial tensions" that he observed while covering protests on Sunday night.
"For those who are perceivably white, it is just not safe to be here," Tim Pool said in a YouTube video on Monday.
Protests in Milwaukee first erupted over the weekend, after a police officer fatally shot an armed black man on Saturday.
Pool is among several journalists covering the uprising to express concern for his safety over the weekend after the protests turned violent.
He said during Sunday's protests that he heard members of the crowd yell comments such as "F--- white people" and "What are these white people doing here?" and observed one reporter being grabbed and another being hit in the head by a protester who then attempted to incite others to attack the reporters.
#BlackLivesMatter rioters target whites: "They beating up all the white people." #Milwaukee pic.twitter.com/G85jnYtd3k
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) August 14, 2016
Pool, who previously worked for Fusion, gained prominence in recent years for covering protests such as Occupy Wall Street in 2011 and Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 using aerial drones and live streaming.
He said in the video that his decision to pull out was finalized when he witnessed the aftermath of a white 18-year-old being shot in the neck during the protests.
Milwaukee police have confirmed that an 18-year-old man sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the neck, but have not specified his race.
"When you hear a group directing their anger and hate towards white people, and then see several white people being attacked, and then finally an 18-year-old white kid is shot in the neck, that's when I'm like, 'OK. I shouldn't be here,'" Pool said.
He is not the only reporter to witness tension between reporters and Milwaukee residents in recent days.
BuzzFeed reporter Jim Dalrymple II reported early on Monday morning that he was chased by a group of men in a Chevrolet Suburban as he drove back to his hotel. He tweeted that he didn't know who the men were, and that an armed security guard eventually escorted him from his car into the hotel.
"For those asking, I'm fine. But not going to lie, I'm a bit shaken up from when they started rushing the car. Not sure where that was going," Dalrymple tweeted.
Buzzfeed reporter chased after Milwaukee protests
Jim Dalrymple II tweeted about being chased by men in a Chevy Suburban.
Buzzfeed reporter Jim Dalrymple II has been covering the protests in Milwaukee. While driving back to his hotel, he was chased by a group of men in a Chevy suburban. Here's his account:
Was just driving back to my hotel. A suburban passed me going the other way, then pulled a U turn and started following me fast.
— Jim Dalrymple II (@JimDalrympleII) August 15, 2016
When we came to a red light, the suburban pulled up on the shoulder and a bunch of guys jumped out and started running toward my car.
— Jim Dalrymple II (@JimDalrympleII) August 15, 2016
I floored it through the red light. They all hopped back in their suburban and started chasing me.
— Jim Dalrymple II (@JimDalrympleII) August 15, 2016
I briefly tried to lose them in a neighborhood. But they continued to follow me. I was near my hotel so I went back there.
— Jim Dalrymple II (@JimDalrympleII) August 15, 2016
I pulled up by the lobby door. They pulled in behind me. I ran into the lobby.
— Jim Dalrymple II (@JimDalrympleII) August 15, 2016
The armed hotel security guard must have know something was up, because he immediately went outside. They then pulled away and drove off
— Jim Dalrymple II (@JimDalrympleII) August 15, 2016
BuzzFeed told Business Insider that it is "continuing to cover this story," but did not confirm whether Dalrymple will remain in Milwaukee to do so.
Another reporter from WITI, the local Fox affiliate, tweeted that he cut the station's broadcast after receiving threats:
I apologize for cutting our broadcast. It got too dangerous. Shots fired about 15 feet from us and we were threatened multiple times.
— A.J. Bayatpour (@AJBayatpour) August 15, 2016
Other media outlets have reported that police officers have been targeted with rocks, bricks, and other objects, and several buildings have been burned during the riots.
