Milwaukee alderwoman weighs in on protests, unrest: 'We got to be civilly disobedient'

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Alderwoman Chantia Lewis shared a post that names "protesters and rioters," and urged them to move to the suburbs. In other posts, she urged people not to be destructive.

On her personal Facebook page, she shared this post, written by someone else:

Also on Lewis' personal Facebook page, she shared a different person's post that declared:

In an interview with FOX6, Alderwoman Lewis said her intention was not to send "rioters" to the suburbs.

"The M.L.K. neighborhood wants them to stay out of their neighborhood, so please oblige them to stay out of their neighborhood."

Lewis also released this statement this evening:

In a FOX6 review of her social media, we found many examples of that mindset against violence.

"We got to be civilly disobedient today, in this season. We got to be disruptive, NOT destructive, but disruptive," Lewis said in one Facebook video.

In another post, Lewis shared information about Milwaukee's curfew -- urging people to "please stay home and be safe."

In another Facebook video, she said:

Lewis blames outsiders for the destruction.

"These out-of-state folks, out-of-towners, right-wing folks that are trying to get this narrative pushed that black people are exactly just what people think: thugs, this, that criminals," Lewis said.

State Rep. David Bowen echoes those thoughts.

"We do not want the young folks in our community, the black youth, to be out there, to be misdirected to engage in that behavior by those outside. And it's very clear, white interests that have been attempting to exploit our grief," Bowen said.

While nationally, U.S. Attorney General William Barr also blames outside radicals and agitators, Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales says of the 109 people arrested for curfew violations Saturday and Sunday nights, only five of them were from outside Milwaukee.