Demonstrations every few days for a month.
One public funeral with prominent activist Al Sharpton and local political leaders in attendance.
Detailing a painful life experience over and over again for reporters.
That's how the family of D'Vontaye Mitchell has spent the month since his unexpected death on June 30. Mitchell, 43, was pronounced dead outside the Hyatt Regency in downtown Milwaukee after security guards knelt on his back for several minutes - the exact time is still unclear. Bystander video capturing his final minutes of life evoked similarities between his death and the death of George Floyd .
The four guards have been fired but charges have yet to be brought against them.
For Mitchell's family, it's the charges that equal justice; nearly a month from his death, justice remains elusive.
“It’s frustrating, it’s exhausting, stressful," Nayisha Mitchell, D’Vontaye’s sister, told the Journal Sentinel. "It’s all of that.”
Earlier this month, the Milwaukee Police Department referred four charges of felony murder to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office. For its part, the District Attorney’s Office is reviewing Mitchell's death as a homicide case and is awaiting the results of a full autopsy before deciding on charges.
It is expected to make a "swift decision" once the autopsy report is released, according to its most recent statement from July 16.
“We’ve been out here trying to fight for justice. It doesn’t leave us any time to properly grieve for my brother,” Mitchell said. “We’ve been able to get him laid to rest … and then right after that it’s right back to work. We won’t have the chance to properly grieve until we get the justice that we’re trying to get.”
'My bills keep rolling in': Efforts for justice and realities of life collide
Brenda Giles, D'Vontaye Mitchell’s mother, works as a certified nursing assistant. Her job does not include paid time off.
“If I take off, I don’t get paid," she said. "My bills keep rolling in."
Consequently, one week after her son's death, she was back at work.
When she's not working, Giles tries to keep her son's death off her mind by cleaning the and doing other small chores around the house.
Still, it is knowing her son was repeatedly begging for his life, saying "please, please, please," with none of the bystanders coming to his aid, that plays over and over in her mind.
"That’s something I’ll never be able to get out of my head," she said.
She’s supported by her fiancé John Battiste who says he does everything he can to “make sure she’s alright.”
The pull between advocating for her brother and juggling work also impacts Mitchell. A sales consultant with AT&T, Mitchell said her employer has been been understanding of the time she is taking off.
Still, missing work is stressful, she said.
“That’s just added stress on top of the stress with everything that is happening," Mitchell said. "Everything is like a domino effect."
Giles and the rest of the family are fixtures at the demonstrations, sometimes occurring several times a week. They often appear alongside longtime community activists, protesting outside police and court buildings, the Hyatt Regency and the home of Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm.
They protested during the Republican National Convention alongside the family and supporters of Samuel Sharpe Jr. , a man who was shot and killed by Columbus, Ohio, police during the convention while wielding two knives.
Giles said all the demonstrations are necessary to ensure her son's death doesn’t “get swept under the rug.”
The family tries to take care of itself while continuing efforts
Latrisa Giles, Mitchell’s first cousin who handles media outreach for the family, said they have been assisting with attorneys’ investigations into what happened that day. They are still trying to find people who may have more knowledge of events, she said.
Privately, the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office showed the family video from inside the hotel. The family and their attorneys detailed that video at a July 10 press conference.
The family said it showed Mitchell running away from security and into the women’s bathroom. When he was confronted by the guards, he had his hands up, but was dragged to the floor and beaten, begging for the blows to stop, according to the attorneys.
The family members told the Journal Sentinel it wants the footage they have seen released to the public.
The family members said they have yet to see footage from what instigated the conflict between Mitchell and hotel security. For that reason, the family is working with investigators and attorneys, "beating the streets" in an effort to put the puzzle pieces together.
"We’re not getting answers, so we’re forced to do the work on our own," Latrisa Giles said. "Outside of doing the protests, we’re still connecting the dots.”
While the stress has been building up, they say they’ve been trying to find ways to still take care of themselves. Mitchell said she is focused on trying to keep her job and finances secured and doing other things that make it so “I can be OK.”
Latrisa Giles, a real estate investor, said friends have assisted her in managing her business, giving her some peace of mind and the time to help her family gather information and coordinate events associated with her cousin's death.
It is a juggling act. It wasn't until last week that she cooked for herself and had enough time and energy to put together a bedroom set she bought in early June.
"When that happened to D’Vontaye, everything just like halted,” she said. “I think everybody’s world just stopped.”
She said another cousin is planning a gathering for the entire family, and hopefully provide some space to relax.
“I just think everybody’s entire focus is D’Vontaye right now," Latrisa Giles said. "It is going to be that way until we get justice."
A GoFundMe for the Mitchell family is available here.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A month in mourning: D'Vontaye Mitchell's family details life upended, waiting for charges
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