Bernell Trammell: Black Trump Supporter Shot to Death in Milwaukee

Bernell Trammell, a well-known Black supporter of Donald Trump who was a community fixture known for his publishing company and long conversations on religion and politics, often delivered from street corners while holding pro Trump and other signs, was shot to death in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Trammell, 60, was gunned down on July 23 near the very spot where he gave a video interview a few hours before explaining why he supported Trump. Milwaukee police are seeking what they described as “unknown suspects.” The motive is not clear, including whether or not the slaying was tied into Trammell’s political beliefs or Trump support. Some news outlets gave the victim’s name as Bernell Tremmell, but he goes by Trammell on social media.

Kevan Penvose wrote on Facebook that Trammell “was a man with whom I hardly ever agreed about anything he wrote on his signs, but also, as a Rasta street preacher, he was one of the people that make my neighborhood so uniquely wonderful. Around 12:30 this afternoon I heard gunshots nearby as I was working at my dining room table. Soon after, I was reading reports on social media of a shooting around the block, at the location of this one-of-a-kind storefront that I’ve walked by a million times… Peace and light, Ras Bernell.”

Johnny Schaeffer, 45, knew Trammell for almost his entire life because his mother once dated him, and they stayed in touch over the years. “I’m devastated,” he told Heavy in a phone interview.

“I think that he was definitely misjudged,” Schaeffer said. “He had his views, you know. People were sometimes surprised not only by his thoughts but how he said it. He was bold, a big, taller man, and when he talked, people listened.”

Here’s what you need to know:

1. A Local Writer Recorded Videos of Trammell Speaking About His Trump Support Just Hours Before Trammell Was Gunned Down in Almost the Same Spot at His Storefront

Armstrong Ramsone (the pen name of local artist and writer Adebisi Agoro) wrote on the site The God Degree that he recorded video interviews with Trammell just hours before his death. “Earlier today he had mentioned to me ‘you wouldn’t guess the amount of hate I received from Black people,'” after holding another sign, for a former Black mayoral candidate, Ramsone wrote. Agoro became curious about Trammell’s political beliefs after seeing him at a bus stop and decided to ask “about what I saw on Facebook and why he was holding the Trump sign?”

A few days before, Agoro had seen a photo on Facebook with Trammell carrying a Trump sign throughout the community, a post that carried the label “hero.” Alongside him walked another man with an opposing sign carrying the word “sike,” which Agoro says basically means “not.” Agoro wrote that the photo caused a “stir” on the Internet days earlier so he decided to...

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