'It was crazy': Brady Street erupts in noise and smoke for Harley-Davidson festival after-party

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — Brady Street was calm on Monday, July 14, but if you look at the pavement, you'll see exactly what residents heard all weekend: loud revving, donuts in the street and hundreds of people taking over this area into early morning.

"You do not need to be doing donuts in the street at two in the morning. It was just hours straight of these engines revving, it was so loud," said Cal Jung, Brady Street resident.

This weekend, burnout smoke blanketed the street and engines roared as hundreds gathered for the Harley-Davidson Homecoming festival after-party on Brady Street.

"To be honest, I didn't fall asleep until five in the morning. They were making donuts on the street, it was crazy," said Giovanna Moro, High Crowd Cafe employee.

Businesses say they appreciated the extra flow of customers.

"We got a bunch of people from out of town, from all over the country. We had a lot of people from the south coming, so for business, it was great," said Moro.

However, residents say the crowd was disruptive to those that live in the area.

"I was lying in bed, trying to sleep, and just couldn't, it was very loud. The air quality was terrible, it was hard to breathe during all of that," Jung explained.

While they disagree about the street takeover itself, both agree it felt safer than previous years.

"This year was so much easier to deal with, we have more security around -- last year was kind of crazy. Every year is a little crazy, but this year, at least they had enough security to keep things on track," said Moro.

Alderman Alex Brower told CBS 58 in a statement:

"Our office wants to see a successful and thriving business corridor on Brady Street. We’re glad to see people visit the City of Milwaukee and patronize businesses in the City.

We also understand that the residents of the Brady Street Area are concerned with noise, traffic, and safety issues that happen on Brady Street when it gets too crowded. Everybody deserves to have a neighborhood where they can be safe and enjoy peace and quiet.

Our office aims to balance the sometimes competing interests of festivals and residents, especially when it comes to Brady Street. We welcome this conversation and ask residents, businesses, and patrons of Brady Street to reach out to our office and share their thoughts and opinions. Our office can be reached at [email protected]."

"Honestly, for the bars it was a great deal. The restaurants, I'm not sure, but at least for the bars we are all happy around here," said Moro.

"It's very frustrating to have thousands and thousands of people show up and then treat your neighborhood like a dumping ground," said Jung.

CBS 58 reached out to Harley-Davidson for comment and asked MPD if there were any arrests. We have yet to hear back.