‘It was nuts’: Neighbors want more control after hundreds spill into streets at wild Brady Street Halloween party

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Another wild weekend on Brady Street has many people frustrated.

The annual neighborhood Halloween party was held Friday night, but people there say it spun out of control and businesses were asked to close early to encourage people to go home.

Many neighbors embrace the quirky character and fun atmosphere of Brady Street, but they also expect safety and order to be maintained.

They tell us Friday night felt out of control.

Tyler Klein lives on Brady Street and heard the party. He said, "It was nuts." As police tried to move people out, "It sounded like a slow-speed police chase."

Klein was home in his upstairs apartment Friday night, but he heard the annual Brady Street Halloween party down below for hours.

Social media videos showed hundreds of people in the road, blocking cars trying to drive through the open streets.

Many said it went from festive to a free-for-all.

Klein told us, "I understand wanting to have fun. But I don't think you can have the streets open, then. People are going to walk. Especially a lot of drunk people."

Milwaukee police said there were "unusually large crowds," and "several calls for service," "including fights."

As the crowds grew, MPD asked bars and restaurants to close to get people to leave the area. They did close, but one bar operator told us he was upset with the lack of customers.

Nas Musa lives near Brady Street and said he expected a party, but no one predicted one of this size and scale.

"It is loud,” he said, “I don't like it when it's loud, but I chose to live on Brady Street and I expect it."

Musa took a microphone that night to try and calm the crowd.

He said more officers and street closures could have helped. "I don't think anyone expected it to be that busy. Brady Street has done costume contests for the past 15 years, and it's never been like this."

But 2024's edition saw a large brawl and people climbing a fire truck, and several people told us every year is wild.

Still, the mayor's office reported no calls and only one email about Friday night, and MPD made no mention of any arrests.

Musa wants people from across the city to feel welcome on Brady Street. "Instead of down-talking and scaring people, let's figure out how we can work with it."

And Klein welcomes visitors, too, and wants to make sure people are not in harm's way. "The beautiful thing about Brady Street is that everybody comes here. Diverse backgrounds, you name it. It's a wonderful thing. But we have to have people be safe."

Brady Street is in Alderman Alex Brower's district. His office said he's not taking questions on the weekend incident until he can speak with business owners.

But one business owner accused Brower of dodging calls, and his office did not respond to requests for a statement.