“In my dreams, I never experienced anything like this,” Marty Brooks told Milwaukee police.
The Milwaukee police file on Milwaukee Common Council President Jose Perez’s butt pinching assault accusation against Wisconsin Center District CEO Marty Brooks captures two extremely polarized, emotional accounts from two of Milwaukee’s most prominent civic leaders.
Perez, the longtime alderman, dramatically explained to police that he could “feel a sharpness from Marty’s fingernails as Marty pinched his butt,” describing himself as feeling so “uncomfortable” that he didn’t want to attend WCD board meetings as a result. The Wisconsin Center District runs Milwaukee’s Baird Center, Miller High Life Theatre, and UWM Panther Arena.
However, the veteran business executive insisted strenuously that he didn’t do anything of the sort, even declaring the claim “bullsh*t” at one point during a recorded phone call with Perez that was monitored by Milwaukee police detectives. Brooks, who once worked for Madison Square Garden, told detectives that the damage from Perez’s accusation could be “reputational. The allegation that I would do something deliberately and inappropriately is beyond anything in my character.”
LISTEN TO THE PHONE CALL BETWEEN PEREZ AND BROOKS HERE:
‘Clearly a Gross Misunderstanding or Accident’
“I would never do this at all,” Brooks, who spoke voluntarily with police, insisted at another point. “Brooks stated that it was possible that he touched Perez’s arm while talking with his hands, but he adamantly denied ever touching or pinching Perez’s butt at any time,” the police report says.
“I don’t recall pinching his ass,” he told the detectives at another point, saying it was “clearly a gross misunderstanding or an accident I didn’t realize happened.”
The incident was described in the police reports as a “walk-in sexual assault complaint.” The reports say that, on November 5, police conducted a follow-up investigation regarding “a 4th Degree Sexual Assault case where the victim (Jose Perez)” allegedly “had his buttocks pinched or squeezed by the suspect (Marty Brooks), while at MO’s restaurant located at 720 N. Plankinton Ave, on 10/22/25, at approximately 6:15 p.m. The follow-up consisted of conducting a One-Party Consent Call with the permission of and participation of Perez.”
Here’s the police interview with Brooks:
“But it would be unusual to touch another man’s butt,” a detective suggested at one point to Brooks. Brooks told police that he told Perez that maybe another person pinched Perez’s butt, although he acknowledged, “I don’t remember that happening.”
At another point, police asked Brooks if it might be a “miscommunication.”
The Alleged Incident Unfolded at David Crowley’s Fundraiser for Governor
As if there wasn’t already enough prominence in the mix, the alleged incident occurred at Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley’s fundraiser for governor.
The files, released via an open records request, include audio of Brooks’ interview and the phone call, which was recorded with police knowledge.
“That, that is bullsh*t, no sir, I did not do that! No sir! And I take offense that you’re, you’re telling me this now! I did nothing to touch you, sir!” Brooks said when Perez accused him in the phone call of pinching his butt “at David Crowley’s fundraiser.” Perez told Brooks that he was “super uncomfortable about what happened” to the degree that he didn’t want to attend Wisconsin Center District board meetings.
READ THE POLICE REPORT HERE:
Perez said that “when Marty pinched his butt, he felt violated. He felt it was done in a sexual way and also that it was like a ‘screw you’/power move.” He said he decided to report it to police because that’s what he would recommend to any other person in a similar situation.
Brooks also acknowledged that he and Perez spoke at Crowley’s fundraiser at Mo’s with another person standing there in a circle. Crowley previously released a statement insisting that “the campaign event ended before the period under investigation. Neither County Executive Crowley, nor any member of his staff, was present at the time of the alleged incident.”
The police reports also reveal the presence of an alleged witness.
What did the witness say?
The alleged witness, who was not identified in the report, told police that “she was at a fundraiser located on the second or third floor of MO’s restaurant (720 W. Plankinton Ave). She stated that she arrived with and upon getting to the second or third floor, she was standing kind of in a circle with and began talking to Marty Brooks and President Jose Perez.”
The woman told police that “they were talking for approximately 10 minutes when she observed Marty Brooks reach his hand towards President Perez’s buttocks. She stated that she did not see Brooks’ hand make contact with Perez’s buttocks, but she did observe his hand moving in that direction and believed that he did touch his buttocks. She stated that it was a quick motion or touch, and it did not appear to her that Brooks was attempting to caress or keep his hand on Perez’s buttocks.”
In addition, Perez immediately told several people what he believed happened, the reports say.
The District Attorney Decided Not to Prosecute Marty Brooks
“Where does this go?” Brooks asked the police at one point.
Where it went in the end was no-process status, as the District Attorney’s office ultimately declined to press charges.
On November 24, the assistant prosecutor told police “that she was no processing the case against Marty Brooks because she did not believe that she could prove the sexual gratification or sexual humiliation elements of the crime,” the reports say. Wisconsin Right Now is naming Perez due to his prominence. Both he and Brooks previously did not return requests for comment. WRN first broke the story of the accusation, which dates to November.
Perez has now hired an attorney, Mark Thomsen. In a statement to WISN-TV, he said:
“I was retained by Jose Perez to investigate and track down the sources of, among others, inaccurate statements that the DA’s office ‘found no basis for charges.’ Mr. Perez and I will have no public comments until the Wisconsin Center District reaches its own conclusion.”
Jose Perez ‘Did Not Want Anything to Become Violent,’ the Reports Say
Perez described the emotional impact of the alleged incident.
“He was shocked, and he couldn’t believe what happened, and he was angry, but he did not want to confront Marty in an aggressive way because he did not want anything to become violent,” the police report says of Perez.
At another point, Brooks said, “Is there footage of me doing something? If there is, I want to see it so I don’t do this again. I don’t even know what this is, so.”
- Police said they were coming into this “completely neutral,” calling the situation unusual.
- Perez left the event and went to a Bucks game, where he allegedly texted an eyewitness that he needed to talk to her. He told police the witness told him she “did see it” and laughed.
- Both men described their previous relationship as professional, without tension, but as an acquaintance-only relationship.
- Perez was wearing a black bomber jacket and black slacks, and Brooks was wearing a blue suit.
- Perez said he has seen Brooks at past social events he attended as an alderman, but their relationship is strictly business. Perez said he voted against giving Brooks a raise, but he got the raise anyway.
- After the alleged incident, Perez said he skipped a black-and-white ball event on November 1 because Brooks was going to be there, and he missed the last board meeting for the Wisconsin Center District (which he’s on as Common Council president) to avoid Brooks.
- Police interviewed Brooks in the administrative offices at the Baird Center. Brooks told police he “had no idea what Perez was talking about.” Brooks stated that, when Perez called him, he told “Perez to bring his concerns to the board.” Perez then told Marty that he pinched his ass,” Brooks told police. Brooks stated that at that point, he leapt out of his chair, and he didn’t know what he said verbatim, but he said something to the effect of, ‘You gotta be f*cking kidding me, what are you talking about?’ Brooks stated he did “no such thing,” the report states.
- Brooks said he called his attorney, called the witness who “stated she saw Brooks touch Perez. but she didn’t think anything of it,” and called his Vice President of Human Resources and “directed there to be an investigation.”
- Two “disclosure witnesses” told police that Perez informed them that “a guy pinched his ass earlier in the evening.” He appeared shocked. A disclosure witness told police that Perez told her, “You’re not going to believe this, Marty pinched my butt.”
- Video only showed the exterior of the restaurant and didn’t capture the alleged incident.
“I have nothing to hide,” Brooks said. “I didn’t know what he was talking about.”
When asked, he told police he was heterosexual and married with two adult children. He insisted that he had “never been accused of anything like that in my life” and had “never done anything like that in my life.”
At another point, Brooks told detectives, “Have I pinched a man’s ass, buddies and I are out f*cking around, yes, I have, I’d be lying if I didn’t say it. But it’s not regular. And it’s not in a sexual environment.”
Cops asked if he did it in a “joking way,” and Brooks said, “I don’t recall that happening.”
Police brought up that men sometimes “pat each other on the ass” in the NFL. Brooks added, “I’m not going to call Jose a liar, and also I’m not going to admit to something I don’t think I did.” Brooks said: “I do not even irregularly go around with people I know slapping their butts.”
The alleged witness described the conversation as good-natured and said that neither Brooks nor Perez “appeared to be angry before or after the incident.” She did not believe either of them appeared to be intoxicated. “She stated that she thought it was unusual or weird, but she quickly forgot about it as the three of them continued to talk,” the report says.
The woman stated that Perez went to a Milwaukee Bucks game and then “arrived back at the fundraiser a couple of hours later.” Perez “asked her if she observed what Marty Brooks did, and she stated that she did. She stated that they did not really talk about it, but she realized that it bothered Perez.”
The woman said she received a phone call from Brooks who “asked her what Perez was talking about.” She informed Brooks that he “touched Perez’s buttocks while he was talking with his hands, and Brooks sounded shocked. She stated that Brooks became extremely emotional and asked her to fix it.” She tried to call Perez, but he didn’t answer his phone.
The woman “stated that she feels bad that she is caught in the middle of this situation. She stated that she feels bad for Brooks who is upset and she feels bad for Perez who is obviously upset about what happened,” the report says.
Transcript of the phone call
BROOKS – GOOD AFTERNOON, MARTY BROOKS
PEREZ – Marty BROOKS, Jose PEREZ.
BROOKS – President PEREZ, what can I do for you today?
PEREZ – Well Marty, um, I’m calling because um and we need to talk about a what happened at David Crowley’s fund raiser and I didn’t go to the board meeting on Friday and um, I feel super uncomfortable about what happened and think we got to talk about this, a before, you know, I come back to a board meeting or do something because I’m uncomfortable about what happened.
BROOKS – Tell, tell me what you’re uncomfortable with, what happened? That I attended?
PEREZ – It’s what you did to me Marty, when we were
BROOKS – What did I do?
PEREZ – When we were standing at, when we were standing, talking, um, it’s what you did to me and I’m, I’m totally uncomfortable with that.
BROOKS – If I did anything to make you uncomfortable, it was purely by accident and I, I, I apologize profusely and at a loss what I did or what
position I may have put you in so please share with me.
PEREZ – Marty, Marty, we’re adults, you know what you did.
BROOKS – Yeah, I, sir I do not. I am at a complete loss what you’re calling about. I was speaking with you and I, I don’t recall saying anything that was in –
PEREZ – It’s not what you said, it’s what you did.
BROOKS – Sir, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Tell me what I did, I truly don’t know, and, and, so if I did something to offend you or put you in an uncomfortable position, I need to know because I, I would never do anything to put you in an uncomfortable situation or myself as well, so if you would please share with me what I did that offended you or put you in an uncomfortable position.
PEREZ – Marty, I, I’m telling you, you know what you did. I was standing next to you. You, it is, I did not go to the board meeting on Friday because I did not, I felt totally uncomfortable and it’s not what you said, it’s what you did and you know what you did Marty.
BROOKS – Sir, I, I don’t know what you’re talking about and there was no board meeting that I’m aware of this past Friday.
PEREZ – Okay, well, the notice went out. I thought there was a board meeting, they asked me if I was going to attend it and I didn’t respond at all. I thought it was this past Friday but I am just completely taken back that you’re acting like you don’t know what I’m talking about.
BROOKS – Sir, I do, I have no clue what you’re talking about. That’s why I need you to tell me because if I did something that was inappropriate or offended, I, I, I don’t want to do it again and I cannot recall anything that I did that was inappropriate or, or offensive so please, and if you’re uncomfortable telling me, tell it to and she’ll tell me but I would never do anything knowingly that, that would put anybody in a bad situation. So if you’re calling me to tell me I did that, please complete the story so I can be aware of it.
PEREZ – saw what you did too.
BROOKS – Well, then I’ll call her right now because I’m at a completely at a loss of what I could have done, and, and the fact that you won’t tell me even concerns me because I want to adjust the behavior if it was offensive.
PEREZ – Okay, um, I, I, I’m, I’m, I’m disappointed that you’re acting like you don’t know what you did. I really-
BROOKS – Sir, well, you know, I, I appreciate that you’re calling me to tell me that I did something inappropriate in your presence. Ah, the, the fact that I don’t know what it-
PEREZ – The fact, the fact that you’re acting that way and you want me to tell you that you pinched my butt.
BROOKS – Oh come on, I did not do that!
PEREZ – You did to.
BROOKS – That, that is bullsh*t, no sir I did not do that! No sir! And I take offense that you’re, you’re telling me this now! I did nothing to touch you sir! If I did anything, I would have touched you on the shoulder in an affection manner! I do not touch people inappropriately sir! So there may have been someone else in the area around us but it was not me and I will talk, I will talk to and find out about it, cause I’m insulted that you’re accusing me of that!
PEREZ – Well, um that’s what happened, and so um
BROOKS – Okay, well, I, I, I, look, I cannot refute what you think happened and I apologize for losing my temper and if you choose to bring that to the board, I respect that, you have every right to it. I’m going to call because I, I did not do anything a in that regard, nothing sir. And if you think I did, I am so, so sorry but that is not something that I do. And, and I apologize if you think I did it, I know I did not but I certainly um, a will take a, I can’t take responsibility for something that I did not do. I, I apologize if you feel that I did that, I did not do that sir.
PEREZ – Okay, goodbye.
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