Sometimes people want to do something nice, like giving out free balloons to others. One Milwaukee man certainly thought so and has been going around the city offering free balloons to kids and anyone else who wanted one. Unfortunately, someone seemed to take offense at this harmless act and decided to call the police on him, which led to the man being detained by Wisconsin police.
TikTok user @danasiaward was one of the witnesses who saw the entire situation unfold. She said that when she arrived at a Milwaukee park, she noticed a line of people patiently waiting to get their free balloons from the balloon man. Then, a woman suddenly showed up, cut into the line, and began loudly insisting that the balloon man should not be there because he did not have a permit. The balloon man calmly explained that he did not need one since he was not selling balloons, only giving them away for free. That explanation was apparently not enough, as police officers soon arrived on the scene.
Allegedly, someone had reported that the balloon man was “doing burnouts” in the area. Danasia, who was not buying this claim for a second, decided she was not going to let it slide. She began questioning two suspicious individuals she believed could have made the report. The first was the woman who had confronted the balloon man earlier and was still hanging around nearby. The second was a man wearing a black shirt with unnervingly wide eyes. When Danasia asked the wide-eyed man for proof of the supposed burnouts, he waved his arms and pointed around randomly while still insisting that the balloon man had been doing donuts and burnouts.
To Danasia, the entire situation was “ridiculous and stupid.” Sadly, the balloon man was still placed in handcuffs and taken away by police. While he was not put in jail, the Milwaukee resident still had his time wasted as officers kept him until nearly sundown before releasing him.
It’s safe to say that many people in Milwaukee were not impressed with the actions of what some have dubbed the “two Karens” who targeted the balloon man. Danasia defended him, saying he was not acting like a creep, that he kept a respectful distance from people, and that he was trying to spread some joy.
Many Reddit users echoed her sentiment, expressing outrage over how a man trying to do something kind was treated like a criminal. One user wrote, “FREE FREE BALLOON GUY.” Others criticized the complainants for being petty, power-hungry, and ruining an innocent gesture. One TikTok user asked, “Is bug-eyes getting a ticket for a false report? He wasted taxpayer money.”
Another Milwaukee local even shared their own experience, saying, “I live in Milwaukee and have seen this guy around the beach downtown just giving out balloons to kids. Pretty sure he’s given our child one. He always seemed to keep a reasonable distance from play areas and let people approach him.”
