Pain and protest: Madison responds to the police killing of George Floyd (Summer 2020)

After demonstrators against racial injustice toppled the “Forward” and Hans Christian Heg statues last Tuesday at Capitol Square, community members have grappled with whether the art should be restored or replaced entirely.

“It’s kind of beautiful how you can show what you’re doing through a peaceful form like art,” Lowell fifth-grader Nelson Lashley said.

Madison officials are struggling to protect protesters' First Amendment rights while keeping citizens and property safe amid continuing protests Downtown.

Two groups for students of color say Abraham Lincoln's history as anti-Indigenous and anti-Black warrant replacing him with someone who "who stands for the justice of all people."

Man arrested for involvement in toppling of Civil War statue; activist charged with extortion. 

Several State Street business owners said the disturbance at Coopers Tavern was not an isolated incident.

Protesters knocked down two statues Tuesday evening, one that has come to represent women's rights and the other honoring an abolitionist.

"The police department is hesitant because they don't feel that the City Council and definitely the mayor has their backs," Ald. Paul Skidmore said.

Some drivers ran through small crowds of protesters Tuesday, causing injuries among those who were supporting Black Lives Matter.

The School Board is voting Monday to remove police from high schools before fall, and the Madison City Council is expected to introduce a similar resolution to end the contract.

The Madison School Board is creating a subcommittee to work toward removing police officers from schools, but opponents of police in schools are calling for more immediate action.

Protesters tore down statues of Forward and a Union Civil War colonel, assaulted a state senator and set a small fire in a city building Downtown on Tuesday night after the arrest of a Black activist seen causing a disturbance in a restaurant earlier in the day.

In the wake of COVID-19, riots and looting they're asking the street be turned into a temporary pedestrian mall, that subsidies be offered to new tenants filling vacant spaces; outdoor cafe and restaurant spaces be expanded and safety measures improved.

Madison mayor suggests person who hit 24-year-old Black woman might have committed a hate crime.

Natural light, customers and hope have begun to return on State Street. But uneasiness remains even as the plywood starts to come off the windows.

The Juneteenth celebration became a "March to Freedom" to protest the incarceration of black people. 

Communities with disproportionate numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths have other health struggles.

The Dane County Board on Thursday took a first step toward declaring racism a public health crisis. "First and foremost we have to recognize that there is an issue," Supervisor Shelia Stubbs said. 

The projectile launchers, which fire sponge rounds, were used against protesters during the first two days of demonstrations and unrest in Madison. 

The Madison Police and Fire Commission's attorney said two proposed police oversight measures could conflict with the commission's authority.  

Many of the measures were initiated after the shooting of Tony Robinson in 2015.

While much of the meeting was focused on police reform policy, the end turned into an emotional conversation about race and community healing. 

Rhodes-Conway said in a statement Wednesday she "failed to center" a message of racial justice in a seemingly private video she sent to police expressing gratitude and sympathy.

In a statement Tuesday, Reyes said she will now support removing school resource officers from the high schools and plans to form a committee "to pursue a viable alternative to SROs in our buildings."

Acting Madison Police Chief Vic Wahl said around 15 officers marched alongside protesters Sunday because they are also angry about George Floyd's death. 

The crowd of around 100 attorneys took a knee outside of the Dane County Courthouse for 8 minutes and 46 seconds — the amount of time that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd's neck. 

Madison Teachers Inc. is reversing its stance on school resource officers, but is only calling for their removal if 33 new support staff positions are added at the high schools.

The march was yet another gathering of its kind in Madison and across the nation protesting police brutality and white supremacy after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.

Temporary paintings on plywood covering windows have turned the street into a pop-up gallery that is drawing crowds and making a statement in the aftermath of the George Floyd killing.

A survey of 100 of the 152 businesses on the street indicates that about 40 likely won't reopen.

As a "week of action" in Madison after the police custody death of George Floyd wraps up, three organizing groups vowed Saturday to keep pursuing the abolition, and not reform, of current policing structures.

Day seven of protests against police violence in Madison was a celebration of Breonna Taylor's life. Organizers hosted a barbecue and party at James Madison Park. 

“These kids are the organizers,” said Ebony Anderson-Carter, 29. “This ain’t about me. It’s about them.”

The list is not comprehensive, as police continue to use video and other evidence to investigate crimes committed over the three nights.

On the fifth night of demonstrations in Downtown Madison, hundreds gathered at the top of State Street to celebrate and remember unarmed black people killed by police officers.

Also at the event, the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County said it would hire 75 "peace keepers" to de-escalate tension with protesters and police.

Following peaceful daytime protests, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway urges protesters to "stay home," and not engage in looting and other destructive behaviors. 

People began looting and damaging State Street stores and other property just before 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Police reported there were multiple break-ins and looting at stores outside the Downtown as well.

Police were trying to stop looters from shattering glass at the restaurant Teddywedgers, 101 State St., and Tobacco Mart, 103 State St.

“This vandalism, all this other stuff is ridiculous,” Murphy said. “It makes no sense to me.”

The driver was able to drive away and has not been apprehended, but several people took photos that have been shared with police, the center said.

Volunteers swept broken glass, scrubbed graffiti and helped city workers right toppled planters along the pedestrian mall, where Madison police said about 75 businesses were looted or damaged during the riot, in which a police squad car was torched.

A cleanup effort was underway Sunday morning on State Street where Madison police say approximately 75 businesses were damaged, looted or both.

Madison's George Floyd protest Saturday went from peaceful to destructive.