Why Madison is marching: 'I feel like we’re not real citizens'
From the Pain and protest: Madison responds to the police killing of George Floyd (Summer 2020) series
By the thousands, citizens of Madison and surrounding communities have hit the streets every day — and often well into the night — for the last week demanding not just justice for George Floyd, but an end to unequal treatment of people of color in all areas of life: by police, by schools, by employers.
The protests have been largely peaceful if intentionally disruptive, in some cases temporarily shutting down city streets and highways. Over the first three nights, they were followed by spasms of vandalism, looting and clashes with police that left virtually every business on State Street damaged. Most protesters disavow any link between the message they're seeking to deliver and the destruction they say has been caused largely by opportunists.
Yeshua Musa, 28, Madison
At the state Capitol with his son to help register people to vote.
“Our vote counts. If we want the government to listen to us, we’re going to have to vote. We’re out here fighting for freedom and justice. We are demanding justice, reparations, police reform. This isn’t going to stop until we get what we want. The only way we can do that is if we vote.”
Damani Robinson, 23, Madison
Left, with Devin, who declined to provide a last name.
“My whole life I’ve been scared of the police. I lost a lot of friends and family just because of the color of our skin. I haven’t seen my dad in 20 years because he’s been locked up. I just want to be treated the same way as everyone else. I want the police to protect us, but they don’t care about us. I feel like we’re not real citizens. Our ancestors were brought over here, we got our freedom — yet we still aren’t free.”
Rodrick Page, 54, Milwaukee
“I’ve been in almost every penitentiary in Wisconsin. I’ve had cellmates who have died in prison, and the police didn’t care about them. And the police who killed George Floyd committed murder. I want politicians to wake up. No one should have to suffer wrongful death. I’m here to represent everybody who is tired and fed up.”
Sophia Tollefson, 18, Madison
At right, with Colty Strifle, 17, left, Sam Schumann, 19, and Caleb Tollefson, 17
“My dad is black. I’m totally aware that he could be pulled over, and he could be killed just because of judgments people have. That’s a big part of why I’m here.”
Jessica Ayite, 18, and Tamiya Smith, 18, Madison
“This issue that’s going on right now should not be happening in the 21st century,” Ayite said. “But the youth are going to be the ones to tell our future kids about what we did to make a change in this world.”
“We have to start demanding change and it’s up to our generation to do that," Smith said. "Older people need to hear our voices. The youth have a bigger impact and have power in their voice. It’s important for us to come out here every day to show people we’re not going to stop and we’re going to keep fighting until we get some justice.”
Betty Li, 28, Madison
With husband, Ben
“As Asian Americans, it’s important for us to show solidarity with our black brothers and sisters and to understand the civil rights movement. We’re excited to be part of this fight that has been simmering for a long time and is finally reaching a head. There seems to be momentum here, and a lot of concrete action is happening.”
Brandon Eaton, 25, Madison
“I’m here with Forward Madison. I was raised by a single mother. I spent 25 years of my life getting phone calls from her — simply for walking down the street, walking to stores with friends — always telling me to be careful. I think everything that’s occurring in life right now has really woken me up and has registered in my brain. It took 25 years for me to realize that there are real fears out there for people to lose their lives unlawfully because of police officers. I want to grow up in a world where I raise my children and don’t have to make those phone calls telling them to be careful doing simple tasks.”
Alyssa Ivy, 23, Madison
Left, with Antoria Robbins, 22, of Madison
"(Some) will claim the youth are rioting and looting, but that’s not the truth. There’s a small group who continue to break off after the peaceful protest that go out there and riot. I was out there last night until 1 a.m. and it was peaceful."
Gavin Doby, 18, Fitchburg
“I’m here to support social justice and peace. My motivation was to bring peace to this community because I live around here, and I want it to be peaceful. There’s a lot of anger, hatred and violence going on in Fitchburg. There needs to be more changes in this community and for people in positions of leadership.”
Ventae Parrow, Milwaukee
“I came to be an example of what peace looks like. I came to be an example of how when a movement is done peacefully, it gets the best results. Not violence on violence, or evil on evil. I know that peace puts out violence and evil. I’m here to be part of the solution, not the problem.”
In this Series
Pain and protest: Madison responds to the police killing of George Floyd (Summer 2020)
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Updated
Police protests: How Madison answered the police killing of George Floyd, in photos
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Updated
Photos: Look back at Madison's 'Forward' statue through the years as protesters down Capitol Square replica
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Updated
Restore or replace? Community reckons with what’s next for Capitol’s fallen statues
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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.
Protests erupted across the country, including Madison, to condemn the police-related death of a Minneapolis man May 25. Here's a look at loca…
