Willy Street merchants feel the strain as encampment enters second week
NOE GOLDHABER
Updated
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Protesters march toward one of the barricades erected just west of the intersection where Corey Ruiz was shot last week. Businesses within the occupied zone say they’ve seen a drop-off in customers.
OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL ARCHIVES
Protesters tie trash and recycling cans together last week to reinforce a barricade set up around the intersection where police fatally shot Corey Ruiz on July 22. In addition to bins, mattresses, pallets and trucks, cars and trailers have been used to barricade the memorial, protest and encampment.
AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL ARCHIVES
People walk by Willalby’s Cafe on Williamson Street, which is down the street from the barricaded memorial and encampment site where Corey Ruiz was fatally shot by a Madison police officer last week. Businesses within the occupied zone say they’ve seen a significant drop-off in customers.
One week after a Madison police officer shot and killed 38-year-old Corey Ruiz at the corner of Williamson and South Baldwin streets, some nearby merchants say the encampment that has been set up as a memorial to Ruiz is taking a significant toll.
The Hazel General Store is one of many several businesses inside the barricaded area where an encampment and memorial to Corey Ruiz has been set up. Merchants in the area say they’ve seen a significant drop-off in customers.
Visitors stop Thursday at the growing memorial for Corey Ruiz at the intersection of Williamson and South Baldwin streets in Madison. Area merchants are voicing concerns about significant losses and possibly facing closure.
The Marquette Hotel on South Baldwin Street has seen nearly two-thirds of its reservations for the summer canceled since the shooting, owner James Montgomery said.
Growing signs of the permanence of the protest include food tents, medical stations and even a “People’s Library,” where Abby Graf was seeking shade Thursday.
Protesters march toward one of the barricades erected just west of the intersection where Corey Ruiz was shot last week. Businesses within the occupied zone say they’ve seen a drop-off in customers.
Protesters tie trash and recycling cans together last week to reinforce a barricade set up around the intersection where police fatally shot Corey Ruiz on July 22. In addition to bins, mattresses, pallets and trucks, cars and trailers have been used to barricade the memorial, protest and encampment.
People walk by Willalby’s Cafe on Williamson Street, which is down the street from the barricaded memorial and encampment site where Corey Ruiz was fatally shot by a Madison police officer last week. Businesses within the occupied zone say they’ve seen a significant drop-off in customers.
Visitors stop Thursday at the growing memorial for Corey Ruiz at the intersection of Williamson and South Baldwin streets in Madison. Area merchants are voicing concerns about significant losses and possibly facing closure.
The Marquette Hotel on South Baldwin Street has seen nearly two-thirds of its reservations for the summer canceled since the shooting, owner James Montgomery said.
Growing signs of the permanence of the protest include food tents, medical stations and even a “People’s Library,” where Abby Graf was seeking shade Thursday.
The Hazel General Store is one of many several businesses inside the barricaded area where an encampment and memorial to Corey Ruiz has been set up. Merchants in the area say they’ve seen a significant drop-off in customers.