MADISON, Wis. — Protesters begun a sit out outside State Street businesses Saturday night, to which organizers told News 3 Now they will not be going inside the businesses.
This comes after a Madison police officer shot and killed 38-year-old Corey Ruiz at the intersection of Williamson Street and Baldwin Street on Wednesday. Police confirmed this case is being considered as an open and active homicide investigation.
In an update late Saturday night, Chief John Patterson said he remains in close contact with the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation and there was no new information. He reiterated that he will continue to check in with DCI and share new information with the community.
MADISON, Wis. — A Madison shooting involving a police officer from Wednesday afternoon is be…
Whiskey Jack’s Saloon was among the first businesses targeted by the organized action.
The demonstrators presented three specific demands to city leadership:
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Arrest the officer involved in the shooting
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Provide all independent investigation information to the Civilian Oversight Board
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Grant the Civilian Oversight Board disciplinary power over police officers
Ayomi Obuseh, one of the organizers, connected Saturday’s action to previous reform efforts in the city.
“When we made the demands in 2020, that was the establishment of the civilian oversight board when we said no — like stood up as youth. I was 19 years old at the time saying, ‘We want a civilian oversight board. We want community control over the police,’ and we got it,” Obuseh said. “Six years since then, they have been underfunding us and cutting us every step of the way. It’s paramount that we strengthen this board, because if the board has the opportunity to do proper investigations to hire and fire police officers instead of giving them suspension with pay.”
The Ruiz family has retained prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump to represent their interests. Crump characterized Ruiz’s death as an execution and criticized the police response.
“It was unnecessary, unjustified and unconstitutional how they executed Corey Ruiz,” Crump said.
Crump highlighted that Ruiz had documented mental health issues and argued that police should have been equipped to de-escalate the situation. He also pointed to the absence of body cameras on Madison police officers as a significant gap in accountability and transparency.
City officials announced Friday that Williamson Street and South Baldwin Street will remain closed until further notice.
Since the shooting, protesters have created a memorial to Ruiz at the intersection and erected makeshift barricades around the area.
“Thank god there were videos!” Crump said.
MADISON, Wis. — The family of Corey Ruiz gathered to speak publicly about the man they say w…
The family has vowed to continue their fight for justice.
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