Dylan Brogan
Black youth have developed their own system of crowd control at nighttime protests.
A nearly all-night protest against police violence in downtown Madison ended for the second day in a row without violence or clashes with law enforcement. Sparked by nationwide unrest and riots over the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, something is happening in Madison that is sidestepping the traditional levers of power.
A few thousand people, led by black youth, have coalesced into an increasingly organized and self-disciplined group that plans on continuing to occupy one corner of the Capitol Square at night and the movement shows no sign of slowing down. What binds this group of mostly young activists of all races is a complete rejection of American policing as we know it.
A candlelit memorial for the victims of police killings, complete with photos, was created for the June 4 protest, in one of the large round planters on the Square. The display served as a focus point for the thousands spread out at the top of State Street and on the Capitol grounds.
The dutiful protesters barely moved as reflective quiet washed over the crowd, minute after minute.
“For those of y’all that didn’t know what that was for, that’s how long George Floyd had his neck pressed against the concrete until he had to take his last breath,” said the speaker, a young black woman. “We do that to remember him. To remember everybody.”
The protest Wednesday night started as an open mic for black youth who delivered testimonials, spoken word poetry, and song. Many of the speakers — who do not represent formal organizations and sometimes didn’t even identify themselves — urged peace and unity during the protest, and fundamental reform to law enforcement.
“This is the greatest revolution since MLK was assassinated,” declared a young man on the mic. “Think about that. This is in every state.... This is international.”
Over the course of the six-hour protest, Isthmus interviewed dozens of young people about their reasons for demonstrating.
Aaliyah Grey, a 15-year-old Madison high school student, says she feels an obligation to her father.
“I'm scared that he’s gonna walk out the house, the police are gonna think he did something wrong, and he's gonna get shot,” says Grey, who marched in the rain June 2 at a protest that ended without any violence downtown. “That's why I'm out here. I'm out here for him. I’m out here so my little sister will not have to grow up without a father.”
Arrieonna Cargel, another black teenager from Madison, says it feels like “people don't understand our pain and the struggles.”
“I’m here to end police brutality,” says Cargel. “I’m willing to risk my life for people who have lost theirs.”
Tamaya Travis says the killing of Floyd is just the latest “horrific example” of injustice and indignities felt routinely by black youth in America.
“We shouldn't be scared to go out in public. We can't hang out in groups because they think we're a gang. We shouldn't be scared to get pulled over,” says Travis, a black high school student from Madison. “We shouldn't be scared to talk to the police when we need something. But we're terrified because every time we do, our lives might be in danger. Because even three simple words — ‘I can't breathe’ — is not respected.”
Jay, an 18-year-old graduate of Madison Memorial, says he’s come out to protest at night to “finally see something positive happen.”
“Black people are the most hated people alive. We have been for hundreds of years. Wouldn’t you be mad if you were me?” asks Jay. “There's a reason why we feel like this. There's a reason why we're upset. Our entire lives we have grown up at a disadvantage.”
Jay is conflicted by the destruction downtown and says he feels bad for the business owners whose property has been destroyed. But moments later he admits he’s fed up.
“There's no such thing as a peaceful protest. You don't get nothing out of that. We've been doing that for 60 years or longer and barely anything has changed,” he adds. “Barely anybody is hearing our voice. Barely anybody is coming up and speaking out on the fuckery that's going on all the time.”
Brandi Grayson, founder of Urban Triage, says several years of leading peaceful protests over the police shooting of 19-year-old Tony Robinson, along with efforts to stop the construction of a new Dane County jail and remove police from schools, have given black youth the tools to create something new.
“[These protests] really were spontaneous and led by the youth. They have been paying attention to the organized protests that happened during the day [after Floyd’s death]. And you can see them using the same tools and strategies we use to direct the crowd and refocus the crowd. It’s powerful as hell,” says Grayson. “It’s like the youth is just waiting to be led. They just needed an example. They just needed a model and they are doing it.”
The open mic June 4 continued off and on throughout the night. There were also chants of “no justice, no peace,” “fuck the police,” and this “this is not a riot, this is a revolution.” Then the mood shifted from solemn to celebratory.
A young man on the mic declared that the illegal activity downtown would stop. But, he added as hip-hop music filled the Capitol Square, “We are still going to wake the whole damn city up.” The protesters then danced in the streets and listened to more speeches until 3 a.m.
Dylan Brogan
Anti-police graffiti is all over downtown after several days of protests.
Black youth have taken the reins of organizing all-night protests since an impromptu march on May 31 — the day after the first night of rioting downtown. They marched up State Street to the Capitol around 9:30 p.m. in defiance of a city-ordered curfew. But an altercation with police in standard uniforms during the march quickly escalated into an all-out battle with law enforcement. Protesters were hit with pepper spray, tear gas and rubber bullets. Looting across the city also took place that night.
Several city alders called the police response on May 31 “a gross and unnecessary display of force that deepens community divide and mistrust of the city and other bodies of government.”
The following night, a far less organized, tension-filled protest kept those intent on destruction at bay until 1 a.m. But after the core group of youth organizers went home, a sizable number of individuals — with varying degrees of connection to the Black Lives Matter movement — thoroughly sacked State Street by breaking windows and looting stores. Dozens of police in riot gear swept downtown without much resistance. The next day, the length of State Street and many buildings on the Square were completely boarded up.
Starting June 3, police were invisible downtown — keeping watch of the protest from surveillance cameras and through dark windows in buildings overlooking the demonstrations. Police strike teams continue to stand ready in tactical gear inside the City County Building and at the Capitol but have not been deployed the past two nights.
Demonstrations took on a new level of sophistication June 3 with a better sound system and efforts to keep the protesters fed and hydrated. Youth organizers also become more disciplined and better able to manage the crowd.
Throughout the days of protest, officials have attempted to break down those in the streets into different factions.
Acting police chief Vic Wahl told WMTV on June 2 that protesters are different from the individuals who engaged in “organized violence.”
“Those people are often embedded and often use that larger crowd as anonymity and cover for their action. It's very difficult to police those things effectively,” said Wahl. “If it's peaceful disobedience, we're often going to tolerate that.”
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, too, has attempted to distinguish the masses of peaceful protesters from small groups that police witnessed June 1 making molotov cocktails, wielding baseball bats, and setting off fireworks near the crowd. She has repeatedly praised several daytime demonstrations organized by Freedom Inc., Urban Triage and the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) following the death of Floyd.
But Sawyer Johnson, a member of PSL, rejected the mayor’s support at a June 1 daytime rally, saying the groups side unequivocally with black youth — some of whom may have looted — and consider the criminal activity part of an effort “to lead the rebellion.”
Rhodes-Conway still pleaded in a June 2 statement for the nighttime demonstrations to end.
“Please stay home tonight. I welcome protests — particularly in the daytime — but I do not want legitimate protests to continue to provide cover for this violent, unacceptable behavior,” said the mayor. “I understand anger, but there is no excuse for putting lives in danger, and that is what is happening. Again — please stay home tonight, and tomorrow night.”
But peaceful protesters showed up by the hundreds and then the thousands, despite the mayor’s request.
Michael Johnson, CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County, has also condemned property destruction and confrontations with law enforcement. He led police officers and city officials, June 2, in kneeling in an attempt to build solidarity with protesters against police violence. Rhodes-Conway, state Rep. Shelia Stubbs, Madison school board president Gloria Reyes, Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney, and acting Madison Police Chief Vic Wahl were all in attendance. The event also announced the formation of a new community peacekeeping team to help keep order during protests.
But the protesters don’t want help from city or traditional community leaders. Ciara H., one of the youth organizers, tells Isthmus several people leading the protest are former Madison high school students of color who have been organizing since Robinson was killed by Madison police officer Matt Kenny.
“We are a group led by black youth who demand change,” says Ciara. “We don’t request it.”
She says the youth organizing the late night protests are committed to peacefully demonstrating but do not judge how some individuals “express 400 years of systematic oppression,” even if that includes rioting.
Ciara finds Johnson’s effort to provide peacekeepers “insulting” and the youth organizers have started a petition calling for his removal as head of the Boys and Girls Clubs.
Johnson provided a statement by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County in response: [Johnson's] guidance of this organization is making a significant, measurable impact on the lives of children and their families in our community. Through the pandemic and civil rights demonstrations, his commitment to our community and his vision for our shared better future is inspiring, activating, and healing."
Dylan Brogan
A network of supporters is helping supply protesters with food and water.
In the last two days of protests, police have become tolerant of some non-violent criminal activity, including the tagging of buildings and some pot smoking. And youth organizers have become better at self-policing, instilling order that has eluded law enforcement for days. Groups like Freedom Inc. and Urban Triage are supporting the youth organizers but not having a public presence at the nighttime protests.
The youth organizers use call and response chants to stop fights, weed out troublemakers, and prevent crowd panic. “Don’t start no shit, won’t be no shit” and “stay together” are common refrains if there’s a whiff of trouble. The method has stopped violent behavior without a single cop in sight.
The protests also feature drills in case police try to break up the protest or bad actors try to infiltrate. One of these methods is asking white allies to form a human chain around protesters of color.
“We aren’t asking you to take a bullet for us,” said one of the black organizers over the sound system while directing white protesters. “We just know that the police won’t shoot you...we are all on the same side.”
Stacii and a few friends, who have attended several of the late-night protests, show up with tennis rackets to “swat tear gas canisters” if needed.
“As a white ally, I am there to listen but to be ready to put my body between the police and people of color who are peacefully protesting,” Stacii tells Isthmus. “Having protective gear is vital just in case.”
A white man, who looks about 20 years older than most of the people in the crowd, walks around with a cart full of snacks.
“There are supply houses across the isthmus. There’s a group, about 100 of us, who communicate covertly to make sure the youth have everything they need. We have a whole medic team, too,” says the man. “Our job is support, stay out of the way.”
Ciara says organizers “haven’t put an end date on justice” and the demonstrations will continue until their demands are met.
“We demand that Matt Kenny be fired and that the community has control over the police. The community should be in charge of investigating police violence — not other cops,” says Ciara. “We have no plans on stopping until then.”
[Editor's update: This story has been updated with a statement from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County board of directors.]
