Demonstrators have set up barricades made of trash cans, wooden pallets and nails at the intersection of Williamson and Baldwin streets in Madison, creating what one trapped resident called “a lawless zone and homeless encampment barricaded on all four sides.”
A protest following a Madison police officer’s fatal shooting of Corey Ruiz, 38, — who police say was armed with a knife during a struggle — has shut down approximately two square blocks of Williamson Street for nearly a week, with no resolution in sight.
The July 22 incident unfolded when officers responded to reports of a person stealing bicycles and checking vehicle doors, and police located the suspect, identified as Corey Ruiz, who rode away on a bicycle through backyards before officers encountered him again.
Videos verified by ABC News show the moments after Ruiz fell from the bicycle at the intersection of S. Baldwin and Williamson Streets in Madison, with three officers rushing to restrain him as he was on the ground.
Police said a struggle followed in the intersection, during which Ruiz pulled out a fixed-blade knife and injured an officer, and officers attempted to take Ruiz into custody and deployed a TASER, but it was unsuccessful.
Seven seconds after one officer warned about Ruiz’s knife, another officer shot him three times at close range, according to an ABC News analysis.
Nearby businesses and residents say the closure is affecting their ability to operate and move freely, with a worker at Buraka Restaurant saying traffic to the restaurant has dropped since the closure began, noting “To people that aren’t in this area, they’re kind of discouraged about coming to this area.”
One resident living within the protest zone provided a statement: “As a resident trapped in the protest zone, I feel the protest turned into a very disrespectful occupation focused on punishing Willy Street for the incident.”
Alder Davy Mayer said he has been working with the mayor’s office and city Streets department to use salt trucks to block the street at times, taking the place of police cars which normally would be present.
City crews have coordinated garbage collection and brought in portable toilets for both residents and people staying at the encampment.
District 6 Alder Davy Mayer said he has heard from more than 100 constituents in recent days, and noted a homeless population has moved into the zone, saying “There’s also a large number of our homeless neighbors have come in and have been taking up living in this area too. That’s something that causes disruption,” while also noting the group has implemented some self-regulation, including a 10 p.m. curfew for children and overnight quiet hours.
Mayer said his priority has been “ensuring the safety of all people who have gathered here, maintaining that right to protest,” while also “hearing my residents and businesses who, down to a single one, support the cause of justice and transparency and accountability, but also want to have access to their homes and businesses.”
“I don’t think the city wants to see a permanent takeover of this intersection,” Mayer said, adding he hopes the city can begin pushing barricades back to reopen parts of the street, but said planning is being done hour by hour.
In the viral moment that sparked the protests,
Corey Ruiz, who was in his 30s and a member of the Madison community, was killed on Wednesday during a struggle with four officers after he pulled out a knife, police said.
Four officers were involved in or witnessed the incident, and the officer who fired the weapon, described as a veteran officer, has been placed on administrative leave along with the other involved officers.
A makeshift memorial for Ruiz was growing at the intersection of South Baldwin and Williamson Streets, with flowers, candles and balloons placed there as hundreds of people gathered Thursday night for a vigil.
Ruiz’s mother, Elsa Ruiz, said her son was an exceptional man who loved his daughter and the rest of his family, breaking down in tears and saying “They took my baby from me.”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, retained by the family of Corey Ruiz, said in a statement Thursday that the Wisconsin police officer who fatally shot Ruiz should face criminal charges.
Crump said “We saw an execution, and it shocked our conscience,” continuing “People all over Wisconsin were shocked when they saw the execution of Corey Ruiz. People all over America are shocked when they see the execution of Corey Ruiz, because they understand when they see that video that it was so unnecessary to execute him.”
Community organizer Jazzman Brown, who knew Ruiz for more than 20 years and went to school with him, said Ruiz was a father who was experiencing homelessness and mental health struggles, and recalled they had known each other forever.
A group of roughly 20 protesters burst into the Madison police station on Thursday, shortly after Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Common Council President Sabrina Madison identified the man killed by police as Corey Ruiz, a homeless resident.
“We don’t want any of that talk,” one protester said, before delivering a lengthy denunciation of police, capitalism, imperialism and Zionism, accusing Police Chief Patterson of participating in a system that had oppressed his family for generations.
Madison, the council president, said “Corey could have been my brother because my brother is homeless and he often rides a bike,” and added she was struggling to understand what she’s seen in videos of the shooting, saying “My first thought is, when the officer’s walking away, why isn’t he walking away in cuffs.”
Ruiz’s 13-year-old daughter, Kah’liyah Aliomar, said at the press conference “My heart was so broken I don’t even know how to put it in words.”
City of Madison leaders say they are trying to balance protesters’ calls for justice with the needs of residents and businesses in the surrounding neighborhood, with Alder Mayer saying his priority has been safety for people gathered while hearing from residents and businesses who support the cause of justice but want access to their homes and businesses.
As of mid-day Monday, dozens of people were camped out at the site with tents and couches, with organizers grilling food and passing out ice, bottled water, Gatorade and pop, with a sign advertising a free syringe exchange.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is conducting an independent investigation.