City of Madison discusses their response to Williamson Street encampment and protests
Mayor, city agencies detail decision-making, response and aftermath of two-week occupation
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Madison alders are getting a full picture of what happened during the clearing of an encampment at Williamson and Baldwin streets, after people occupied the area for nearly two weeks following a Madison police shooting.
Representatives from the Office of the City Attorney, the Mayor’s Office, the Public Works Department, the Community Development Division, the Finance Department, the Madison Police Department, Public Health Madison & Dane County, the Madison Fire Department and the Office of the Independent Police Monitor answered questions from alders during a three-hour meeting. Questions were submitted by alders or by constituents to alders to be asked of city agencies.
Mayor cites safety concerns
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said she knew the encampment had to be cleared from the beginning, but said safety was her tipping point for moving in.
“Nails in the barricades, multiple daisy chained extension cords sometimes running through puddles, human waste, discarded sharps, neighbors nearby saying that they were being harassed and some of them were physically attacked,” Rhodes-Conway said.
Rhodes-Conway said what started as a temporary space for healing turned into an occupation of public infrastructure. She said from the time barricades went up, it was an illegal occupation, but it felt like a protest and grieving space.
She said her major tipping point was when the site transitioned from a protest to a homeless encampment, with an increasing number of people camping there after some were given hotel stays. She said she was hearing from sources that conditions were unsafe, including rumors of sexual assaults, and that neighbors were physically attacked and harassed and felt they were being kept from getting in and out of their homes.
Community Development Division Director Jim O’Keefe said there is a difference between a sanctioned space and occupying a street, and the encampment was not a recognized sanctioned arrangement. O’Keefe said during the pandemic, the city was advised to support encampments rather than disperse them due to public health concerns, but said this situation was different.
He said these situations deteriorate with time, and by the second week on Williamson Street, officials saw deterioration. O’Keefe said the encampment initially included increasing numbers of homeless individuals, including families with children.
Rhodes-Conway said the city did not identify leaders within the encampment. She said people who identified themselves as leaders approached the city, but officials talked to many people and found no single person who represented everyone, so no negotiations took place.
Rhodes-Conway addressed there were rumors the National Guard would be called or that the city would clear the site on a certain day, and said all of those claims were false. She said the Guard was never contacted by the city of Madison.
Rhodes-Conway said it became apparent early on that the barricades were blocking streets and that could not be allowed to continue, but the decision to end the encampment came as officials saw more homeless individuals and fewer protesters living there. She described it as having become more of a homelessness issue than a free speech protest.
On the number of officials involved in the decision, Rhodes-Conway said, “I’m the mayor so it was ultimately my decision.”
She said various agencies were involved but conversations were kept small, and her goal throughout was to lead with city staff rather than law enforcement to make the situation as safe as possible for everyone.
She said as few people as possible were told about the plan to clear the encampment and its timing, limited to top city leaders and those directly involved in the clearing, to reduce the chance of more people coming to the area and to reduce retaliation or pushback. No alders were called or notified about the clearing.
Asked about the use of the term “raid” to describe the clearing, Rhodes-Conway said it was not a raid but the city reopening a city street. She said the lack of notification was meant to minimize harm.
Clearing met with retaliation
City workers were sent in to clear the encampment just before 5 a.m. and were met with retaliation, according to officials.
“Rocks were being thrown at the city streets workers at 5 a.m. At 5:01 we had report of windows being broke. 5:08 a.m. the first fire was lit in front of the Willy Street Co-op. 5:12 a.m. second fire lit at Willy and Baldwin. And then 5:31 the third fire was lit at Baldwin and Wilson,” an official said.
Officials said the first two fires were put out by Streets Division workers, and the third was put out by the Madison Police Department.
Assistant Chief Matt Tye of the Madison Police Department said officers with the department’s Special Events Team were not wearing full protective gear. He said helmets were worn because rocks and diesel batteries were being thrown at city workers. Tye said no tear gas or projectiles were used, and individual pepper sprays were used.
Officials said 26 arrests were made initially, and 10 were cited and release.
Officials also addressed the distinction between free speech and unlawful assembly, saying state law declares an unlawful assembly when three or more people are gathered committing crimes. Officials said items were thrown, a window was broken on a city vehicle, and fires were started, and at that point the situation switched from an encampment to an unlawful assembly, making refusal to leave a crime.
Police monitor questioned
The pushback came from people in the encampment and also involved Independent Police Monitor Aeiramique Glass, who got into a physical altercation with police hours after the clearing. Alders and community members submitted questions and concerns about the incident.
“Do you understand that many in this city no longer view you as a neutral arbiter of facts, that you have instead traded impartiality and objectivity for the passion of the activists,” people asked Glass.
“I think that, um... no,” Glass said. “I was very clear about who I am and what I stand for, and I’ve done this work on the national level so you can Google me.”
Glass was also asked about comments she made on a megaphone at the protest.
Glass said it is her job to show up for the community, and that it is her duty to speak when asked to speak by the Police Civilian Oversight Board and the community at demonstrations, which she said she has made clear from the beginning. When asked about statements she has made, Glass said, “We have to ask the question of who deems it inflammatory.”
Records dispute over shooting investigation
Glass was also asked about the city attorney’s legal opinion stating the Madison Police Department was unable to provide the Office of the Independent Monitor with evidence related to the shooting death of Corey Ruiz, after she requested records from the department for her own investigation.
“Everyone get a pen... the state of Wisconsin circuit court, Dane County case number 2026...,” Glass said.
The case number refers to a civil lawsuit. The lawsuit asks a Dane County judge to compel Police Chief John Patterson and the records clerk to comply with a subpoena. It claims the department gave “shifting and inconsistent explanations” before refusing to turn over camera footage, dispatch audio and the names of officers involved.
Fire response times examined
The mayor also addressed concerns about response times for Fire Station 3, located on the outside end of the encampment barricade.
During coverage of the encampment, people raised concerns about delays to eastbound calls that would force fire trucks to make a detour. WMTV filed an open records request for response times before and during the encampment showed that responses heading east took 32 second