On Friday night, Madison police officer Matthew Kenny shot an unarmed black 19-year-old on Williamson Street. As students here at University of Wisconsin, this incident wasn’t something we watched unfold in a different city like Ferguson or Staten Island. This incident was minutes away from our campus.
Tony Robinson was a teenager in this city we share. He went to a high school many UW students graduated from. Loved by family and friends, he was on his way to starting college. To all those who looked at other incidents as distant from our “liberal town,” Robinson’s death was a wake up call.
Many individuals will try to look for something to demonize Robinson. From racially-charged labels such as “thug” or “gangster,” the discourse on the identity of the victim is almost always negative. People seem eager to start blaming the victim for their death.
Just last semester, a large group of students had a vigil for victims of police brutality outside the Kohl Center. In a time of much pain and sorrow, other students walking out of the building said offensive things and slurs at the peaceful assembly. Our campus is not exempt from dismissal and ignorance.
UW students hold vigil outside basketball game for victims of police brutality
This tragedy should force us all to rethink the discourse on police brutality and race. Ferguson, Staten Island, Milwaukee, Madison and countless other cities — all similar incidents that are not coincidences but linked signs pointing to a systemic problem in police systems. This conversation needs to be had on local and national levels.
Too many individuals in our nation think the color of your skin determines the value of your life. While it’s obvious that all lives matter, these ongoing patterns of police brutality speak to a history where black lives didn’t matter in the eyes of the law. In our present day, the black lives matter movement fights those who would label a dead teenager as simply a “thug.” It’s a reminder that this country still hasn’t lived up to its pledge of ‘liberty and justice for all.’
On the day of the 50th anniversary of the Selma March to Montgomery, a mother was mourning the death of her dead son. We are far from a post-racial society and our march is still going on.
How many more black bodies on the street will it take? How many more weeping mothers and fathers? How loud will we have to yell to tell the world that black lives indeed matter?
Here in Madison we have to ask ourselves these questions. This tragedy was minutes away from our own bubble of a campus. It was heartwarming, however, to see the immediate community responses. From prayers and meetings to rallies at the Madison Police Department, the support for Tony’s family and the call for justice are overwhelming. Our city has lost a life and it is up to us to stand up for justice and stand up for Tony.
Rest in Peace and Power, Tony Robinson.
Naman Siad ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in community and environmental sociology.
