On the 50th anniversary of the civil rights march in Selma, Alabama, Madison community members gathered in peaceful protest Saturday afternoon in memory of Tony Robinson who police fatally shot after an altercation Friday night.
Protesters met in front of the Madison Police Department on South Carroll Street. What began as a small group of individuals turned into a rally of support of more than 100 people.
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Representatives from Young, Gifted and Black, About Race UW and the Madison community, including current mayoral candidate Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, were in attendance.
The group, primarily led by Matthew Braunginn and Eric Upchurch of the Young, Gifted and Black Coalition, marched down East Washington Avenue to the site of Friday night’s shooting on Williamson Street. They chanted, “black lives matter,” “no justice, no peace” and sang songs of protest and support.
During their march, protesters blocked cars on East Washington Avenue. Police were already set up and prepared to redirect traffic. Some passing cars honked in support and drivers held their fists out in solidarity. This support, however, was not universal, as other drivers honked in frustration, and one passerby yelled at protesters to “get a job.”
However, the group continued on in union.
Friends of Robinson shared their emotional accounts of Friday night’s events and spoke in his memory.
“He was literally the happiest person I’ve ever known,” Robinson’s friend Isabella Denson said.
During the protest Madison Police officers stood firmly in front of Robinson’s home. They remained in their positions even while members of of the protest addressed them directly.
Robinson’s close friend Samantha Sorum spoke directly to police in her address to the protesters.
“He just graduated high school from Sun Prairie and he could have gone to college,” she said. “I bet some of you have children, too, that want to go to college…But [Tony’s] mom can’t send him there anymore because you took him from us, and now he’s gone forever.”
Hayley Sperling/The Badger Herald
Robinson’s friend, Jack Spaulding crossed the caution tape line in an attempt place flowers on Robinson’s doorstep. Police confronted Spaulding and removed him from the open crime scene. The situation diffused without any incident.
Protesters made their way back to the downtown area, displaying new signs with Robinson’s picture and continuing their protest chants.
Braunginn and Upchurch gathered the group in a circle near the capitol building to observe a five minute moment of silence.
Standing arm-in-arm, the group ended their protest by singing Lean on Me and sharing words of hope for the future. There are plans to demonstrate throughout the upcoming week.
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Correction: This article previously referred to East Washington Avenue as East Washington Street. We regret the error.
