University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Monday, March 9, 2015
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Tony Robinson coverage
MPD officer kills black teen Fatal shooting of Tony Robinson on Williamson Street sparks demonstrations By Andrew Hahn and Dana Kampa THE DAILY CARDINAL
THOMAS YONASH/THE DAILY CARDINAL
More than a hundred people gather on Williamson Street to chant, sing and pray for Robinson’s family hours after Robinson was shot by Madison police officer Matt Kenny.
WILL CHIZEK/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Tony Robinson’s grandmother Sharon Irwin and aunt Lorien Carter ask the crowd on Williamson Street Friday to continue to protest, but to protest peacefully.
After a Madison Police Department officer shot Tony Robinson, a 19-year-old black man Friday evening, a crowd of hundreds gathered at the scene that night and Saturday afternoon to protest what they said was another example of racial injustice. The incident occurred in an apartment on the 1100 block of Williamson Street, where officer Matt Kenny was responding to several calls to check on a person in the neighborhood, MPD Chief Mike Koval said. Kenny arrived at the apartment the man had entered and heard a “disturbance” coming from inside. The officer then forced his way into the building, where Robinson allegedly assaulted him. “In the context of mutual combat in that sense, the officer did draw his revolver and subsequently shot the subject,” Koval said. Koval said at a Saturday press conference Robinson was unarmed when Kenny shot him. Kenny immediately aided Robinson with CPR, along with help from backup officers. Robinson was taken to a hospital, where he died of the gunshot wounds. Kenny was knocked down by a blow to the head during the altercation with Robinson, but Koval said at the press conference the officer would be treated for minor injuries. Kenny has since been placed on paid administrative leave. Koval said MPD will not have an instrumental role in the investigation of the incident, which will be directed by the Wisconsin Department of Justice as per a state law passed last legislative session that mandates an independent investigation be conducted. MPD froze the scene until the
state DOJ’s Division of Criminal Investigation had arrived by 11:30 p.m. “This is completely their oversight. We will only supplement their needs as they request it,” Koval said. “In light of so [many] things that have happened not just across this country, but in our own community, it’s understandable that the reaction at the scene amidst some of our citizens is extremely volatile, emotional and upsetting.” Friday Night Community Response Demonstrators arrived on Williamson Street, colloquially known as Willy Street, shortly after the incident, where they remained for several hours, chanting, singing and praying for Robinson’s family. Shortly before midnight, Robinson’s grandmother Sharon Irwin and aunt Lorien Carter addressed the crowd. “[Robinson]” wouldn’t hurt a fly,” Irwin said. “He was unarmed. Why would you shoot him five times? What happened to your taser gun?” Carter said family members were not allowed to see Robinson after he was pronounced dead. “We were told he was evidence,” Carter said. “He wasn’t referred to as ‘his son’ or ‘your son,’ just ‘evidence.’” Robinson’s family said he had just graduated early from Sun Prairie High School and was planning on studying business at Madison College. Protest organizers relocated the crowd to the City-County Building before 1 a.m. Saturday, where they said police were holding two demonstrators who had been detained from the scene ear-
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Students, faculty gather to process Tony Robinson shooting By Bri Maas THE DAILY CARDINAL
At a gathering hosted by the Multicultural Student Center Saturday, more than 50 UW-Madison community members sat in a circle with bowed heads, sharing a moment of silence for Tony Robinson. The event was one of various reactions in response to Friday’s officer-involved fatal shooting of the black teenager. UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank and other campus officials offered support to
Robinson’s family and friends, as well as the community, in an email to students. “As the leadership of the UW community, it’s our goal to provide a forum for students, faculty and staff to make their voices heard and to provide support and resources,” Blank wrote. Attendees at the MSC event shared their levels of understanding and came together to process the recent shooting, something MSC Assistant Dean and Director Joshua Moon Johnson said is important in grieving.
“It is our job to provide this space of support for people to talk about these things, even if they don’t even know what they want to talk about,” Moon Johnson said. “Having that space just to vent is beneficial for people’s mental wellness.” While participants vented, furrowed eyebrows hid welling tears. Many brought up their similarities to victims of racial violence and acknowledged that they could be next. University faculty, including Vice Provost for Student
Life and Dean of Students Lori Berquam and Interim Vice Provost for Diversity and Climate Patrick Sims, attended the event to advocate for student support services and encourage open communication. “I’m here in solidarity to show support for our students, not just students of color but all students,” Sims said. “The journey that we have is not in isolation. It’s a journey that we walk together.” Freshman Gabrielle TielmanFenelus was one of many
UW-Madison students that expressed frustration at the apparent apathy on campus surrounding racial injustice. “I think that the UW community as a whole should be a lot more accepting of racial differences instead of trying to shy away from the realities that surround racism here on campus,” Tielman-Fenelus said. “By ignoring the problem, you are making it seem as though the problem doesn’t exist when people all around campus are affected by it daily.”
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”