Madison police confirmed Tuesday morning that the department had arrested six people during Monday night protests, including one person armed with a handgun, and continued to investigate the unrest to identify potential additional suspects.
Spurred by the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, protesters took to the streets in Madison on Monday; arrests began when some protesters lit fires in dumpsters, hit officers with rocks and other objects and shattered windows. The State Capitol was among the buildings damaged.
Police said about 500 people attended the protests. More protest activity was expected Tuesday, including a march for Black Lives Matter and subsequent candlelight vigil at the Capitol from 6 to 9 p.m., organized by Freedom Inc.
State Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) said that the damage to his office at the Capitol was similar to the damage of nearly two months ago, when windows in his office were smashed during the protests after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“There is absolutely no justification for the vandalism, destruction, rioting and looting that took place at the State Capitol, in the City of Madison or the City of Kenosha last night,” he wrote in the Tuesday morning press release. “We need leadership in this state to take a stand, protect our citizens and call for peace, rather than capitulating to violent mobs.”
Businesses incur damage
The Coopers Tavern on Mifflin Street was among the Madison businesses to sustain damage during Monday's unrest, with all of its front windows smashed in.
The Tavern was at the center of protests earlier this summer, when prominent Madison activist Yeshua Musa was arrested there after using a bullhorn to yell at patrons inside the restaurant. He was charged with extortion in late June after investigators said he threatened to bash in windows of businesses unless employees gave him money. The front of the building was also tagged with, "free Yeshua."
The smell of smoke and spilled liquor hung over State Street on Tuesday morning, and business owners were out evaluating damage.
Among the most heavily damaged storefronts were Teddywedgers Sandwich Shop, the It’s Sugar candy store and Badger Liquors – which was looted on Monday night. Bottles from Badger Liquor were scattered along State Street, smashed and broken. A bus stop on State Street also bore damage from the night, with all the windows smashed out.
Several buildings along State Street were also tagged with graffiti, with anti-police messaging as well as Black Lives Matter tags.
On Mifflin Street, the Merrill Lynch Wealth Management office had windows smashed in, with graffiti that read, “Here are your premiums.” The UW Credit Union on Mifflin was also damaged, with crews working Tuesday morning to sweep up broken glass from the windows and hanging up fresh plywood.
Lobbyist building set on fire
The headquarters of one of the state’s most influential lobbying groups was also set on fire and vandalized late Monday.
A crowd of hundreds setting fires and damaging property in downtown Madison to protest police brutality threw a Molotov cocktail at the entrance of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce’s offices on East Washington Avenue. The fire quickly dissipated.
The crowd smashed the building’s windows and spray painted, “you have stolen more than we could ever loot” on its side.
“One business was entered, and members of the crowd poured what appeared to be gasoline inside it, then attempted to start it on fire,” according to an incident report on the night.
High-profile activist arrested
Police early Tuesday arrested one of the most high-profile organizers of Madison protests against police brutality – the best friend of Tony Robinson, a biracial teenager who was killed by a Madison police officer in 2015.
Jordan King, who spoke at a march around Madison the day after Robinson was killed and has led peaceful demonstrations in the five years since, was arrested at around 2 a.m. Tuesday.
Police are holding King at the Dane County jail on charges alleging he damaged state-owned land, damaged a cemetery, caused property damage worth more than $2,500 and carried a concealed weapon, according to jail records.
Will Cioci, a reporter for Wisconsin Center for Investigative Reporting, said police pulled up onto a curb and jumped out of a vehicle to arrest King.
"Based on the timestamps on my photos, 83 seconds passed between them first making contact with the man and him being pushed into the car,” Cioci tweeted.
— JR Radcliffe contributed to this story.
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