The Madison Finance Committee approved a scaled-back $100,000 relief fund for Williamson Street businesses that lost weeks of revenue after city officials allowed protesters to shut down a public intersection following the officer-involved shooting of Corey Ruiz in July.
The committee cut the original $300,000 proposal, rejecting $200,000 from the city’s contingent reserve and leaving only $100,000 drawn from departmental underspending. The money would go to roughly 30 shops and restaurants within two blocks of Williamson and Baldwin streets. Some reported sales drops of 90 percent or shut their doors entirely while the street remained blocked.
The occupation began as a memorial and quickly became a barricaded encampment that shut down the popular commercial area for nearly two weeks. Demonstrators used trash cans, pallets and other objects to seal off the intersection, while crews provided portable toilets, garbage collection, and traffic barriers to help the illegal encampment stay open (and nearby businesses to remain closed).
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway later called the occupation a crisis that harmed businesses and residents, but the city did not clear the site until August 4, when police arrested more than a dozen people who threw rocks at officers and lit fires in an attempt to keep the streets closed.
Throughlout the occupation, business owners and and residents alike described being trapped. St. Vincent de Paul reported a $100,000 loss after closing its thrift store for 10 days. Other store owners said customers stayed away and some workers were laid off.
Ruiz, 38, was fatally shot during a struggle with officers while armed with a knife. One officer was injured in the altercation, during which Ruiz also attempted to grab another officer’s taser. The Wisconsin Department of Justice is investigating the shooting.
Madison Economic Development Director Matt Mikolajewski called the situation unique because the city itself restricted access for nearly two weeks. Average grants were originally estimated at $10,000 per business. The full Common Council must now approve the $100,000 transfer.
