The taxpayer-funded official supposed to hold Madison police accountable was, herself, caught on video in an altercation with Madison’s law enforcement on Tuesday. After the altercation Aeiramique Glass, Madison’s taxpayer funded independent police monitor, was seen in a video showing an injury to her and and issuing a threat of: “I will burn this city down.”
The remark came from Glass in footage posted online by Greg Gelembiuk, a data analyst in Glass’s own office. The video surfaced hours after Madison police released separate aerial footage showing Glass involved in a physical altercation near Williamson and South Baldwin Streets, the site of a protest encampment that has plagued the city for weeks, while law enforcement and city workers attempted to clear the site blocking the normally busy intersection.
Glass is currently paid over $12,000 per month in her role as interim independent police monitor for the city.
The unrest traces back to July 22, when 37-year-old Corey Ruiz was shot and killed by Madison police after officers responding to reports of bicycle theft say Ruiz pulled a knife and stabbed an officer during a struggle. Two taser deployments failed to stop him before an officer fired the fatal shots. All four officers involved were placed on administrative leave, and the state Department of Justice opened an investigation.
In the aftermath, activists established what critics have branded an “autonomous zone” at the site, prompting Madison’s mayor to move this week to finally clear it out. City crews and police arrived to the encampment early Tuesday, arresting at least 10 people, only for protesters to begin filtering back to the same corner hours later.
