Madison police and city crews cleared an illegal homeless encampment that had blocked the intersection of Williamson and Baldwin streets for nearly two weeks, attempting to restore normal traffic flow Tuesday morning after repeated delays under Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway.
The site formed after a Madison police officer fatally shot 38-year-old Corey Ruiz on July 22 during a struggle in which police said Ruiz used a knife and injured an officer. What began as a memorial quickly expanded into an encampment complete with tents, barricades reinforced with vehicles, wood and nails, porta-potties and an occupation that closed a major near-east-side thoroughfare.
City crews arriving Tuesday morning to clear the site as protesters responded by lighting fires and throwing rocks at them, which prompted mass arrests in which officers were forced to use pepper spray to stop the mob from committing further acts of violence. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Laura Schulte documented the chaos:
The encampment violated Wisconsin Statute 86.025, which makes it unlawful to camp on public highways or adjacent lands after notice to remove, as well as Madison municipal ordinances prohibiting obstruction of streets and sidewalks and unauthorized camping or lodging in public spaces. City officials, including the mayor in later statements, referred to it as an “illegal occupation.”
Despite the clear legal violations and mounting impacts on nearby businesses, residents, bus routes and emergency access, Rhodes-Conway allowed the occupation to persist for nearly14 days. Early on, city equipment helped secure the perimeter. The mayor issued repeated calls for voluntary dispersal and even offered hotel vouchers to 25-30 homeless people. Only after days of statements declaring the situation “not sustainable or safe” and demanding that the encampment “end now” did the city move to enforce towing notices and clear the site.
