Counter-rallies unfold in Madison following police shooting

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Counter-rallies unfold in Madison following police shooting
By SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press | March 11, 2015 | Updated: March 11, 2015 5:29 pm

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The mother of a biracial 19-year-old killed by a white police officer urged hundreds of protesters who gathered Wednesday to keep their march as peaceful as other rallies have been in the wake of the shooting five days earlier.

"My son was never a violent man, and I don't want to see violence in his name," Andrea Irwin, Tony Robinson's mother, said to those gathered for a march that was to include a stop at the state Department of Corrections headquarters to protest black incarceration rates.

Demonstrators also planned to deliver demands to Gov. Scott Walker, but would not say where that was to happen.

A separate rally to show support for police drew dozens of people to a law enforcement memorial at the Capitol. Ron Torrisi of Madison held an American flag at the event.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/New-rally-planned-in-Madison-police-shooting-6127020.php

[guillaumeb]

1. Demonstrators also planned to deliver demands to Gov. Scott Walker, but would not say where that was

They cannot say where it will be because Scottie Walker is always out of state raising money rather than doing his job.

How exactly does marching for victims of police violence trigger counter protests?

Are they protesting in favor of police violence? As long as it is not violence against white people?

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

2. DOJ report on Wilson set a bad precedent, the ONLY reason Wilson the executioner cant be tried

for murder is all he has to do is say he feared for his life. So this shooting will likely be considered OK too.

All white cops fear for their lives around brown people, it is why they shoot so many of them.

When white cops continuously antagonize brown people, consistently treat them differently than white people, the brown people are gonna show some attitude once in a while and that is ALL the racist cop needs to make his shooting legal.


Of course Wilson was in fear for his life with Brown, he had harassed him, he and his fellow officers had harassed him and ALL black people every day all day for years.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

3. "COUNTER RALLIES" - what??? Bad headline

A "counter rally" is a rally in opposition to prior rallies. The rally in support of police was not "in oppition of" anything - it was to support the police in this difficult time. In fact there are people going to both rallies. (The police here were with us during the 2011 occupation of the Capitol remember - as fellow unionistas.)

Yes we in Madison do have our problems- and there's no denying that the incarceration rates here in Dane Co. reveal racism (institutional and otherwise)as deep and destructive as anywhere in the USA.... That MUST be addressed, no question.

But our police are NOT Ferguson's and the media coming here hoping for some riots or something are starting to bug me.

Amongs my circle of (admittedly almost all white) friends I'm hearing a lot of: reserve judgement of this cop til the investigation is complete (this cop unlike one a year or 2 ago in a similar situation doesn't have a record of being an authoritarian a-hole)...... but also support the people of color in this community for whom this is the breaking point, who understandably see this as part of a pattern, and who are demanding to be heard this time.