Madison Mayor Calls for End to Encampment After Police Shooting of Corey Ruiz

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway has urged protesters to vacate the encampment on Williamson and Baldwin streets, which was established after a police officer shot and killed Corey Ruiz on July 22. The city says the occupation is disrupting traffic, harming local businesses, and delaying emergency response vehicles. Officials have issued tow notices for vehicles blocking the intersection and warned that companies providing portable toilets could be fined if they do not remove them.

Activists from at least a dozen left‑leaning groups have organized the so‑called “autonomous zone,” raising funds through a Venmo account linked to Feeding the Youth leader Jazzman Brown and setting up a mental‑health support tent. The protesters have presented a list of criminal‑justice reform demands and have drawn comparisons to Seattle’s former CHAZ. The investigation into Ruiz’s death is being handled by Dane County District Attorney Isamel Ozanne following a Wisconsin Department of Justice review, and no arrests have been announced.