Wisconsin Activists Stage ‘Black Out Wednesday’ Walkout

By Julianne Hing May 13, 2015

UPDATE 5/13/15 3:51pm ET Demonstrators have chained themselves to the front of the Dane County Jail, according to Young, Gifted and Black. 

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Protestors marched to City Hall and rallied in front of the home where Tony Robinson Jr. was killed just one day after a Wisconsin prosecutor declined to charge Madison police officer Matt Kenny for fatally shooting Robinson. Activists planned the action in advance of Tuesday’s announcement, dubbing it "Black Out Wednesday." 

"None of us were surprised that the DA decided not to bring criminal charges against Matt Kenny for murdering Tony Robinson," M. Adams, with the Young, Gifted and Black Coalition (YGB), told Democracy Now this morning. "We do know this is part of a historical pattern, a historical use of structural racism within police departments that justify the murdering of young black people."

On Tuesday YGB issued two demands: an investigation conducted by the United Nations into Tony Robinson’s killing and a separate inquiry into "the gross racial disparities" in Dane County, Wisconsin. Second, YGB said it wanted "community control over the police," which would enable civilians to hire, fire and determine policy for police agencies. 

Hundreds of people participated in the walkout in Madison Wednesday, Reuters reported. Kenny remains on paid administrative leave.