University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Tuesday, March 10, 2015
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Protesters challenge city, university, state leaders By Miller Jozwiak THE DAILY CARDINAL
Friday’s officer-involved shooting of 19-year-old Tony Robinson brought out community members of all ages, who converged in a protest Monday to address officials from university, state and city levels. UW-Madison students Deshawn McKinney, Natasha Thimmesch and Teresa Baymon created a Facebook page Sunday evening to spread word of the event and encourage student involvement. “Honestly, the silence of people who are not here hurts, because that silence is the
amount of pressure that Tony can’t be here,” Thimmesch said. “He can’t speak so their silence is weighing down, so we need to speak up for him.” The day began with a rally outside Bascom Hall, where students read poetry and Vice Provost for Student Life and Dean of Students Lori Berquam spoke with protesters about the importance of community. “We want to make sure that we’re reaching out to [those who have been impacted] and that they know what they feel is real, and that it’s okay to be where they are and feel what they do,” Berquam said. “Our students
KAITLYN VETO/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Miona Short recites poetry atop Bascom Hill before protesters marched to the state Capitol. really want this to be powerfully peaceful and a show of solidarity with the other high schools and grade schools in the area.” Around 11 a.m. protesters marched down State Street to the Capitol to meet Madison elementary, middle and high school students.
Under the direction of Young, Gifted and Black Coalition leader Brandi Grayson, adults formed a perimeter around the first floor rotunda, linking arms before students entered. All floors of the rotunda were filled when students from Madison East
High School arrived to protest just after noon. According to the Department of Administration, the group reached 1,500 participants before leaving the Capitol at 1 p.m. They marched to Martin
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Tony Robinson’s family thanks public support By Laura Grulke THE DAILY CARDINAL
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
High temps, high fashion
Moda Magazine kicked off UW fashion week with a Couture & Cocktails night, featuring students’ fashion and a chance to meet Moda staff and fashion industry professionals. Later this week will be a Swap and Shop event and fashion show. + Photo by Betsy Osterberger
During a trying time of dealing with the death of a loved one, Tony Robinson’s family held their tears just long enough to thank the community Monday for continued support in the face of tragedy. Robinson’s family showed gratitude for Madison’s widespread support but issued a plea for truth-seeking to clear what Robinson’s uncle Turin Carter called “negative air.” Members of the Madison community have unified in peaceful protest since Friday, when 19-year-old Madison resident Tony Robinson was shot by Madison Police Department officer Matt Kenny following an altercation. Demonstrations were organized that night and throughout the weekend. Carter thanked protesters for not judging his nephew on circulating rumors and encouraged all people, regardless of race, to show their support. With media focusing on
Robinson’s death and past, Carter addressed several rumors and ultimately said Robinson was not perfect, but they accepted him for who he was. “Terrell [Tony] just wanted to be loved, honestly,” Carter said. “We don’t think Terrell’s a saint, we paint him as a human being, a 19 year old, who made a terrible mistake at one point, which is completely, completely disassociated from this act.” He was referencing Robinson’s 2014 armed robbery conviction, to which he pleaded guilty, according to court records. Carter spoke of Friday’s events as an example of a nationwide problem with law enforcement as a whole, not just with individual officers. He encouraged the community to get involved with the issue because “everyone should be able to relate” to it. “This is a bigger issue than Tony,” Carter said. “This high-
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Gov. Scott Walker signs right-to-work bill after two weeks of protest By Andrew Bahl THE DAILY CARDINAL
After chaotic public hearings, a 24-hour floor session and numerous protests over two weeks, Wisconsin became the 25th rightto-work state as Gov. Scott Walker signed the bill into law Monday.
Walker was flanked by numerous Republican lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, who introduced the legislation that prohibits mandatory union dues as a condition of
employment. The law, which was signed at a factory in Brown Deer, will take effect immediately. “This legislation puts power back in the hands of Wisconsin workers, by allowing the freedom to choose whether they want to join a union and pay union dues,” Walker
said in a statement. “Freedom to Work … will lead to more freedom and prosperity for all of Wisconsin.” Walker’s decision to sign the bill marks a change from previous statements he had made where he declared right-to-work a “distraction.”
+ ARTS, page 7
Kanye adopts grime,
foreshadows next album
+ SPORTS, page 8
The battle over right-to-work started Feb. 20, when Fitzgerald and Vos announced they would call for an extraordinary session of the state Legislature to take up the topic.
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Meet Otto
and his half-century of Wisconsin basketball
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”