Last Friday night, 19-year-old Tony Robinson was fatally shot by Officer Matt Kenny of the Madison Police Department, under uncertain circumstances. Robinson was unarmed. He was also African-American, while Kenny is white. The incident led immediately to protests and discussion, which are ongoing.
Where one perceives a fresh and intolerable injustice, it is against our nature as people concerned with equality to react with anything less than vengeful speed. In doing so, we run the risk of valuing victory over justice, which is an unacceptable outcome. As we protest and continue to think critically about this incident and what it means for Madison, I would like to raise the following points:
1) Madison is not Ferguson; nor is it Staten Island. The state of racial inequity in Dane County, as made plain by the Wisconsin Council on Children and Family’s Race to Equity report, is unique in the nation. I do not mean to say that we in Madison are uniquely culpable, or uniquely vicious towards people of color- just that the situation here is as complex as it is severe, and that a set of solutions intended for somewhere else in the country may not prove equally as effective here.
Beating up on Madison is popular at the moment, and may provide a feeling of catharsis to those frustrated with a lack of progress- but what good is it otherwise? Attacking Madison is just a noisy equivalent to admitting that you don’t have a solution. Real change will not be driven by name-calling or cheap shots at the police. It will require a thoughtful examination of the properties of Madison that have led to these inequities, followed by a focused process of problem-solving tailored to the particularities of Madison’s situation.
2) This incident bears resemblance to other recent events around the nation, in that the deceased was African-American and unarmed, and the police officer who shot him was white. That does not necessarily mean that these events are all equivalent, either in the magnitude of their injustice, or in the particularities of how the event led to shots being fired. Bringing the wrath of a hurting nation down upon either the Madison Police Department or Officer Kenny is neither fair nor appropriate at this point. “Winning justice” should be less about finding blame, and more about ensuring that this case receives fair and impartial consideration from our justice system, and preventing tragedies like this in the future.
3) I would strongly suggest to protesters, and the Young, Gifted, and Black Coalition in particular, that justice is possible through cooperation with the Madison Police Department. In Mike Koval you have, if not an ally, then at least a reasonable and open-minded opponent. He has conducted himself in a more transparent and open manner during this affair then did his predecessor, Noble Wray, during the aftermath of the shooting of Paul Heenan in 2012.
It is in Chief Koval’s best interest to listen to you and has done so with respect thus far. I believe it is in your best interest to, in return, acknowledge that this is a man who seems to take his job in protecting the public seriously. To do otherwise might persuade Chief Koval to disregard you as unserious and overzealous. If he chooses to disengage from the conversation, changing from the outside the way the Madison Police Department operates will become that much more difficult.
4) Lastly: to me, as someone who did not know Tony Robinson, the deceased does not represent a “black life.” I believe that his was a unique and special life, and that immediately categorizing him diminishes that. His death is, first and foremost, a tragedy. It is a tragedy before it is a call to action; it is a tragedy before it feeds a cause.
I believe that the approach of the protesters thus far has been respectful of this fact- however, there may be some on the margins who are excited by the idea of protest for protest’s sake, for whom this final point may be an important reminder. I was deeply saddened to hear this news on Friday night, and extend my heartfelt condolences to the family of Tony Robinson. I have never experienced a loss like theirs, and I pray that I never do.
I hope that people continue to pay close attention to the way that this is handled within the Madison Police Department, and continue to put pressure on the police to remain accountable, while respecting the individuality of Tony Robinson and the tragedy of his death. I hope that this letter will aid protesters in effectively promoting equality for all people in Madison.
With respect, and in hopes of justice,
Wilder Deitz
Wilder is a sophomore studying social work. Do you agree or disagree with Wilder’s view on Madison’s reaction to the Tony Robinson shooting? Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
