Members of the Black Liberation Action Coalition and supporters interrupted traffic and the UW-Madison Homecoming Parade Friday to demand community control of the police.
Around 100 protesters met at the top of Bascom Hill, where UW-Madison graduate student Michael Davis spoke about the purpose of the march.
“We’re here to make our demands explicit and hold the university accountable for the acts of racial violence that they have either accepted or perpetuated,” Davis said. “Our goal is to get people organized and to make sure our momentum does not cease at the end of this action and that we can get dedicated people to push back against injustice and issues of oppression here in Madison and at UW.”
The group said they wanted to raise awareness of the white supremacy that they believe is present on campus and they criticized the university’s response to a costume depicting President Barack Obama in a noose that recently appeared in Camp Randall.
The group demanded that people of color have some control over the UW-Madison Police Department and the Madison Police Department. They also demanded control over curriculum in all learning institutions in Madison, including UW-Madison, as well as funding and resources.
After the demands were listed, the group of more than 100 protesters moved down Bascom Hill carrying signs and a large banner that read “Community Control Over Police.”
The group stopped in the middle of Park Street, where leaders said traffic can wait. The crowd continuously chanted phrases such as “We gonna be alright, only if we fight” and “Black Lives Matter, and black women, too.”
The procession continued through Library Mall, and stopped at the intersection of Lake Street and State Street, which is where the Homecoming Parade was ending. The protesters lined up in the street to block traffic and the parade. Police were present, but the demonstration remained peaceful and no arrests were made.
“We did what we sought out to do, which was disrupt business as usual,” Alix Shabazz, an organizer of the protest, said. “We definitely sent a message to not only the chancellor, Chief Koval and the mayor, but the campus as whole.”
The protesters eventually turned left and headed toward Langdon Street and then marched back toward Memorial Union.
The group continued until reaching the intersection of Park Street and University Avenue, where they blocked traffic again.
Graduate student and member of the Bias Response Team Ashley Smith said since her time on this team, the group has received 74 reports spring semester, and more 70 during fall semester. She said the majority have been from women of color.
This information was followed by the protesters chanting “Black Women Matter.”
The protest rounded to East Campus Mall, where Shabazz concluded the march by telling the group to form a circle and link arms.
“We are fierce and we are powerful,” Shabazz said. “If you continue to resist and organize, we will win. We won’t stop until we get victory.”
