Six Dane County organizations have signed and issued a press release decrying and denouncing the police-involved killing of Corey Durell Ruiz, which has led to demonstrations and calls for criminal justice reform.
The signatories include the African American Council of Churches, Blacks for Political and Social Action of Dane County (BPSADC), CoachesCrib, Focused Interruption, the Urban League of Greater Madison and Urban Triage.
Ruiz was shot and killed July 22 in Madison during an attempted arrest at the intersection of Baldwin and Williamson streets.
“Mr. Ruiz’ death was horrific by itself but taken in concert with the killing and/or wanton shooting of others such as Richard Lee Johnson (Madison), Jacob Blake (Kenosha), George Floyd (Minneapolis), Tony Robinson (Madison), Mike Brown (Ferguson, MO) and far too many others, we recognize this act as a pattern of behavior regarding citizens of color, particularly Black citizens,” the organizations said in the press release.
“Given this pattern of behavior, we can only surmise that these acts of brutality represent a systematic approach to Black people who do not benefit from the work of the police departments whose salaries they pay. Instead of experiencing policing designed to “serve and protect,” we are relegated to policing focused on “surveilling and suspecting.”
In a press release, the organizations demanded transparency, accountability and justice, and said one action to ensure the fulfillment of these demands is the continuation and support of the Office of the Independent Police Monitor.
“We lack confidence in the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) as a part of a system that has failed to protect our citizens’ rights,” the press release said. “We must have an objective and fair evaluation of the events surrounding Corey Ruiz’ shooting death.”
The organizations also expressed support for the addition of police body cameras for the Madison police officers but view it as a “necessary but not sufficient” element to modern policing.
“We understand their limitations and potential for selective editing and partial presentations to the public,” they said. “Thus, camera footage, along with access to the police records and data bank must be connected to the Independent Monitor for full transparency.”
