Madison, WI – On July 25, the fourth evening since the murder of Corey Ruiz in Madison, Wisconsin, people from across the city gather again to mourn and demand justice.

As they awaited a larger crowd marching from the site of the execution, dozens chanted and talked until their arrival. Many spoke, including Jay Gonstead, one of Corey’s unhoused neighbors, who expressed his deep grief at the loss of a friend, emphasizing that this violence is nothing new to Madison’s homeless community. With a $98 million budget, the Madison Police Department is withholding resources that could be used to help people. Instead, they use resources to murder people and destroy the lives of families.

Madison, WI – Hundreds gathered, for the third night in a row, July 24, in the spot where the Madison Police Department (MPD) murdered Corey Ruiz. Another police killing took place on this same street 11 years ago, when officer Matt Kenny shot and killed Tony Robinson Jr.

Among the organizations in attendance were Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Madison Students for a Democratic Society, and Freedom Inc, a group that consistently fights for community control over police.

Madison, WI – Three days after the brutal July 22 murder of Corey Ruiz by the Madison Police Department, the city continues to mourn. At the intersection of Williamson and Baldwin, protesters are still occupying the street. Hundreds of candles and flowers cover the ground where his life was stolen. All four roads are blocked by barricades and city trucks. The sentiment is firm that they will not leave until justice is achieved.

Madison, WI – Several hundred Madisonians took to the streets on Saturday, June 13, for the second annual Queer Liberation March, where they uplifted demands to defend bodily autonomy.

Madison, WI – On Tuesday, January 27, over 1000 students from UW-Madison and the surrounding area joined Madison Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to protest the murders of Alex Pretti, Renee Good and Keith Porter by ICE agents. Students rallied for ICE out of the Midwest and demanded that UW-Madison be made a sanctuary campus.

Madison, WI – On January 18, Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee (RJAM) stood at the forefront of the fight for reproductive freedom, participating in two powerful marches held simultaneously in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. These events were part of the People’s March National Day of Action, which drew thousands to the streets, united in their support of women’s and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, workers’ rights, global solidarity, and immigrant rights.

Madison, WI – In a show of student power, nearly 50 protesters marched into the UW board of regents meeting Thursday, December 5, to put Palestine and divestment on the Finance Committee agenda.

This latest militant action comes after a large-scale administration failure to uphold the Madison and Milwaukee encampment agreements on disclosure and divestment from apartheid Israel.

Madison, WI – On January 22, pro-choice activists from across the state, medical providers and community members flooded a public hearing for the Wisconsin State Assembly Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care.

The choice activists were there to oppose an anti-abortion referendum being added to Wisconsin’s April 2024 election ballot. The referendum would ban abortion six weeks earlier than the current state statute, making accessing abortion services even more challenging in the state.

Madison, WI – On December 17, a crowd of 50 people marched around the State Capitol building to denounce “pinkwashing” and Democratic Party politicians using the LGBTQ+ community to justify genocide.

The action was organized by the Trans Resistance Action Committee (TRAC), a newer grassroots community organization in Madison which fights for trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people’s rights.

Madison, WI – 6000 people answered the call of the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine (WCJP) to go all out on December 9. The action marks the largest demonstration of solidarity with Palestine in the history of the state, passing the mark set only several weeks early at an action in Milwaukee.

The WCJP comprises 60-plus organizations from across Wisconsin and continues to grow nearly every day.

Madison, WI – On Monday, November 6, a group of 100 people gathered at the intersection of South Butler and King Streets in Madison to demand that U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin vote against U.S. aid for Israel’s brutal attack on Gaza, stop taking money from pro-Israel lobbyists, and end U.S. financial support for the military detention of Palestinian children.

Madison, WI – On November 6, nearly 80 students and community members gathered outside Shannon Hall on the University of Wisconsin (UW) campus to protest the reactionary Ben Shapiro's visit. The focus of the protest was squarely on Palestine and on trans rights, both issues which Shapiro has disgusting views on and both topics which the university and the Wisconsin state government have a checkered record on.

Madison, WI – On October 27, nearly 300 protesters gathered in front of the Wisconsin State Capitol building for an emergency rally following the destruction of all communication networks in Gaza by Israel and the announcement of Israeli ground invasions of Palestine.

Madison, WI – On Tuesday, October 10, nearly 100 concerned Wisconsinites came together in Madison, joining Wisdom Wisconsin, a non-profit organization bridging the faith community with prison reform efforts, in order to demand an end to inhumane lockdowns that have been enforced in correctional facilities across the entire state.

Madison, WI – On Saturday, September 23, activists and allies from the Trans Resistance Action Committee (TRAC) demonstrated outside the Capitol building in Madison to demand that Dane County drop the Dean Health insurance plan.

Madison, WI – On August 19, more than 60 people rallied and marched during the weekly Dane County Farmers Market to demand that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) put an end to Line 5. The DNR holds the authority to approve or deny the permit that Enbridge, the Canada-based corporation that owns the pipeline, needs in order to continue its operations in the state. The actions were organized by students and youth with Action for the Climate Emergency (ACE) and drew support from many organizations and community members.

Madison, WI – On July 29, members of the OPEIU Local 39 took to the streets once again to demand a better contract from their employer TruStage, formerly known as Cuna Mutual Group.

Madison, WI – On June 26, custodial workers for the Madison Metropolitan School District, represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (ASCFME) Local 60, rallied together at the Board of Education meeting to demand a $5 per hour raise that was given to almost all other hourly employees in the district. Since last October they have been raising their voices demanding the school board realize just how much they do for the district.