Madison students march on Capitol to protest shooting of Tony Robinson

Students from Madison's high schools and UW-Madison walked out Monday afternoon and marched to the Capitol to protest the shooting death of 19-year-old Tony Robinson by Madison police on Friday night. (All photos by Franco Latona/Madison Commons).

Students from Madison's high schools and UW-Madison walked out Monday morning and marched to the Capitol to protest the shooting death of 19-year-old Tony Robinson by Madison Police Friday night.

Protestors repeatedly broke into a variety of chants including “let's end this violence, no punishment no silence!” and “no justice no peace, no racist police!” 

After chanting outside the Capitol, protestors moved inside the building.  Protestors chanted in between short speeches given by organizers.  

“Police always say they're following protocols.  We are here to say we're sick of protocols,” said Brandi Grayson, member of Young, Gifted and Black, to the protestors from a balcony.  “We must understand that this is not a moment.  It will take you, you, you, you (as she pointed at a number of young protestors looking up at her) and all the other hundreds and thousands of children to demand justice for Tony Robinson!”

 The crowd had the energy one might expect from hundreds of young people present.

“It's a nationwide thing.  Black people are being killed every 28 hours and it's ridiculous,” said Shaunna Newton, a UW-Sophomore who said she missed her Spanish Phonetics class to attend the rally.  “It's close to home this time.”

“We had a meeting last semester with the police chief [Mike Koval] and he was like, 'this isn't Ferguson,' and now here it is,” she said.