"Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne is highlighting his identity as a Black man and his family’s roots in the Civil Rights Movement after protesters came to his house..."

"... for the second time in a month Saturday, this time demanding that charges be dropped against two Black men and calling Ozanne a racist. Ozanne said Sunday that scores of protesters with speakers, generators and a bullhorn showed up around 7:30 p.m. Saturday and stayed for about six hours blasting music, shouting profanity, chanting slogans, and calling him and even his family a racist.... Ozanne said the group at his home Saturday has not asked to meet with him, which is something he’s willing to do, just not at his Near West Side home outside of work hours. 'I don’t know if this group is realistic about meeting me,' he said in an interview Sunday night, but in his statement said he’s willing to speak with protesters about how to reduce incarceration, address the root causes of crime, reduce shootings and other issues. He said much of what protesters want, his office and other county officials are already doing or trying to do, including focusing on diversion programs rather than incarceration and reducing prosecutions for nonviolent misdemeanors. With activists questioning the cash bail system or claiming people are being held in jail simply because they can’t make small bond amounts, Ozanne said, 'we release about 82% of people on signature bonds.' He also pointed to training his office has received in racial disparities in the criminal justice system — a topic he said he requires prospective employees to address in their cover letters and interviews."

From "Faced with late-night protest at his home, DA Ismael Ozanne says he won't be intimidated" (Wisconsin State Journal).

He said much of what protesters want, his office and other county officials are already doing or trying to do — It's never enough!

Here's the press release from Ozanne. Excerpt:

When you talk about the need for a criminal justice system that understands the impact of racism, I hear you. When you talk about the need for change so that people of color are treated equitably, I hear you. When you chant, “Fuck Ozanne,” outside my house until 1:00 a.m. in the morning, I hear you. When you call me a racist until 1:00 a.m. and blast music outside my house, I hear you. Do you know who else heard you? My family who was at home with me, including my children. They also heard you tell them that my whole family was racist. One of my daughters turned to me and asked why you chose to come to our house to make her feel unsafe, when you claim that you want everyone to feel safe.

"No charges against the positive behavior coach at Whitehorse middle school, says district attorney Ismael Ozanne...."

David Blaska says he's "not surprised," and...

Neither are the mother and grandmother of the black 11-year-old girl who was supposedly manhandled by that white Madison educator. For different reasons.

In a press conference closed to all but accredited news media, Ozanne stated: “I am aware of public narratives about this incident. Some members of our community have coupled this information with their own experience, drawing conclusions that are simply wrong.”...

Afterwards, mother and grandmother told the assembled news media and this blog that Ozanne’s decision was just another cover-up of white racism in Madison, even though the district attorney himself is of mixed race....

We talked about this incident a week ago, here.

Blaska is running for a seat on the school board, and his main issue is maintaining order in the schools. As a citizen trying to speak at school board meetings, he's been shouted down by protesters who characterize him as a racist.

Here's another Blaska post from a couple days ago:

I do pity Jennifer Cheatham, superintendent of Madison schools. Try as she might, she will never be able to bow and scrape low enough to satisfy the social justice warriors.

In the wake of a disciplinary incident at Whitehorse middle school that may well have gotten out of hand, Ms. Cheatham announced a new round of racism re-education camps and a report-your-teacher racism hotline, among other burnt offerings to the goddesses of identity politics....

"Restorative justice is not a place for me to use or send a case to sweep things under the rug or to avoid making difficult decisions."

"It is a place for this community to work with its young people to build a more just and peaceful community."

The case of the UW student arrested for "White supremacy iz a disease" and other graffiti is diverted to Community Restorative Court.

"Many times, diversion is more onerous than paying a ticket. The majority of people want us to hold people accountable, they would like people to repair the harm and they would like some assurance … that we are working to ensure this doesn’t happen again."

Said Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne about the case of UW student Denzel McDonald (previously discussed here, after the UW police apologized for going into a classroom to confront him).



Meanwhile, there's another Madison graffiti case in the news:

Timothy A. Arnold, 21, was charged with four counts of misdemeanor graffiti after a criminal complaint said he used green paint to draw Swastika-like symbols on the Jewish Experience of Madison and the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority, both located on Langdon Street, and the Samba Brazilian Grill on Gilman Street.... According to a criminal complaint, Arnold told a Madison police detective that he found some green spray paint and used it to draw “old runic” symbols on places in the Langdon Street area. He also admitted to painting the symbol on the building where the Samba Brazilian Grill is located. He said when he paints the symbol, “he is trying to express pride,” the complaint said.

"Madison police reported no problems related to protests" after yesterday's announcement that there will be no prosecution of the police officer who shot Tony Robinson.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports:

The decision by Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne set off a late-afternoon march from the Williamson Street site to the Capitol Square by a couple of hundred people, with clergy members and young people heavily represented....

The dozens of people huddled together on Williamson Street hovered over cellphones listening to Ozanne’s afternoon news conference. There was no audible reaction when Ozanne rendered his decision....

The silence was broken when a Unitarian Universalist minister got people singing a hymn, "Guide My Feet."

On Tuesday morning, the Black Leadership Coalition, a newly formed group, announced it had around 100 volunteer peacekeepers ready to observe protests and intervene if necessary as liaisons between protesters and police officers. By evening, the group’s spokesman, Greg Jones, said just one team of seven or eight people had been deployed.

In the evening,"several dozen people gathered for a vigil at Pres House campus ministry on the UW-Madison campus," where there were hugs, hand-holding in a circle, and prayers.

The Urban League of Greater Madison issued a statement that said:

“While we make no attempt to excuse Tony Robinson’s dangerous and aggressive behavior on that afternoon, we believe it is a legitimate question to ask whether the outcome of this encounter would have been different had Tony Robinson been a white, middle-class teen engaged in similar behavior..."

The Wisconsin State Journal opines that the crowd at the time of Ozanne's announcement "likely would have been larger if the Young, Gifted and Black Coalition had put out a call to its supporters."

The group has been at the forefront of previous protests but announced it would hold no official events Tuesday "out of respect for Tony Robinson’s family.”

The coalition is planning a protest Wednesday as part of a national event called Black Out Wednesday.

Black Out Wednesday? Not to be confused with Blackout Wednesday, which Wikipedia says is "the night before the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, which is always a Thursday."

It is associated with binge drinking since very few people have work on Thanksgiving, and most university students are home to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with their families. The name refers to "blacking out," memory loss due to excessive alcohol intoxication.

Is this a national event? My Google news search isn't bringing up anything outside of Madison.

Anyway, "Black Out Wednesday" seems like an unfortunate name, especially since the Tony Robinson incident, as detailed by Ozanne in yesterday's announcement, involved substance abuse:

Toxicology reports found marijuana, Xanax and psychedelic mushrooms in Robinson's system, Ozanne said. And the girlfriend of one of the residents of the Williamson St. apartment overheard Robinson say: "I took shrooms. I'm freaking out. I shouldn't have done this." 

Live Tony Robinson conference.

Watch here.

UPDATE: The D.A. hasn't appeared yet, and he's 17 minutes late at this point. The newspeople are speculating that the delay might be because he is meeting with the family or because of the threats to kill police. Ah. He's here now.

UPDATE 2: District Attorney Ismael Ozanne is talking about himself a great deal, building his own credibility. He's also sweating profusely and mopping his brow continually.

UPDATE 3: Ozanne concludes that Officer Kenny used reasonable force and makes a plea for peace.

Waiting for the announcement from the Dane County District Attorney about whether Madison Police Officer Matt Kenny will be charged in the shooting of Tony Robinson.

The announcement is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. (Central Time) today. Here's the live blog at Channel 3000:

LATEST FROM AP: Jerome Flowers is a family spokesman. He said District Attorney Ismael Ozanne should alert the family first out of respect. He said Ozanne's lack of compassion isn't surprising given that he [he announced that he] was ready to release his decision on Mother's Day.

From the Wisconsin State Journal: "100 volunteer peacekeepers set to be deployed today by Black Leadership Council":

"We can help the young people who may be out there protesting, maybe give them a different perspective," [said Ruben Anthony, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Madison]....

"Anything that could present a problem for them in getting jobs later on or even create an economic hardship -- we really want to avoid that," [said Rev. Harold Rayford, pastor of The Faith Place Church in Sun Prairie[. "If we observe things that will cause them to get in trouble, we're going to caution them and encourage them not to do that."...

Faith leaders are planning to gather at the time of Ozanne's announcement on Williamson Street, and around 5 p.m. they are planning to march in their clerical vestments through Downtown to Grace Episcopal Church on the Capitol Square for prayer and song, said Linda Ketcham, executive director of Madison-area Urban Ministry....

More than a dozen congregations plan to open their doors to the public after today's announcement, including First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1609 University Ave. It intends to remain open until 9 p.m.

ADDED: I started a new post for the announcement, with a link to the live feed of the conference.

Announcement that the announcement about the police shooting of Tony Robinson will happen on Tuesday.

As promised, we're being notified in advance:

Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said Sunday he will announce on Tuesday whether a Madison police officer will face criminal charges for fatally shooting 19-year-old Tony Robinson on March 6....

“Given the history, we don’t anticipate District Attorney Ismael Ozanne to charge or to find that there’s probable cause to charge the officer with violating criminal statute. Just like everyone else, we’re just waiting for full disclosure of what happened in those few seconds,” [said Everett Mitchell, of the Young, Gifted and Black Coalition].

In a statement released Sunday, [police spokesman Joel] DeSpain said that police would help facilitate safe movement of people in the event of demonstrations. “It is our belief that Madison can endure without being fractured.”

Why is Madison police chief Nobel Wray retiring?

The report in the Wisconsin State Journal ties the retirement to the shooting of Paul Heenan:

Wray and the department have taken much criticism following the shooting of Heenan, who was intoxicated when he entered a neighbor’s home, then struggled with the homeowner and an officer responding to a reported burglary in process. The department and Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne cleared Officer Stephen Heimsness of wrongdoing in the shooting, but Heimsness later agreed to resign from the department after Wray sought to fire him for unrelated allegations.

The U.S. Justice Department is now reviewing the shooting, and Heenan’s roommates are pursuing a complaint against Heimsness with the Police and Fire Commission.

This is connected to union problems:

Wray has disputed claims by the police union that the department suffers from a lack of communication and leadership and a deteriorated working environment. Those tensions came to light after Wray filed a complaint against Heimsness with the Police and Fire Commission alleging 118 counts of violating departmental policies, many having to do with comments Heimsness made about citizens, dispatchers, supervisors and fellow officers on his squad car computer.

In a July 2 letter to Mayor Paul Soglin, Officer Dan Frei, president of the Madison Professional Police Officers Association, asked Soglin to work with the union and Wray to improve the climate and working culture.

Here's the discussion in the forum at Isthmus (which was on fire over the Heenan shooting). Crockett wrote:

You don't touch the blue line without getting zapped. The article makes it sound like the union didn't like Wray airing dirty laundry.

Green union terrace chair said:

As soon as the story broke about the chief and the police union boss going to the mayor to ask for help in implementing institutional change, I knew this would be the result.

"A Madison police officer will face no criminal charges after fatally shooting a man who had mistakenly entered the wrong residence..."

"... struggled with the homeowner, then charged at the officer and reached toward his gun, Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said Thursday."

Attorney Jeff Scott Olson, who is representing [Paul] Heenan's family, said "I believe it was unjustified".... He maintains Heimsness could have used other tactics against Heenan, 30, a local musician who "weighed 150 pounds and never hurt a fly in his life," after the two were separated by about 5 to 6 feet after the physical confrontation.

"Sauk County District Attorney Patricia Barrett will serve as special prosecutor in the investigation of a physical altercation between two state Supreme Court justices."

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

Barrett was elected as a Republican, but said she has long advocated making district attorneys' positions non-partisan.

"Politics should play no role in what we do," she said.

It will be extremely hard to de-politicize this case, but avoiding appointing someone associated with the Democratic Party was a good move by Chief Dane County Judge William Foust who was chosen by Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne to make the appointment. It's also good not to see "Dane County" again.

Interesting comments at the link:

"If Prosser was at fault this would have stayed in Dane County."...

"The Democratic DA from Dane County wanted no part of this as when the truth comes out and NO charges are filed against Prosser, the Democrats can point the finger at the Republican DA and claim "cover-up." Don't claim conflict of interest either. Again, another case of Liberals passing the buck  and failing to face the truth. This was fiction from the start. Go Walker!"...

"They assigned a Republican special prosecutor so they can have another scapegoat when there is no evidence to go after Prosser. A Democrat special prosecutor likely would have the same result if the evidence shows he was defending himself and not "choking" her, but it would completely exonerate him, by having a Republican assigned to this, the liberals can scream that there was bias in the investigation and can use it for their gain. I make the assumption that Bradley came after him first when I say this...."

See? You can't de-politicize it. De-politicizing seems political to people who are as politicized as we are here in Wisconsin.

Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne wants a special prosecutor in the Wisconsin Supreme Court "choking" incident.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports:

... Ozanne said he has received reports from the Dane County Sheriff's Office regarding the alleged June 13 incident, in which Prosser is alleged to have choked Bradley in her office after Bradley told him to leave....

The report, according to the WSJ, which interviewed Ozanne, does not "make any recommendation on whether to charge anyone."

Ozanne said he was requesting that a special prosecutor be appointed because of his role in litigation that was connected to the alleged incident. At the time of the incident, the Supreme Court was deciding an open meetings lawsuit brought by Ozanne that involved a law stripping most public workers of most collective bargaining rights...

Ozanne is asking a Dane County Judge to make the appointment, so he "can be free from accusations to ensure the public's trust in the system and to allow the incident to be reviewed on the merits with no appearance of political motivation for any decision or outcome."

The Dane County Sheriff's Office investigated the alleged incident at the request of Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs. Sheriff Dave Mahoney, also a Democrat, removed himself from any personal involvement in the investigation.

When will this hot potato ever stop getting tossed around?

Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Elise Schaffer said Monday that she did not know why it took more than a month to complete the investigation. But Ozanne said it wasn't his impression that the pace of the investigation was unusual.

Come on. There were 6 Supreme Court justices witnessing the incident. How long could it take to interview them? What else was relevant? The whole sorry history of the discord among the justices? Either there is some strange complexity to the case or people are deliberately dragging things out.

"A state employee was arrested on suspicion of endangering safety with a dangerous weapon Thursday in relation to an argument over a balloon in the Capitol."

"Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne could not be reached to say how long it would take to decide whether to charge the employee. The charge the Capitol Police are recommending is a misdemeanor."

Judge Sumi strikes down the Wisconsin collective bargaining law.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

[Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne, a Democrat] sued to block the law after Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) filed a complaint saying that GOP legislative leaders had not given proper notice in convening a conference committee of lawmakers from both houses to approve Walker's budget-repair bill....

Comments at the Sentinel:

What a surprise, coming out of Dane County....

Thanks to the Democratic Party, We now have a 3rd Legislative Party.
THE COURTS!!!!!...

Shocking...NOT!!!...

Time to recall activist judges in this state. Send this liberal wacko packing. Tommy Thompson had it right, there is Madison, a radius of 30 miles and then there is reality. Time to send this through the legislature again!  Go Scottie Go! The majority of Wisconsinites support you!...

Its about time. She's only sat on this for a couple of months stalling with the worst kept secret of all time. Now, appeal it and also put it in the budget bill.