A worker with University Bookstore clears broken glass Sunday from the lobby of the business following an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street.
JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Niya McBride, 32, reacts Sunday as Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway addresses overnight looting and rioting along State Street. McBride said she was injured after she was caught in a stampede of rioters.
JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Volunteers on Sunday carrying brooms make their way toward businesses damaged during an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street. The cleanup was organized by the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County.
JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Anders Martin, co-owner of Sunshine Daydream, surveys damage to his business Sunday. A sign he had posted in the window saying “locally owned business” didn't stop the looters.
JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Hundreds of people turned out for the early morning cleanup, armed with brooms, gloves and masks.
JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Volunteers remove graffiti from the windows of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. A museum gift store was also broken into.
JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Workers help clear broken window glass from Ragstock on. Manager Kat Semborski said Sunday's outpouring of help "really put a smile on my face."
JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Volunteers sweep broken glass Sunday morning in front of Urban Outfitters, one of about 75 State Street businesses damaged or looted Saturday night after a protest over police brutality and racism turned violent.
Volunteers responding to calls from the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County swept broken glass, scrubbed graffiti and helped city workers right toppled planters along the pedestrian mall, where Madison police said about 75 businesses were looted or damaged during the riot.
“All the stores got hit. Taco Bell got hit. What’d they do that for?” said a man who was walking up and down the street surveying damage. “This is a sad day. A really sad day.”
Hannah Lewandowski said she was part of Saturday’s protest over the death of George Floyd, the man who died last week after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes as he pleaded for help.
Lewandowski, a teacher at Jefferson Middle School, said the protest was “a positive thing,” but added there were people trying to agitate the crowd.
She said she left when the protest ended around 4:30 p.m. and returned around 5 a.m. with her mother to help with the cleanup.
“It’s not enough to just show up for one day,” Lewandowski said.
Acting Madison Police Chief Victor Wahl said a group of about 150 people lingered after most of the more than 1,000 protesters left, harassing officers and damaging a squad car before returning to State Street, where they smashed the windows of Goodman’s Jewelers at 5:35 p.m. Rioters torched a police car during the ensuing violence.
There didn’t seem to be a pattern to which storefronts rioters vandalized and which they spared. Art Gecko, The Pipefitter, Under Armour and It’Sugar all had shattered windows, while other nearby stores and restaurants appeared unscathed. West Towne and East Towne malls were also vandalized.
Sunday’s cleanup brought together strangers who responded to requests from groups like the Boys & Girls Club or just showed up on their own.
Nii Addo Abrahams and Haley Moshier saw a call for help on Twitter after flying in Saturday night from Princeton, New Jersey.
Anders Martin, co-owner of Sunshine Daydream, surveys damage to his business Sunday. A sign he had posted in the window saying “locally owned business” didn't stop the looters.
Volunteers, including Leslie Haven, center, help clear class from a sidewalk following an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in Madison, Wis. Sunday, May 31, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Madison Parks Department workers prepare to remove garbage receptacles filled with broken glass following an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in Madison, Wis. Sunday, May 31, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Josh Filer and his son, Link, 8, contribute to a voiuntary clean-up effort following an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in Madison, Wis. Sunday, May 31, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Voiunteers help clear broken window class from Ragstock following an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in Madison, Wis. Sunday, May 31, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Niya McBride, 32, reacts to comments by Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway during a press conference addressing an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in Madison, Wis. Sunday, May 31, 2020. McBride, who has been homeless since 2017, said she suffered injuries that required medical attention after she became caught up in a stampede of rioters during the Downtown melee. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Broken windows, product and shelves inside Warby Parker are seen as volunteers remove graffiti from the windows of the business following an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in Madison, Wis. Sunday, May 31, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Josh Yungen of Mobile Glass Inc. carries a plywood plank to board up a storefront window following an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in Madison, Wis. Sunday, May 31, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Volunteers carrying brooms make their way toward businesses damaged during an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in Madison, Wis. Sunday, May 31, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
A worker with University Bookstore clears broken glass from the lobby of the business following an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in Madison, Wis. Sunday, May 31, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
A sign is displayed in the window of The Soap Box, one of the businesses un-touched during an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in Madison, Wis. Sunday, May 31, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Volunteers carrying brooms make their way toward businesses damaged during an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in Madison, Wis. Sunday, May 31, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Workers at Sunshine Daydream sift through broken glass for salvageable product following an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in Madison, Wis. Sunday, May 31, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Acting Chief of Police Victor Wahl appear at a press conference at Lisa Link Park following an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in Madison, Wis. Sunday, May 31, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
City of Madison City Council president Sheri Carter speaks at Lisa Link Peace Park during a press conference addressing an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in Madison, Wis. Sunday, May 31, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway speaks during a press conference at Lisa Link Peace Park following an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in Madison, Wis. Sunday, May 31, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
City of Madison Acting Chief of Police Victor Wahl addresses media representatives and members of the public during a press conference at Lisa Link Park following an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in Madison, Wis. Sunday, May 31, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Volunteers restore overturned planters following an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in Madison, Wis. Sunday, May 31, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
University Bookstore worker Anders Martin installs a plywood plank to broken glass door at the business following an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in Madison, Wis. Sunday, May 31, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Trash cans on State Street are filled with broken glass and partially burned merchandise from some of the dozens of stores vandalized Saturday when protests over racism and police brutality turned violent.
Broken glass and mannequins litter the floor of the Under Armour store on State Street, one of about 75 businesses vandalized after a protest against racism and police brutality turned violent.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway talks with Aida Zygas, left, and Sarah Makoski, wearing the city flag, Sunday morning on State Street. Zygas and Makoski were among hundreds of volunteers who turned out to help clean up after Saturday's protest over police brutality and racism turned violent. "The peaceful protest is what Madison is," Zygas said. "This morning is what Madison is."
Lindsey Rasmussen and Will Boone scrub grafitti Sunday morning from the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, one of dozens of State Street establishments vandalized when protests over racism and police brutality turned violent. Rasmussen and Boone were among hundreds of volunteers who turned out to clean up the damage.
Ashley Cauthorn surveys damage Sunday at her State Street store, Sunshine Daydream, one of dozens of businesses vandalized when a protest over racism and police brutality turned violent Saturday night.
Ashley Cauthorn surveys damage Sunday at her State Street store, Sunshine Daydream, one of dozens of businesses vandalized when a protest over racism and police brutality turned violent Saturday night.
Abrahams, the new assistant director of campus ministries for Pres House, said they planned to help until they had to meet their landlord to pick up keys to their new apartment.
In front of State Street Brats, three volunteers scrubbed black spray paint from the “Ringo” Bucky Badger sculpture named in honor of former Badgers hockey player Rob Andringa, who died Friday.
“It was insult to injury,” said Kristen Barge, a friend of Andringa’s family.
Several doors down, Shane Austin and his wife, Ashley Cauthorn, were assessing the damage to their store, Sunshine Daydream, where looters smashed windows, toppled display cases, stole the cash register and broke dozens of glass pipes, some worth thousands of dollars.
Austin said he sent his employee home around 6 p.m. when things started to get bad. He put a sign in the window saying “locally owned business” in hopes people would spare the store, which he called his “heart and soul.”
His security company called around 10 p.m. to say the windows had been broken, but police warned him to stay away.
Cauthorn said they have yet to receive federal unemployment benefits and struggled to make loan and rent payments while they were closed for the COVID-19 health emergency.
“We’re still trying to recover from that, and then this happened,” Cauthorn said. “2020’s really showing up for us.”
PowerNine Games was lucky, employee Akash Pradhan said. Protesters had only smashed through one pane of the double-pane window, so they weren’t able to get inside.
“We got relatively lucky that our store was untouched,” Pradhan said.
Pradhan said he left the store about 5 p.m. and was surprised when he saw video of the destruction just a few hours later.
Ragstock manager Kat Semborski said she closed the store an hour early Saturday after she heard that rioters had broken into Goodman’s. She returned to the clothing store about 7:30 a.m. to find windows smashed, displays toppled, clothing scorched and items stolen.
She said she supported the protests earlier in the day that remained peaceful for hours, which she said were more emblematic of how Madison came out to denounce racism and police brutality than the rioting in the evening.
Many of the cleanup volunteers offered help and support for Ragstock, Semborski said. Even when the glass was swept away and many of the displays righted, volunteers continued to stop by and offer assistance.
“Today, a lot of things really put a smile on my face,” Semborski said.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway toured the scene, stopping to talk with some volunteers.
“I’m really impressed with how many people are out here helping,” she said.
With sidewalks swept clean and most of the windows boarded up by crews from Mobile Glass, Dylan Rindo and some fellow volunteers handed out bottles of water and slices of Ian’s Pizza to those still working.
“It’s just been cool and inspiring,” Rindo said. “A lot of people just showed up.”
Watching the cleanup, former Mayor Paul Soglin, who was not part of Saturday’s protest, said he was reminded of the April 1970 protest that devolved into a State Street riot in which about 35 buildings were vandalized.
Soglin said both protests were sabotaged by outsiders seeking to instigate violence.
“They’ve infiltrated the progressive left,” he said. “They’re trying to undermine democracy and bring fascist leadership to the country.”
While acknowledging legitimate feelings of outrage, Soglin said that outrage can’t be directed at other working people.
“It puts the responsibility on the rest of us to lead the movement for economic and social justice and to stop the violence,” Soglin said.
Sarah Makoski said she came to help after watching the destruction on television.
“This is my home,” she said, wearing the city’s flag around her shoulders. “I believe in the protest, but not what happened yesterday.”
Her friend Aida Zygas said she left the protest around 5 p.m. and later saw reports of violence on Twitter.
“It was like I was living in a different world when I saw that,” she said. “The peaceful protest is what Madison is. This morning is what Madison is.”
Photos: Madison protest of Minneapolis man’s death turns destructive
Photos: Madison protest of Minneapolis man's death turns destructive
A worker with University Bookstore clears broken glass Sunday from the lobby of the business following an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street.
Niya McBride, 32, reacts Sunday as Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway addresses overnight looting and rioting along State Street. McBride said she was injured after she was caught in a stampede of rioters.
Volunteers on Sunday carrying brooms make their way toward businesses damaged during an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street. The cleanup was organized by the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County.
Anders Martin, co-owner of Sunshine Daydream, surveys damage to his business Sunday. A sign he had posted in the window saying “locally owned business” didn't stop the looters.
Volunteers sweep broken glass Sunday morning in front of Urban Outfitters, one of about 75 State Street businesses damaged or looted Saturday night after a protest over police brutality and racism turned violent.
Volunteers remove graffiti from the windows of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Sunday after a protest against racism and police brutality led to rioting overnight on State Street.