MADISON– Senator Robert Cowles (R-Green Bay) released the following statement following a night of violence and destruction in the City of Madison:
“Over the past few weeks, I’ve been moved by the commitment that Wisconsin communities have shown for our neighbors. Racial equality and accountable policing are something we should all strive to achieve, but the peaceful message conveyed by many is being tarnished by some. Last night’s events in Madison are yet another example of how an admirable cause can be perverted into violence and destruction by radical actors.
“Threats of violence against reporters and assaults on an elected official, the desecration of a symbol of progress and women’s suffrage and another statute of an immigrant, civil war Union leader, abolitionist, and corrections reformer Hans Christian Heg, and the pointless destruction of property including portions of the State Capitol are despicable. The first amendment protects the right to peaceably assemble, but the actions last night fell outside of this scope.
“If the Madison Police Department is handcuffed from doing their job by local politics, the Governor must take control and call in the National Guard to protect the right to of those wishing to peaceably assemble while controlling the lawlessness that has posed threats to public safety and property.”
