MADISON, WI — July 23, 2026 — The Urban League of Greater Madison joins Corey Durell Ruiz’s family, loved ones, and community members in mourning his death. We extend our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved him, and we recognize the pain, grief, frustration, and fear that this tragedy has caused across our community.

At this painful moment, we must ask a question that Black and Brown communities have been forced to ask far too many times across America: How long must we wait for justice to work for all of us?

Every time our community takes one step forward in building trust between residents and law enforcement, another tragedy pulls us many steps back. The deaths of Black and Brown people at the hands of police are not isolated incidents. They are part of a long and painful national pattern that has left families devastated, communities traumatized, and generations of people questioning whether their lives are valued equally under the law.

We acknowledge that Madison is fortunate to have a police chief who has demonstrated a willingness to engage with community members and work toward stronger relationships. But relationship-building alone cannot be the measure of progress. Trust cannot survive if Black and Brown residents continue to lose their lives in encounters with law enforcement. Good intentions are not enough. Accountability, transparency, and change must follow.

We must be clear: Corey Durell Ruiz did not have to die. His death demands more than sorrow. It demands answers. It demands a full, fair, timely, and transparent review. It demands that the public understand what happened, why it happened, what alternatives were considered, and what will be done to ensure this does not happen again.

The Urban League of Greater Madison therefore calls upon law enforcement leaders, city officials, county officials, and all appropriate investigative bodies to provide the community with a clear and complete accounting of the circumstances surrounding Mr. Ruiz’s death. We ask: What policies governed this encounter? Were de-escalation practices followed? Was deadly or excessive force avoidable? What training, supervision, and accountability measures are in place to prevent future deaths? And most importantly, when will Black and Brown people be able to trust that an encounter with police will not become a death sentence?

This is not a call against public safety. It is a call for public safety to truly include everyone. A just community must protect residents from violence and also protect them from unnecessary harm by the very systems entrusted with their safety. Public safety cannot be measured only by enforcement; it must also be measured by dignity, restraint, accountability, fairness, and the preservation of life.

We also call on the broader community to remain engaged, informed, and committed to justice. Our grief must not be allowed to fade into silence. Our questions must not be dismissed as anger. Our demand for accountability must not be treated as opposition to law enforcement. It is possible, and necessary, to support safe communities while also insisting that policing practices change when lives are lost.

The Urban League of Greater Madison stands with all those who are seeking truth, justice, healing, and meaningful reform. We will continue to work with residents, advocates, civic leaders, and law enforcement partners to push for systems that value Black and Brown lives not only in words, but in policy, practice, and outcomes.

Corey Durell Ruiz’s life mattered. His family deserves answers. Our community deserves transparency. And Black and Brown people across this country deserve to live without fear that a moment of crisis, confusion, or contact with police will end in death.

We ask again, with urgency and resolve: How long must we wait for justice to work for all of us?

About Urban League of Greater Madison

The Urban League of Greater Madison is part of a national movement dedicated to empowering Black and other under-served communities through programs and services, advocacy and civil rights, and community engagement activities. Urban League’s work is aimed at increasing opportunity and eliminating racial disparities in education, economic well-being, housing, and other quality-of-life factors.