Police Squad Burned, 75 Businesses Looted In George Floyd Protest

MADISON, WI — More than 75 Madison businesses were damaged or looted, and one police squad car was set on fire in Madison during a weekend filled with George Floyd protests across Wisconsin, according to police.

According to police in Madison, a night of riots on Saturday began when a peaceful protest gathered on the State Capital grounds to advocate for justice for Floyd, who died last week in police custody in Minneapolis.

Authorities said the group marched down East Washington Ave., to Williamson Street, before returning to the Capital grounds. Police said officers blocked traffic to make sure the group could express themselves safely.

According to police, at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday, the demonstration ended and the crowd began dispersing, when a group of around 150 people remained in the area, and began damaging property.

According to police, the group damaged vehicles and broke windows as they moved to the State Street area. There, the group began breaking business windows and attempting entry to a jewelry store.

Police said officers responded and ordered the group to disperse, when things escalated.

Former Madison Mayor Paul Soglin said the smaller group of demonstrators undermined the peaceful protest from earlier in the day.

“They’ve infiltrated the progressive left,” he said. “They’re trying to undermine democracy and bring fascist leadership to the country,” he said in a Wisconsin State Journal report.

Police said one squad was broken into, driven a short distance and then set on fire. The vehicle was a complete loss. Two rifles were stolen from the vehicle before it was destroyed. Several other squads sustained damage.

According to police, by the time the riots were quelled, about 75 businesses on State Street were either damaged or looted. East Towne and West Towne malls were also looted, police said.

City officials established a 9:30 p.m. curfew Sunday as a result of the earlier days' rallies and violence. Observers are reporting that a large crowd was breaking the curfew, as they marched in another Floyd-related demonstration down Madison's isthmus.

CURFEW IN EFFECT: This is the crowd downtown as the curfew on the Isthmus went into effect at 9:30 p.m. pic.twitter.com/XgBXDBi3PZ

— NBC15 News (@nbc15_madison) June" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/nbc15_madi... 1, 2020