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Wisconsin high school students stage walkout in #pray4tony protest

The 19-year-old was shot dead by a police officer on Friday night in Madison.

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Marisa Kabas

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Posted on Mar 9, 2015   Updated on May 29, 2021, 8:41 am CDT

High school students in Madison, Wisc., staged a walkout at the state capitol building on Monday in the aftermath of the shooting death of unarmed 19-year-old Tony Robinson. He was shot dead by a white police officer on Friday evening, resurrecting unrest and reviving the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag and call to action.

The hashtags #justice4tony and #TonyRobinson have also gathered steam on social media, and that quest for justice came to life Monday morning in Madison. Parents, friends and the students who walked out of school gathered outside East High School for a moment of silence and some words from organizers before setting off for the Wisconsin State Capitol Building, an approximately 45 minute walk.

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The participants peacefully chanted and danced their way there.

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Once the group arrived at the capitol building, they prepared for entry.

The parents formed a protective perimeter around the students, who did not have a permit to protest.

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Once they inside the building, protesters filled the building’s multiple levels. Chants of “black lives matter” and “I believe that we will win” echoed in the capitol building’s rotunda.

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Even younger students participated in the march for justice.

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Then they headed to City Hall, where they staged a sit-in and asked Madison Mayor Paul Soglin to talk to them.

Mayor Soglin then came out to address them, saying via megaphone “In too many instances, the wrong options were selected.”

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As of 1:53 CST, the protests were dispersing.

Photo via Teemu008/Flickr (CC 2.0)

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*First Published: Mar 9, 2015, 4:42 pm CDT

Marisa Kabas

Marisa Kabas is a lifestyle reporter and activist. Her work has been published by Fusion, Fast Company, and Today. She’s also served as an editorial campaigns director for Purpose PBC, a social movement incubator.

Marisa Kabas