Hundreds protest on UW campus for second day

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Demonstrators gathered for a second day on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus demanding school administrators take action following a social media post showing a student using racial slurs went viral.

Hundreds of protesters took part in the demonstrations, which culminated near the bottom of Bascom Hall. The peaceful protest began around 3 p.m.

Approximately two hours later, as rush hour neared, the University of Wisconsin Police Department tweeted an alert that downtown traffic was being affected, especially along University Ave., near campus. UWPD asked drivers to avoid the area. Shortly afterwards, Metro Transit retweeted the police department, announcing it would detour bus lines near campus.

All demonstrators were wearing black, and the group encouraged students to have their voices heard.

The event followed a demonstration on Wednesday that ended with a meeting at the Red Gym, where a delegation of protesters met with school officials and presented a list of nine demands, which included an immediate investigation into expelling the student and any other students seen or heard in the video.

They also ask the university to recognize the video can create emotional distress for students of color and request the school give those students academic accommodations.

Leaders from the Blk Pwr Coalition explained they received a response from the university but were disappointed by what they heard. They described Thursday’s demonstration as more than just a response to this week’s video, calling it an overall response to racial injustice on campus.

“We didn’t get a very clear message of how our demands are going to be met, nor if they were going to be met, it was more of a repeat apology,” said freshman Marques.

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes Conway and Madison alders released a joint statement Thursday in response to the racist video, showing support for students and asking the university to act.

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