James Madison wrote that government owes its citizens a “debt of protection” and must never permit “arbitrary seizures” of property, personal safety, and personal liberties from “one class of citizens for the service of the rest.”
Yet in a city named for this Founding Father — Madison, Wisconsin — citizens have been harassed by roving bands of socialists, while city officials not only acquiesce but overtly support the seizure of property, restriction of free movement, and abuse of private businesses.
The saga began on July 22, when four Madison police officers attempted to arrest Corey Ruiz, who was reportedly armed with a knife. A series of videos shows Ruiz resisting arrest and lunging at officers until one officer shot and killed him. According to police, Ruiz pulled out his knife and injured an officer before he was shot.
The deceased was no stranger to law enforcement. Over a 17-year criminal career, Ruiz had been charged with 86 separate crimes, including 11 charges of resisting or obstructing officers, 14 charges of bail jumping, and 12 charges of disorderly conduct. Those are just the most frequently charged crimes. Ruiz was also arrested multiple times each for battery, strangulation, vehicle theft, cocaine possession, and threats to a judge, prosecutor, or law enforcement officer.
Ruiz’s criminal career showed profound disrespect for, and violence toward, law enforcement. Despite Ruiz’s constant threats to the safety of Madison’s citizens and law enforcement, he received only a handful of short jail terms and two short prison sentences from judges and prosecutors.
Ruiz’s death sparked the typical leftist reaction: violence and threats of violence. All the necessary ingredients were present: the officers involved were white, and Ruiz was black (although five separate court records list him as “Caucasian,” which raises different questions).
Leading candidate for Wisconsin governor and avowed “democratic” socialist Francesca Hong took to the streets hours after the death with a bullhorn to denounce the police.
“A man died at the hands of state-sanctioned violence,” Hong said. But that wasn’t enough for the crowd, who heckled her with “Say it! Say it!” Then she did: “This state-sanctioned violence was an execution.” The mob cheered.
Apparently encouraged by the righteous endorsement of a leading political figure, the mobs proceeded to the Wisconsin State Capitol, where thousands had gathered for the popular weekly concert series, “Concerts on the Square.” Protesters took the stage with bullhorns, yelling at well-dressed Madison leftists who were sitting at tables and attempting to enjoy the blessings of one of America’s leading Democrat-run cities.
If concertgoers meekly objected, they were unsuccessful. “B-tch, we are the concert!” the protesters reportedly explained. Luxury beliefs do sometimes reveal their true costs.
Chaos erupted elsewhere in Madison. City officials allowed protesters to take over a press conference at City Hall. On State Street — a vital commercial hub of bars and restaurants between the Capitol and the University of Wisconsin–Madison — protesters shut down restaurants and businesses, blocking customers from entering. Some observers speculated that demonstrators were targeting white-owned businesses.
This spasm of violence has now turned into a long-term strategy of occupation. At the site of the shooting — Willy Street and Baldwin Street — protesters have constructed the “Corey Ruiz Autonomous Zone,” mimicking similar autonomous zones constructed in Seattle and Minneapolis. Multiple blocks of Madison streets are under occupation with tents, wooden pallets, mattresses, and other obstructions, protected by medieval-looking nail board booby traps, garbage-can barricades, and even city-owned trucks.
Yes, the city itself is supporting the occupation by installing barricades to protect the “CRAZ.” Officials have helpfully informed citizens that the area will be closed “until further notice.” Porta-potties even appeared to support the occupation, although the city denies supplying them.
City residents are bearing the burden of the occupation. Local restaurants are worried about how they will make rent or pay their employees, and homeowners are dealing with a city-sanctioned homeless encampment and all that comes with it, including frequent outbreaks of violence.
This is exactly what conservatives mean when they demand the “rule of law.” The law allows none of this, yet the city supports and encourages this lawless behavior. Madison’s ordinances prohibit the blocking or obstruction of city streets; under state law, blocking a street is a crime. Civil rights laws also allow business owners to sue protesters and city officials to enforce their constitutional rights.
As James Madison wrote, laws are meant to protect not only a citizen’s “right to his property,” but also the “property in his rights.” This concept extends the law’s duty to protect not simply real estate and personal property (which the city of Madison is unwilling to do), but also the ancient rights that all Americans possess: the right of free movement, the right to earn a living, and “the safety and liberty of his person,” as Madison wrote.
Citizens are unable to move in and out of the CRAZ to carry on commerce, visit loved ones, and safely enjoy the blessings of liberty. This is a failure of the first and most important duty of government: to enforce the rule of law.
This episode is, unfortunately, a preview of a socialist America. Many of the organizers, protesters, and campers, as well as gubernatorial candidate Hong, are self-described “socialists” (and in some cases “communists”). They are no different from the socialists in New York, Michigan, Minnesota, and elsewhere in America.
To them, this is what socialism looks like — suspending the rule of law to ensure that their desired outcome is achieved. The chief socialist goal, as always, is “rebalancing” society by taking property from the privileged and redistributing it to the mob.
It is a stark choice, and every day it becomes clearer. America can be based on the rule of law or the passions of the mob.
