Protesters in Madison reclaim encampment site after law enforcement retreats from area

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Protesters in Madison have reclaimed the intersection of Williamson and Baldwin more than 15 hours after they were first cleared out. 

The City of Madison sent crews at 5 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, to break up the encampment that formed after Corey Ruiz was shot and killed by an officer July 22. 

It's been a tense day filled with conflict and arrests. 

At the intersection of Willy and Baldwin, Alan Robinson found hundreds of city workers. 

"Throwing things into the trash indiscriminately," Robinson, a community organizer, said. "These are people's homes."

Robinson said it was despicable, deplorable, and inhumane. 

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said the occupation was unsustainable. 

"Unfortunately, as city staff cleared the area, rocks and other items were thrown at city employees and two fires were set," the mayor said. 

Police were called in. 

Dr. Danielle Wright was also on site.

"It was, 'You have zero seconds to get out of the way or we're going to get the things out of the way for you,'" Dr. Wright said. 

City crews took the items to Demetral Park, but volunteers said they were just dumped there. They had to organize a system for reclaiming items. That was going smoothly until tensions flared up again at Willy and Baldwin. 

"As we're talking right now, I'm getting messages that everyone here is actually leaving this site because they are now pinning down people and arresting them at Willy," Dr. Wright said. "And it's becoming unrest."

Back at the intersection, protesters formed tense standoffs with officers on each corner. 

Madison police arrested at least 17 people. 

Tension and anger and pain continued into the afternoon, with more confrontations. 

"I'm shaking right now. I'm mad," said Keniya Johnson, sister of Richard Lee Johnson. 

"It rang a bell, like this is the officer that played a role, that put my brother's face in the dirt. Like, you played a role in his death."

Protesters forced that officer to leave. 

Two more people were taken into custody. 

Aeiramique Glass, the city's Independent Police Monitor, was injured while trying to get an officer's badge number. 

"I was pushed, and from there, multiple officers jumped in," Glass said. 

Glass thinks she was targeted and blamed police for escalating the situation. She says the Madison city attorney is obstructing her office's investigation into Ruiz's death. She's hired an outside attorney to help.

"Nobody's looking for a lawsuit, but obviously I know how to do that," said William Sulton, attorney representing the Madison Independent Police Monitor. 

After things simmered for a couple hours, they came to a head once more.