Waves of protests have rocked the United States since Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin choked Minneapolis resident George Floyd to death on May 25th. Here in Madison, Floyd’s death reopened old wounds, including echoes of the deaths of Tony Robinson, Paul Heenan, Ashley DiPiazza and Michael Shumacher at the hands of Madison Police between 2012 and 2015. Fed up with the slow pace and ineffectiveness of promised reforms, a new rallying cry has risen from the crowds in the streets: “defund the police.” A majority of the Minneapolis City Council recently announced plans to completely dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department. Now, newly-elected Madison-area politicians are calling for a similar rethinking of the Madison police. Elena Haasl, who represents District 5 on the Dane County Board, joined Monday Buzz host Brian Standing on June 15, 2020.
