Overview
- City employees led a predawn teardown on Tuesday, Aug. 4, removing tents and barricades at Williamson and Baldwin and reopening the street to traffic.
- Police made multiple arrests during the clearing and later clashes, with reporting and officials putting the total at about 22 arrests over two weeks and noting a gun was recovered from a juvenile.
- Mayor Satya Rhodes‑Conway said the removal was driven by safety and business concerns and that the operation prioritized nonpolice staff who offered hotel placements and services to people living at the site.
- Protesters returned hours after the clearing and several nights of unrest followed, with officers reporting fires, objects thrown at city staff, pepper‑spray deployments, mounted units and additional arrests.
- The Wisconsin DOJ Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the independent homicide probe into Corey Ruiz’s July 22 death, the involved officers remain on administrative leave, and city officials say they will preserve memorial materials and coordinate a memorial with Ruiz’s family.