Milwaukee holds vigil for Corey Ruiz and victims of police crimes

Milwaukee, WI – As part of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression’s National Week of Action for Corey Ruiz, the Milwaukee Alliance held a vigil, July 26, in conjunction with Freedom Inc.’s vigil in Madison.

Milwaukee’s vigil gathered families and community members in order to raise the names of multiple victims of police crimes, alongside Corey Ruiz. Ruiz’s execution has been deeply felt by the people of Milwaukee, who are no strangers to police violence and building movements around such cases.

One of the families present was that of Jay Anderson Jr., who was killed by Wauwatosa police Their struggle for justice has been a long one, and along their path to justice, the Andersons have helped out many other families in Milwaukee. Linda Anderson, mother of Jay Anderson Jr., stated, “This happened in broad daylight, and it’s unbelievable how they can do this and think they can get away with this. We are people. We love our kids. It changes our whole lives.”

Angelique Sharpe, sister of Sam Sharpe Jr. (killed in 2024) and education chair of the Milwaukee Alliance stated, “Most of us are taught from an early age that no one is above the law. We are expected to follow the rules, accept responsibility for our actions, and face consequences when we make mistakes. This should apply to all of us, regardless of our title, profession, neighborhood or position of power. If Corey Ruiz’s murderer is not jailed after executing him in broad daylight, what message does that send? What does that say about any ‘fairness’ in law and its application?”

Speaking to this unequal treatment, Chamar Clay raised her friend’s name, Major Artis, and stated that “If one of us go do what they did to Corey, I’d be sitting in jail right now. So he [the officer] needs to take accountability, and they need to put him in jail today!”

The crowd concluded the event by placing flowers for Corey Ruiz on the Sit with Sam Bench, a bench that commemorates Sam Sharpe Jr. in the area where his life was stolen by Columbus PD officers during the Republican National Convention in 2024.

While there was a general sense of grief at the vigil, there was also a lot of hope in the movement to hold the police accountable. Milwaukee has a lot of fighting families and has a lengthy history of movements behind these families. They are raising the demands of justice for their own loved ones, but they also raise the following demands coming from Madison: arrest the killer cop; strengthen the Police Civilian Oversight Board, and community control of the police.

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