Madison- Rep. Mary Felzkowski (R-Irma) made the following statement regarding Tuesday night’s violent rioting in Madison and Capitol Building and grounds destruction:
“Last night, Wisconsin’s capital again fell victim to senseless attacks by rioters. While I do support and encourage peaceful protesting, I absolutely condemn this violence and vandalism. I implore Governor Evers to step up and put an end to what is happening in Madison and do everything necessary to protect our state’s people, monuments, and heritage, including calling in the National Guard to help protect the Capitol Building. As Governor, he is the leader of our state and needs to start acting like it.”
Two statues were physically torn down last night and removed from the Capitol Square. The first was of Colonel Hans Christian Heg, an anti-slavery activist who served in Wisconsin’s 15th Infantry in the Union Army during the Civil War. The statue was dragged through the streets of Madison and thrown, headless, into Lake Monona. The second was the statue of Lady Forward, a symbol of Wisconsin’s motto and commitment to progress. It was torn down and left in the middle of the street.
State Senator Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee) was also attacked by 8-10 rioters while taking a photo of the destruction on his way into his legislative office. After the attack, he collapsed and was aided by an ambulance.
“My thoughts and prayers are with my colleague, Senator Tim Carpenter, who was severely beaten last night by rioters. This kind of behavior is disgusting, unacceptable, and extremely counterproductive. I hope that last night’s events force Governor Evers and Madison Mayor Rhodes-Conway to open their eyes to the disaster their indifference and lack of action continue to encourage.”
