Madison Mayor Paul Soglin responded to continued protests over the shooting of Tony Robinson in a Tuesday morning press conference.
"We are very pleased with how the demonstrations have gone to date," Soglin said.
He thanked the Robinson family for focusing on the life of Tony Robinson as opposed to turning the focus to an anti-police effort. He noted the death of Robinson has been especially troubling for young people in Madison.
The mayor also addressed accusations of racial bias within police department, saying it is "the wrong question to be asked.”
“The problem lies within the entire criminal justice system,” Soglin continued.
Denouncing comparisons of Madison's recent officer-involved shooting to those experienced in other cities across the country, Soglin mentioned Madison's involvement in various initiatives to eliminate violent deaths in minority communities, such as City United and the My Brother's Keeper Community Challenge.
"[These negative parallels are] not really how we've been trying to compare ourselves to other cities in the country," Soglin said.
He praised community policing efforts in the city as a positive reform, saying "it works, it's successful and we're not backing off."
The mayor said he is unaware of the status of the current investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
"I think it's critical that we don't pre-judge what may come of the investigation," Soglin said.
Soglin also addressed the recent cyber attack to the city's website Monday, saying that online payment accounts are frozen as a security measure. An investigation is underway, though the mayor said he is not yet sure who is behind the attack.
