Protesters in Madison, Wis., who have been demanding that a police officer face charges in the fatal shooting of an unarmed biracial man during a scuffle vowed to walk out of jobs, schools and businesses on Wednesday, a day after the Dane County district attorney said the officer would not face prosecution.

2015/5/13-Large demonstrations swept across the city for a week after the man, Anthony T. Robinson Jr., was fatally shot by the officer, Matthew Kenny, on March 6.

More than 1,000 people had signed up on Facebook to attend a protest and walkout on Wednesday organized by the Young, Gifted and Black Coalition. It was expected to begin at 9 a.m. at the apartment on Williamson Street where Mr. Robinson was shot, and to proceed to the State Capitol.

“It is time to move into spring and grow by demonstrating resistance and resilience against the assault on black people in Madison and across the country,” the group said in a statement announcing the protest.

Officer Kenny was put on paid administrative leave during an investigation of the events, but protesters have called for him to be fired. The Madison police chief, Michael C. Koval, said the officer would remain on leave until an internal review of the shooting determined whether he had violated procedures when responding to the call that ended in Mr. Robinson’s death.

Chief Koval said he expected the internal review to be finished in about a week.

The shooting happened amid a national debate over police conduct, and was one of a string of police killings of unarmed civilians that have fueled the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The decision by the Dane County district attorney set off concerns about possible unrest like the riots in Baltimore last month that erupted afterFreddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man, died from a spinal injury he sustained while in police custody. Several businesses in Baltimore were looted and burned, prompting officials to declare a state of emergency, put in place a curfew and deploy thousands of police officers and National Guard troops to restore calm.

Six police officers involved in Mr. Gray’s arrest have been charged in connection with his death.

Chief Koval said he was indebted to Mr. Robinson’s family for urging the protesters to remain peaceful.

Witnesses said that Mr. Robinson was shot after he assaulted at least two people and jumped in and out of traffic. According to the police, Officer Kenny forced his way into an apartment building after hearing an altercation, and Mr. Robinson punched him in the face. The police said Officer Kenny feared for his life and shot Mr. Robinson seven times.

At a news conference on Tuesday, the Dane County district attorney, Ismael Ozanne, said the shooting had been justified and that the officer would not face criminal charges.

Mr. Ozanne, who is biracial, said that he understood the issues of racial profiling and inequality. But he said that his decision was based on the facts presented to him, not on his emotions.

The outcome disappointed Mr. Robinson’s family and activists who had hoped the investigation would lead to an indictment. They questioned why the police had not responded more carefully after Mr. Robinson’s friend called 911 and told a dispatcher that he was under the influence of drugs. (Toxicology tests found traces of hallucinogenic mushrooms, marijuana and Xanax in Mr. Robinson’s system.)

On Tuesday, protesters gathered at the apartment building where Mr. Robinson was shot and marched downtown, where hundreds of people circled the State Capitol before returning to the apartment building. The crowd represented a wide range of ages and ethnicities, and religious leaders were present.

Dressed in a red robe with a black sash adorned with two gold crosses, the Rev. Everett Mitchell, 38, the pastor of Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church in Madison, addressed the crowd on Williamson Street.

“This has got to change,” he said. “And we have got to be the moral force to make sure that that happens.”

Mr. Mitchell added, “We will make sure that we will hold every last official accountable to those decisions.”

The aim of the demonstrations and shutdowns on Wednesday is to change policies on the use of force and to reduce disparities in rates of incarceration in Dane County for different racial groups, he said.

On the way back to the apartment building on Tuesday, the crowd stopped at Grace Episcopal Church, where Mr. Robinson’s mother, Andrea Irwin, stood on the steps and addressed them.

“Today is the day that we are going to change history and not be the ones to be put down and killed anymore,” she said. “This is not over.”

Her comments drew applause. Instructed to repeat Ms. Irwin’s words, the crowd chanted, “This is not over.”

Source: The New York Times 

ASHLEY SOUTHALL