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Freedom Action Now (FAN) advances the feminist abolitionist agenda, mobilizing allies to support grassroots organizations led by working class Black, Southeast Asian, and other women and queer people of color in Wisconsin.

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Freedom Inc. Statement on PCO Board Amendment Withdrawal

July 29, 2026

After months of back-and-forth requests to alders to rescind and reject their proposals to weaken civilian oversight over police, on July 27, 2026, the Madison Common Council announced it would reject the amendments that would have stripped the Police Civilian Oversight Board (PCO Board) of its independence.



The proposed amendments would have stripped the PCO Board by:

  • 1. Restricting the Office of Independent Police Monitoring’s access to MPD files, evidence, data, and other information required for independent investigations.
  • 2. Limiting the PCO Board to have the same legal representation as the city and police department.
  • 3. Order the PCO Board to produce more reports to the Common Council and the Mayor, despite that the PCO Board is accountable to the community, not the city government.
  • 4. Adding an alder to the PCO Board.


    • This did not happen because the Madison Common Council suddenly developed a conscience, it happened because our community organized, spoke out, and refused to stay silent. It took months of relentless pressure and, tragically, the loss of Corey Ruiz’s life for elected officials to recognize the threat these amendments posed to independent police civilian oversight.



    This is a victory worth recognizing. In a time marked by grief, anger, frustration, and heartbreak, we have to acknowledge the moments when collective action makes a difference. Those victories remind us that community organizing, that our voices, and sustained pressure can create change.



    But this fight is far from over. Rejecting these amendments is one step, not the destination. We will continue to organize, demand accountability, and push shift power directly into the hands of our community.



    Our demands remain until they are met:

  • 1. Arrest the killer cop
  • 2. Defund the police
  • 3. MPD must turn over all the evidence to the Office of the Independent Police Monitor (OIPM) so they can conduct an independent investigation into the murder of Corey Ruiz
  • 4. Strengthen the PCO Board
  • 5. Community Control over the police


    • We honor Corey, and all the lives lost to police and state violence by continuing this fight. We honor our community by refusing to settle for symbolic victories when real accountability and systemic change are what our community deserves.



    Join Freedom, Inc. on August 4 at the Common Council meeting at 6:30 p.m. to demand community control over police!

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