Madison Protester Gets Probation on Extortion Charges
Devonere Johnson's arrest sparked further protest in June.
Forward statue stands on State Street after being removed from its pedestal during the early morning hours of Wednesday, June 24, 2020. Shawn Johnson/WPR
A man whose arrest sparked outrage and helped fuel protests in Madison where a state lawmaker was injured has been sentenced in federal court.
Devonere Johnson, 29, was sentenced to two years probation on federal extortion charges Wednesday by U.S. District Judge William Conley.
Johnson was arrested June 23 after walking into two businesses a day earlier on the Capitol Square with a megaphone and a baseball bat. His arrest occurred during nationwide protests against the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck.
Following Johnson’s arrest, protesters gathered at the Capitol for a demonstration that turned violent. Democratic state Sen. Tim Carpenter was punched and kicked in the head after recording a video of the protests on his cellphone. Protesters also pulled down two statues on the Capitol grounds. The statue of Forward, which represents Wisconsin’s motto, was toppled and a statue of Civil War-era abolitionist Col. Hans Christian Heg was thrown into Lake Monona.
Madison Man Whose Arrest Sparked Outrage Gets Probation was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
More about the Madison Unrest
- Bill Would Make Damaging Historical Property a Felony - Isiah Holmes - Jan 9th, 2022
- Madison Protester Gets Probation on Extortion Charges - Shamane Mills - Jan 28th, 2021
- Aggressive Police Escalate Violence at Protests? - Clara Neupert - Dec 10th, 2020
- Two Charged with Arson During Civil Unrest in Madison, Wisconsin - U.S. Department of Justice - Sep 23rd, 2020
- Data Wonk: Who Benefits From the Madison Vandalism? - Bruce Thompson - Jul 1st, 2020
- I Sincerely Appreciate Your Kind Words of Support! - State Sen. Tim Carpenter - Jun 30th, 2020
- Op Ed: Madison Protests Targeted ‘Fake Liberalism’ - Ruth Conniff - Jun 29th, 2020
- Everybody Wants Action From Gov. Evers - Melanie Conklin - Jun 29th, 2020
- Madison Protester Faces Heavy Charges - Rachael Vasquez - Jun 29th, 2020
- What Happened at Madison’s Protests - Bruce Murphy - Jun 24th, 2020
Read more about Madison Unrest here
A guy commits extortion against two restaurants by threatening arson, property destruction, and mayhem and walks away with two years probation? I would think that most persons would say that the punishment does to fit the crime.