Statement from Common Council President Sabrina Madison on the Death of Richard Lee Johnson

As a mother myself, I heard the pain in her voice during yesterday's press conference, and I have continued to think about her words. At the center of every report, every investigation, every statement, every video, and every public debate is a family that has lost someone they love.

Richard was someone's son, family member, friend, and loved one. His life had value, and his death has left behind pain that his loved ones will carry with them for years to come.

Richard's arrest occurred in District 17, the district I represent on Madison's east side. His death also brings forward the broader circumstances that shape the lives of so many people in our community who struggle with housing instability.

Homelessness is not simply the absence of housing. It impacts a person's ability to access consistent medical care, maintain employment, secure transportation, and experience the stability that many may take for granted.

I have found myself reflecting on how access to stable housing, quality health care, economic opportunity, and supportive services can alter the trajectory of a person's life, and whether greater stability might have prevented the circumstances that led to Richard's contact with law enforcement in the first place.

These are difficult questions, but they are questions we must be willing to ask.

Richard's life should not be diminished because he was experiencing a difficult chapter in his life. Every person deserves dignity, regardless of their housing status, or personal struggles. Our community's commitment to justice is measured not by how we treat people when they are thriving, but by how we treat them when they are most vulnerable.

As policymakers, we must also acknowledge the disproportionate impact that homelessness has on Black men. Too often, Black men are overrepresented in the very systems that signal community failure and underrepresented in the investments that create pathways to stability and success.

If we are serious about equity, then Black men must be prioritized in our funding decisions, policy discussions, housing strategies, workforce development efforts, health initiatives, and violence prevention work. Their lives matter not only when tragedy strikes, but in the policies, we choose to fund and advance every day.

I also believe that trust in our public institutions matters deeply. Families and community members must be able to trust that investigations are thorough, transparent, and credible. Without trust, healing becomes far more difficult.

As bell hooks wrote: