Protesters rallied in front of the City County Building Tuesday night to call on Madison’s Common Council to reconsider its vote to dismantle the Dairy Drive campsite for unhoused people, call on the Mayor to stop sweeping homeless encampments and redirect funds towards housing.
The rally followed several other efforts to urge the Common Council to overturn its decision, passed by a single vote on Sept. 16, to dismantle the city-sanctioned homeless campsite. Previous rallies were held at Dairy Drive on Sept. 24, 26 and 27, but community members took to City Hall during the Common Council’s Tuesday evening special session to directly call out alders who voted to discontinue the campsite’s funding. Protesters were joined by former alder and current State Assembly candidate Julianna Bennett and current District 6 Alder Davy Mayer, who called on fellow elected officials to reconsider and realize the impact that closing Dairy Drive will have.
“Over the past couple months, I’ve gotten a crash course on Dairy Drive and how many people that it has helped,” Mayer said. “I know that we often think about costs, but we see the results that Dairy has had and how many people this helps. We know that every single person who experiences homelessness has their own unique circumstances… Dairy Drive has been a very certain type of solution for a lot of people.”
Dairy Drive has been heralded by the city for its generally positive outcomes. The City of Madison and Madison Street Medicine — the organization that runs Dairy Drive — report a 60-80% success rate for helping unhoused individuals secure long-term housing.
Its almost immediate closure comes as federal funds for the project have run out. The City of Madison would have to foot the bill if it were to continue operations.
Protesters point out that the estimated cost of dismantling Dairy Drive, $220,000, would allow it to remain open as the amount is equivalent to roughly 25% of its yearly operational costs. And, as winter comes around, the planned Bartillion Men’s Shelter, which aims to be the new potential spot for Dairy Drive residents, would not be open until April 2026.
However, the Common Council has appeared to move on to other matters like the planned Bartillion Men’s Shelter — the subject of Tuesday night’s meeting.
Chants from protesters on the street could be heard during the session. A few protesters hoped to speak via public comment during the Common Council meeting, but special sessions do not include a public comment period. Instead, a group of them sat in during conversations on Bartillion Shelter plans.
The session did not touch on Dairy Drive beyond the overall context of rising homelessness in Madison and the need for the larger Bartillion Shelter.
“It’s frustrating because they’re still learning about homelessness. You could tell by their questions, they’re not aware of how hard it is to be homeless in the city, how other decisions they make all come together to make it really hard for people,” said Brenda Konkel, executive director of Madison Street Medicine and program coordinator at Dairy Drive.
Madison’s elected officials are not fully grasping what’s at stake with the dismantling of Dairy Drive, Konkel said. The space allows for consistency in a housing first model. Unlike other shelters, it allows residents to have an address — which is essential for unhoused individuals to receive benefits, verify identity for job hunts and have access to banking.
A question by Alder Joann Pritchett, District 9, during the session addressed that issue. She asked Jim O’Keefe, director of the Community Development Division, if those staying in the Bartillion Shelter would be able to use it as an address to access key services.
“This may sound harsher than I mean it to be, but keep in mind that this facility is intended for short-term use,” O’Keefe said in response. “We don’t want people to take up residence at the shelter. We want to do everything we can to make their stay there as brief as possible.”
Konkel found the answer “horrendous.”
“It’s one of the biggest problems,” Konkel said. “People don’t think of those everyday kinds of things and how difficult it is… I am so afraid of what’s going to happen in our future, and I don’t think the City Council understands the enormity of the problem.”
The session ended around 8 p.m. and protesters remained outside to confront alders on their way out of City Hall. They managed to get District 8 Alder MGR Govindarajan — the main alder called out in chants — to agree to send out an email asking for a reconsideration vote on Dairy Drive’s dismantling.
A video provided to Madison365 by protesters shows MGR claiming that he has already sent out an email for reconsideration. He claims he has not made a motion for reconsideration yet, nor is he sure if he is able to, as it is something he hasn’t done in the past, but agreed to do it that very night after the confrontation.
Alder MGR did not respond to requests to comment. However, Alder MGR elucidated on the confrontation in a blog post on Oct. 1, saying that he would not, in fact, seek reconsideration, and felt forced to say that he would.
“I stood with about a dozen people for nearly an hour, listening to their concerns and attempting to answer questions,” he wrote. “While I respect the right to protest and to engage in dialogue, the conversation shifted to a point where I felt like I couldn’t leave unless I agreed to what was being asked. When people in the crowd told me they’d find where I live, or would place stakes in my yard, I felt I had no choice but to agree under pressure.
“The video circulated last night reflects a statement made under coercion, not a change of position. To be clear: I felt as long as I didn’t say the wrong thing and escalate tensions, my physical safety was not at threat, but I was deeply concerned for my privacy, my home, and those close to me. I stayed until I was the last person outside the building to ensure no one had the opportunity to follow me home.
“No elected official should be put in a position where they feel unable to leave a public building without making promises under pressure. I will not be reconsidering my vote on Dairy Drive. What I said last night was an attempt to de-escalate a tense situation, not a shift in my decision.”
Another rally is planned at City Hall during the next Common Council meeting on Oct. 7.
