NASW- Wisconsin Chapter

The National Association of Social Workers, Wisconsin Chapter (NASW-WI) released the following statement after a police officer shot a man in Madison, Wisconsin.

Yesterday afternoon on July 22, 2026, a Madison police officer shot and killed a man named Corey Ruiz. Our hearts are with his family and with everyone who witnessed this violence or has been retraumatized by ongoing violence against minority communities. This shooting happened just a block from where 19-year-old Tony Robinson, a young Black man, was killed by Madison police in 2015. That proximity is not lost on us, and it should not be lost on our community. The NASW-Wisconsin Chapter calls for a full and transparent investigation into what happened. Corey Ruiz should be with us today.

Madison has had years to act on de-escalation training, body cameras, and other reforms that could have changed what happened yesterday. Words are not enough. NASW-WI calls on the city to move now on concrete solutions that keep all involved safe.

Marc Seidl, NASW-WI Leadership Council President

Joel L. Rubin, NASW-WI Executive Director

Join us at the NASW-WI's Annual Conference for the Keynote address on Wednesday, November 4th at 8:45 to 10:15am from Lee Westgate, MSW, MBA, LCSW-C.

All I have Is My Voice: Building Hope through Moral Courage
In his work, “September 1, 1939”, poet W.H. Auden began with, “All I have is a voice” and went on to reflect upon the power of that voice in disrupting divisive narratives spun. The divided world that we collectively occupy does not feel far away from the urgency embedded in Auden’s reflection. This divided context has a unique effect on helpers and healers like social workers. Our collective calling is intrinsically linked to beneficence and connection. This makes it even more essential for our profession to reflect upon our expansive tradition of caring and the ways in which that tradition remains both unshakable and a mechanism to enact change during critical moments in human history. This keynote will reflect upon the Social Work profession’s long tradition of social and political action and will explore the transformative and essential power of moral courage in facilitating healing and hope in a divided world.

Register for the conference today and read more about the 2026 Annual Conference presenters at https://naswwi.socialworkers.org/Conference.