“It is quite possible that there will be civil dissent, and the men and women of the MPD will — as they have done in the past — help facilitate the safe movement of people should they decide to exercise First Amendment rights,” the Madison police said Sunday in a statement.
The police stressed that they have been preparing for the announcement for several weeks.
“It is our hope — that working together — Madison can come through these challenging days ahead without violence or property damage,” the police added.
Following the March 7 incident, as many as 1,500 people took to the streets and demanded arrest of the officer who shot Robinson.
Numerous black men were killed by police in recent months, triggering waves of protests nationwide.
The latest demonstrations engulfed the country in recent weeks, after African-American Freddie Gray died of severe spinal injuries he allegedly received while in police custody late April.
