A few religious leaders will carry an eight-foot wooden cross up State Street at 11 a.m. Saturday to protest the cruelty of Donald Trump’s government. They will start at Lake and State streets and will finish at the state Capitol. Everyone is invited.
Madison, of course, has many protests, but this one stands out because of the backstory of its principal organizer.
For much of his adult life, David Couper was Madison’s transformational police chief, employing innovative policies and hiring a diverse and well-educated workforce. Couper’s mastery as police chief extended to peacefully accommodating Madison’s many protests, always honoring First Amendment rights. Now he is on the other side — as an 87-year-old protest organizer.
Following his police career, Couper became an Episcopal priest and today is appalled by the first months of the second Trump administration.