Impartial journalists Nick Sortor and Karlyn Borysenko had been in critical hazard on Saturday evening after being confronted, threatened with loss of life, and having their automobile attacked with vomit by Black Lives Matter rioters in a self-declared “autonomous zone” that has taken over a number of blocks of downtown Madison, Wisconsin.
The zone, often known as the “Corey Ruiz Autonomous Zone” or “CRAZ,” was fashioned within the days following the July 22 police taking pictures of Corey Ruiz, an armed serial felon who was killed whereas allegedly attacking an officer with a knife.
Protesters have constructed barricades of pallets, furnishings, and spike strips, blocked streets, arrange tents, and successfully seized management of the world round Williamson and Baldwin streets, utilizing the playbook from Seattle’s 2020 CHOP/CHAZ.
Sortor, who was driving with Borysenko within the passenger seat, stopped close to the encampment and stepped out of the automobile in an try and make jokes and lighten the temper.
As an alternative, activists surrounded him, blocked him from returning to his automotive, swung a pole at him, sprayed vomit on him and his automobile, broken the left entrance quarter panel, and repeatedly threatened to kill him.
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Additionally they sprayed vomit on me and my automobile earlier than damaging the left entrance quarter panel.
Medical doctors and engineers, im positive. pic.twitter.com/RFJR1mS8BN
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 2, 2026
Video footage captured one particular person warning, “hurry up and depart earlier than your life ends out right here” and saying “there’s an entire staff of us.”
Borysenko, filming from the passenger seat with a hood over her head, captured the escalating confrontation.
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Right here’s my footage that I filmed from the passenger seat of @nicksortor’s automotive final evening after we drove by the autonomous zone in Madison Wisconsin when he was attacked by them.
Nick acquired out and made jokes to them to attempt to get them to snicker.
It didn’t go properly after which began… https://t.co/T2t8I7Kksh pic.twitter.com/R2vOQrgkDW
— Karlyn Borysenko, anti-communist cult chief (@DrKarlynB) August 2, 2026
She famous that the lady swinging the pole had beforehand appeared hostile towards her throughout an earlier go to to the zone and that the attackers didn’t seem to acknowledge both journalist, making the incident much more alarming as a result of “this might occur to anybody.”
Sortor instantly referred to as 911 after escaping.
Each journalists praised the responding Madison law enforcement officials as skilled and useful.
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Nick Sorter (@nicksortor) and I virtually acquired killed final evening on the autonomous zone in Madison.
We had been hanging out and determined to drive by. Nick acquired out of the automotive and made jokes. They began coming at him. I used to be screaming within the passenger seat.
Nick referred to as 911 immediately after… https://t.co/ZxPzHcQKJ0 pic.twitter.com/BDYKsa9LJT
— Karlyn Borysenko, anti-communist cult chief (@DrKarlynB) August 2, 2026
In follow-up posts, Borysenko urged most of the people concerned seemed to be related to drug exercise, with homeless individuals within the encampment allegedly getting used as enforcers.
BTW all of these persons are seemingly drug sellers who’re promoting medication out of that automotive, or the individuals they’re promoting the medication too.
The leftists are giving the homeless individuals in that encampment medication to make use of them as their safety assault canines.
— Karlyn Borysenko, anti-communist cult chief (@DrKarlynB) August 2, 2026
“BTW all of these persons are seemingly drug sellers who’re promoting medication out of that automotive, or the individuals they’re promoting the medication too,” the journalist, recognized for extensively learning the far-left and going undercover at their protests and occasions, wrote.
“The leftists are giving the homeless individuals in that encampment medication to make use of them as their safety assault canines.”
Chatting with The Gateway Pundit, Borysenko stated, “Final evening, we drove by the autonomous zone in Madison. Nick acquired out of the automotive to speak to the activists and cracked a number of jokes. They acquired aggressive and violent and threatened a number of instances to destroy the automotive and kill him. It was completely terrifying. One of many identical individuals had been aggressive in the direction of me within the autonomous zone earlier within the day. Hopefully the town will permit the cops to go and arrest the individuals who did this.”
Sortor referred to as for federal involvement, arguing that permitting violent anarchists to manage metropolis blocks ought to by no means be tolerated.
Native reporting confirms the zone has disrupted companies, blocked emergency entry, and drawn criticism from Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, but it has remained in place into early August.
As of Sunday, no arrests associated to the precise assault on the journalists had been publicly introduced.
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