The Shooting of Jacob Blake: What Happened and What’s Happening
Protestors in Kenosha, WI have been targeted with flairs and tear gas by police in response to their protests against excessive police force. Source.
Ever since late May, the United States has been embroiled a series of ongoing protests regarding police and white nationalist violence towards Black Americans. The names of victims from police brutality have -- and continue to -- circulate within the general public and several media outlets: George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbey, Breonna Taylor. And last Sunday, Jacob Blake’s name was added to the long and troublesome list.
Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was driving with his three young sons in the car on the evening of August 23rd. He was unarmed, and pulled when he saw several women fighting to attempt to de-escalate the situation. The police of Kenosha, Wisconsin were called regarding a domestic disturbance - the one to which Blake was responding - and arrived when Blake began walking back to his car. Two officers present at the scene began to follow him. As Blake began to enter his car, the nearest officer grabbed his shirt and seven gunshots were heard, according to video evidence. Four out of seven gunshots fired hit Blake, severing his spinal cord and causing damage to several of his internal organs.
The officer who initiated all seven gunshots was identified as Officer Rusten Sheskey. At the time of this writing, no charges have been pressed on Sheskey. However, the U.S. Department of Justice has issued a federal civil rights investigation regarding the shooting. Jacob Blake himself is currently paralyzed and will need a “miracle to walk again,” according to a lawyer representing Blake and his family.
Protests immediately ensued following the shooting. The Governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers, declared a state of emergency, and as of the second night of protests, has called on the National Guard to occupy the streets of Kenosha. Additionally, after the first night, a 17-year-old white man from Illinois who crossed state lines with an assault weapon to “defend property” was charged with homicide after fatally shooting two protestors. Evers called a Special Session of the Wisconsin General Assembly in which he helped propose nine pieces of legislation, all which suggested different efforts of police reform. Highlights from the legislation include: establishing statewide standards for the allocation of force, prohibiting no-knock search warrants, and creating a million dollar grant program which will fund anti-violence organizations within the community.
Presidential candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump have responded to the protests. Biden himself spoke to Blake’s family and has broadly called for justice. He also stated, in agreement with Blake’s family, that the “needless violence” in the streets of Kenosha needs to stop and that it does not represent the values of Blake. Trump took more of an indirect approach -- he has not addressed the shooting of Jacob Blake, but rather the protests ensuing in Kenosha. He tweeted that there is “lawlessness on American streets” and that he will send federal law enforcement in Kenosha to “restore law and order”.
The protests have sparked a series of strikes from major sport leagues such as Major League Soccer, Women’s National Basketball Association, and Major League Baseball. The Kenosha protests are, as of the publication of this article, ongoing. Protests are expected to continue in Wisconsin tonight, and organizers have planned solidarity marches for tomorrow night in Raleigh.