Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said 29-year-old Jacob Blake’s children were in the car he was attempting to enter as police fired seven shots at his back.
A cellphone video posted to social media shows Kenosha, Wisconsin police officers firing seven shots at 29-year-old Jacob Blake as he tries to enter his vehicle on Sunday, August 24, 2020. (Screengrab/Twitter)
Protests broke out in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the state’s Justice Department launched an investigation Sunday evening after police officers shot 29-year-old Jacob Blake in the back multiple times at point-blank range as he tried to enter his vehicle.
Witnesses told local reporters that Blake was attempting to break up a fight prior to being shot by the officers, who closely followed Blake to his car and fired seven shots after he opened the driver-side door. According to civil rights attorney Ben Crump, Blake’s children were in the car when the officers shot their father.
Blake is reportedly in serious condition. “He is out of surgery and in the ICU,” tweeted Daniel Poneman, a friend of Blake’s family. “He can make it through this. He is fighting for his life.”
Watch [warning: the following video is disturbing]:
WARNING: Police fire several shots at point blank range towards the back of an unarmed Black man walking away and into a car in #Kenosha Wisconsin. Neighbors report that he was trying to break up a fight between 2 women. Why the use of lethal force? pic.twitter.com/Y0RWQ1y9Jn
— Kristen Clarke (@KristenClarkeJD) August 24, 2020
In a statement posted to Twitter after cellphone footage of the police shooting circulated on social media, Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said: “Tonight, Jacob Blake was shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Kathy and I join his family, friends, and neighbors in hoping earnestly that he will not succumb to his injuries.”
“While we do not have all of the details yet, what we know for certain is that he is not the first Black man or person to have been shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement in our state or our country,” Evers said. “We stand with all those who have and continue to demand justice, equity, and accountability for Black lives in our country — lives like those of George Floyd, of Breonna Taylor, Tony Robinson, Dontre Hamilton, Ernest Lacy, and Sylville Smith.”
Following the police shooting, hundreds of Wisconsinites marched through the streets of Kenosha and gathered outside the Kenosha County Public Safety Building chanting, “No justice, no peace!”
At police station right now in protest of Black man shot several times in the back in Kenosha, Wisconsin by police he has not been confirmed dead but in serious condition, state DOJ will probe officer. pic.twitter.com/Yg625gxRW0
— Philly (@divahustle) August 24, 2020
As the Washington Post reported, Kenosha police quickly arrived at the site of the demonstration “with riot gear and armed with rubber bullets.”
A video from the scene shows police deploying tear gas against protesters:
Officers deployed tear gas in effort to disperse hundreds of people who took to the streets following police shooting in Kenosha after video appeared to show officers shoot at a Black man seven times as he leaned into a vehicle. https://t.co/Q3Fo0flhCE pic.twitter.com/XgDX8Wu9gz
— ABC News (@ABC) August 24, 2020
“Thinking of Jacob Blake’s family. Thinking of the Kenosha community. Thinking of Black folks across the country falling asleep to this news and those who will be waking up to it,” tweeted Clint Smith of The Atlantic. “I’m sad. I’m furious. I’m tired of seeing this happen over and over and over and over and over again.”
Jeffery Robinson, the director of the ACLU’s Trone Center for Justice and Equality, said in a statement Monday that “with each of the seven shots fired, police made their intent clear — they believed they had the right to kill an unarmed Black man for the crime of walking away from them.”
“The fact that incidents of police violence like this, the murder of Breonna Taylor as she slept in her home, the murder of George Floyd across the street from a grocery store, the murder of Eric Garner outside of a neighborhood bodega, and countless others have become commonplace shows that the very institution of American policing is rotten at its core,” Robinson added.
This article is from Common Dreams.
UPDATES FROM CONSORTIUM NEWS:
Fires have broken out in Kenosha during the protests, including this one at a car dealership.
Up close look at an entire car dealership set ablaze by BLM arsonists in Kenosha, Wisconsin overnight. pic.twitter.com/w6kz717VAG
Video via @livesmattershow
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 24, 2020
The Kenosha county courthouse was not set on fire, but protestors entered and damaged the building forcing it to be closed. Trucks outside the courthouse were set ablaze, as seen in this video:
Here is a live stream of the unfolding events:
Livestream here https://t.co/z8CFOIV90B
— Defund DC MPD ???? (@TitusAaronicus) August 24, 2020
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It is the job of elected officials to deescalate the situation unfolding. What are they doing? Escalating for the purposes of getting elected. The situation unfolding is showing how broken our system of governance is. That we must tackle, not simply reforming or “defunding” police.
Yet another senseless police shooting of a blackman and right in front of his children -for what ??? Begs the question – will they be found to have acted properly ? Watch the video, it’s easy to see they were not – yet it is likely from past experience that they will walk as they usually do. This has got to stop !
The comment section is back.
As I watched the video I could relate. Here is how it seems to have gone for the antagonist in my mind……..might be this way…might not…I think it makes no difference to the reality of it – a man getting shot in the back.
“I just wanted these ladies to stop all their fighting and I did what I could but I wasn’t happy about it. I wasn’t happy I had to load the kids in the car and intercede. But I did it anyhow cause that is the kind of man that I am. Meanwhile, the cops showed up and they tazed my ass when I got inbetween the bitches to stop their fight. Later, I just wanted to get back to my kids and get the hell out of there. I got shot in the back. My kids got to see that. I’m still alive so fuck you mother fuckers. I got a story to tell and don’t you know it.”
Ain’t that how it goes when you are a black man trying to help, but at the same time keep your dignity. I’ve lost my dignity, but I’m still alive and this man who I can tell has much dignity is also still alive. God bless that. I’m so sick of the shit and the shit is fixing to change. “Mark my words” as a fine 5th grade math teacher of mine used to say. That lady know her math and she knew her stuff.
Change is coming and there is NO stopping it. Get ready if you can, but don’t get mad when it happens cause you should know and your anger will make no difference when the change rolls you over.
God Bless this man who got shot for no reason other than what? I have no idea.
The police need to be reined in.
What possible reason had police for even interfering in a situation without danger (except for whoever the police want to attack).
When demands are made by the people of all races that police departments have become a law unto themselves why are there no real efforts to reform those police departments by our local elected and appointed officials?
Am old in age and throughout my life the indescriminate shooting, beatdowns and false arrest of Blacks, Latinos and the poor of the streets has always been common.
It is more than just a racialy caused event as Black or Brown police are just as guilty of abuse of power all the while hiding behind their their. Immunity clause of Wearing Blue, Khaki, tan or midnight black uniforms.
Police are even placing themselves upon higher yet pedestals by defacing US flag by adding a Blue Stripe upon it.
They belittel the citizenry by calling them civilians, to seperate themselves from non blue members.
They are no longer Civilian Civil Servants but more as if part of a military occupation forceas US deploys in conquered nations.
That police have reached such an untouchable level is all due to local elected officialdom not doing their duty, not as rulers but as administrators of Civil Order.
Our lower courts have been turned into no more than administrators under police departments who have been given carte blanch powers of determining guilt and executioner their sole realm.
TOO BIG TO FAIL comes too mind as there are far too many profit driven and corrupt government officials all upon same cops spider webs.
I am surprised that there are not pages and pages of comments pointing out the outright attempt by police to murder yet another black man. And from what I read earlier this morning, those police are home on paid leave.
This has to stop!
Shooting a man in the back?
Eight times?
In front of his children?
What kind of sick men do American police departments hire?
And even now, they are trying to discredit the victim.
The word has been put out that hew had domestic violence in his past.
And believe it or not, just yesterday there was a rally in Green Bay, a large gathering of idiots without any masks on, all ages and types, to praise and support the poor police so that, as one rally attendee said, they can “hold their heads high” again!! And the police there were not wearing masks either, and there was a law passed a couple of weeks ago, that masks are required in that situation, so all the way around it’s a pathetic, moronic scene. Basically the police actually believe that they should not be required to obey the law, it’s getting that weird out there.
It will get much weirder out there when the blacks finally get tired enough, frightened enough and desperate enough to act out violently. The most dangerous entity on earth is the cornered desperate human being. At least I always thought so until I witnessed multiple shootings committed by cowardly white cops. Individuals who are out of control that continue to wear badges and carry lethal weapons as the cops in this case were , must be stopped. No gun for you , no taser, no mace, learn to do your job without them or quit.
Let us get this straight, until other “GOOD” cops start taking control back from “DIRTY, CORRUPT, BLOOD THIRSTY SONS A BITCHES” we all are headed down a very dark and dangerous road to perdition.
These jerks are cowards and those of us who know better are positive of it. A brave upstanding member of law enforcement would never purposely shoot an unarmed man in the back and every adult in the room knows this. So who is on the force that will do this? The guy who shouldn’t be a cop. Period. Full Stop.
When black lives no longer matter we all are in mortal danger and don’t anyone here ever forget that.
I strongly suggest that if you have not heard the comments of Doc Rivers or Labron James you find them and listen to their words very carefully.
Or we can always listen to that fun loving, threesome fan , Jerry Falwell Jr. guy talk about serving dog!
You cannot make this stuff up
Thanks to CN