Unrest has erupted in various parts of the United States following the shooting of Jacob Blake from behind by police
Kenosha, Wisconsin:
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency, saying he would deploy more National Guard troops as the town of Kenosha braced for a third night of unrest after the shooting of a black man by police.
Evers said he would allow an increase in the Wisconsin National Guard presence – more than 100 members were deployed on Monday – to 250. The move came as other officials called for a more aggressive response after one night looting and arson eclipsed the peaceful protesters on the streets.
“Basically our town has been set on fire, building by building,” Kenosha County Supervisory Board member Zach Rodriguez told Reuters. “Enough is enough.” Rodriguez said the board will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to seek help from the federal government amid fears the governor is not doing enough.
Officials were preparing for a Monday night rehearsal when smoke spread over the center of Kenosha and police in riot gear clashed with protesters who defied a dusk-to-night curfew. dawn amid outrage over the shooting of Jacob Blake, 29, on Sunday afternoon.
Blake, who had tried to break up a brawl between two women, was hit by four of seven shots, all fired by an officer, in front of his sons aged 3, 5 and 8, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump , who represents the Blake family, told ABC News on Tuesday.
Video captured by a neighbor shows Blake walking towards the driver’s side door of his SUV, away from two officers who were pointing guns at his back. After opening the door and leaning into the car, seven shots are heard, one of the officers pulling on his shirt. Police did not explain why Blake was shot.
Crump said there was “no indication he was armed.”
Blake’s uncle Justin Blake said Blake’s father told him Blake may have “temporary paralysis” in his legs, but doctors were hoping it might go away as the swelling in his wounds subsided. . “He’s strong and he’s a young man, so we’re just praying for a quick recovery,” the uncle told Reuters.
The shooting is under investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which has not released any details. Kenosha Police referred all questions to state investigators.
But the incident, the latest in a litany of cases to draw attention to the police treatment of African Americans, sparked outrage in Kenosha, a Lake Michigan town of about 100,000 people located between Chicago and Milwaukee.
The shooting took place three months after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and racism.
Clyde McLemore, chairman of the Black Lives Matter chapter in nearby Lake County, Ill., South of Kenosha, said protesters would be out again on Tuesday night, demanding that officers involved in the shooting, who have been placed on administrative leave, be dismissed. and continued.
“We will not stop protesting until we do this,” he said. “I don’t tolerate burning of buildings or looting, but I understand that. These places have insurance, they will come back.
UNREST ALL OVER AMERICA
The unrest erupted again elsewhere in the United States Monday evening with nightly clashes reported in Portland, Oregon; Seattle and Minneapolis. In New York City, protesters stormed the Brooklyn Bridge, a social media video showed.
In Kenosha, a curfew set at 8 p.m. Monday was largely ignored. As the evening wore on, the mostly peaceful protest turned violent, with some people setting off fireworks and others setting buildings on fire.
Local police, supported by National Guard troops, fired tear gas, rubber bullets and smoke bombs to disperse the crowd, according to protester Porche Bennett, 31, of Kenosha.
Bennett said the fires destroyed much of the black business district and those she saw lighting fires were white. “It’s people from out of town doing this. We’ve been shopping there since we were kids, and they set it on fire, ”Bennett said.
While recognizing the rights of protesters in the First Amendment, Governor Evers said lawless behavior would not be allowed.
“There remains a line between the peaceful rally and what we saw last night that put individuals, families and businesses at risk,” the Democratic governor said in a statement.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
