A black man later identified as Jacob Blake was shot at least seven times by police officers. Protests reignited the streets in search of social injustice.
It has only been months after the streets were filled by American people demanding justice for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, who both died at the hands of police officers. Yesterday, the social media blew with backlash after a video of the dubbed “Kenosha shooting” was posted online.
The video depicted how Jacob Blake was shot at least seven times, based on what was heard by police officers as Blake stepped into his SUV. CNN confirms that all three of Blake’s sons, with ages 3, 5, and 8, were inside the vehicle and witnessed the shooting of their father on Sunday evening.
"Can you imagine the psychological issues these three babies are going to have for the rest of their lives, seeing their father shot these many times in the back from the people who were supposed to protect and serve him?” – Ben Crump, attorney for Jacob Blake and his family. pic.twitter.com/qVbDpQAHhR
— CNN (@CNN) August 24, 2020
Demonstrators lit the streets with fire for Kenosha shooting
As CNN reports, Kenosha, Wisconsin, has become the center of “nationwide protests” after Blake, a black man, was shot multiple times by police officers. The reason as to how the encounter ended up with the firing of weapons is still unclear, as of this writing.
The news outlet notes that buildings and fires have been lit up in fire as demonstrators took it up on the streets after the video of the Kenosha shooting became viral on social media.
@SpectrumNews1WI is working to learn more about this incident. https://t.co/x6br9Nh90Q
— Sachelle Reed (@SachelleOnAir) August 24, 2020
Accordingly, Wisconsin Governor, Tony Evers, has reportedly announced the assistance of the National Guard members to help the city “protect critical infrastructure, such as utilities and fire stations and to ensure Kenoshians are able to assemble safely,” per CNN.
Mail Online further notes that the protestors had also set the Department of Corrections on fire and other local businesses. The city garbage truck was also burned down.
Meanwhile, other areas in the United States also had marched protests, with CNN citing Manhattan, Washington DC, and Minneapolis as a few of those areas. On the second day of the unrest and protests for Jacob Blake, five people have already been arrested.
Fire symbolizes the anger of the masses
Per The New York Times, the fires that now cover Kenosha is a reflection of anger from the people. The riot and the past riots before today are all calls for police reforms.
One protestor told WLNY, “We will continue showing up until they’re tired of killing us.”
The New York Times spoke to one of the locals, Mike Mehlan, wherein he saw “at least 20 cars pull up to a nearby gas station, break in and then head to the stores one block away.”
“People have lost their damn minds,” Mehlan expressed. He saw the same people enter a mattress store and setting it on fire. Another local, who is disheartened by the burning down of local businesses, was quoted saying, “It’s unfortunate, but it has to be done.”
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks has issued a statement on the Kenosha shooting—praying for the recovery of Blake. An excerpt of the statement reads:
“We stand firmly against reoccurring issues of excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging the black community.”
Blake, 29-year-old, was flown to a hospital in Milwaukee after falling critically injured to the gunshots.
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