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What Happened to Jacob Blake?

jacob-blake
What happened to Jacob Blake?

A 911 call was made at 5:11 on Sunday reporting a domestic incident. When police arrived on the scene, they found Jacob Blake along with two other women. Apparently, Blake had been trying to break up a fight between them.

Video of the Incident

A video recorded by Raysean White from across the street shows two police officers following Blake with their guns pointed as he walks back to his car.

As he opens his car door and leans in, a police officer grabs him from behind and shoots him seven times in the back. The video shows Blake going limp and frantic screaming from the women nearby can be heard.

Statement from Blake’s Attorney

Attorney Ben Crump, who now represents the Blake family, has recently tweeted that three of Blake’s children were in the car. Blake was going over to check on his kids and they witnessed the shooting.

“They saw a cop shoot their father. They will be traumatized forever. We cannot let officers violate their duty to PROTECT us. Our kids deserve better,” Crump posted on Twitter.

In a recent statement, Crump went on to say,

“We will seek justice for Jacob Blake and his family as we demand answers from the Kenosha Police Department.”

After the incident, Blake was taken to a Milwaukee hospital. He is in critical condition right now.

A GoFundMe was recently made to save up $100,000 to help with medical bills, lawyers, and other means of support for his family and Blake.

The officers charged for shooting at Blake have been put on administrative leave.

Protests Erupt In Kenosha

After White released the video on the internet and it became viral, people took to the streets to protest against police violence. 

Demonstrators marched to police headquarters and even set vehicles on fire. Protestors chanted, “We won’t back down,” to indicate their solidarity in getting justice for the black lives taken by the police.

As a result of the protests, authorities in Kenosha called for an emergency curfew. It will last until Monday at 7:00 PM.

Police officers were even forced to encourage late-night businesses to close as numerous calls revealed that robberies and shots were being fired.

This current shooting comes only after a few months after the death of George Floyd. Floyd’s death sparked a continuous chain of protests and urged further Black Lives Matter movements across the country.

Protestors want a police reform and hundreds have signed protests for defunding the police.

“They believed they had the right to kill an unarmed Black man,” says Deputy Robinson.

Jacob Blake has gained a wide range of support from the public and authorities. Many send him prayers and good health. Others are outraged by the scene that carried out as Blake tried to walk back his car and refuse to answer to the police.

Support for Jacob Blake

In a statement, Jeffery Robinson, a deputy legal director with the American Civil Liberties Union, stated: “With each of the seven shots fired, the police department made their intent clear — they believed they had the right to kill an unarmed Black man for the crime of walking away from them.”

He went on to discuss that the “very institution of American policing is rotten at its core.”

Similarly, Gover Tony Evers shared his remorse over the incident that caused Blake to be “shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight.”

“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,” he added in a statement.

Celebrities like Michael Jordan have retweeted the video and asked for justice. Others like Marcus Stroman have applauded White for recording the video and sharing it with the world.

The Shooting is Under Investigation

As of the time this article was published, the shooting is under investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

Joe Biden, a candidate for the presidential election, has encouraged the need for a “full and transparent investigation” of the shooting. 

He added that “This morning, the nation wakes up yet again with grief and outrage that yet another Black American is a victim of excessive force. The officers must be held accountable.”

This article was written by Bibi Samia of New York, NY.

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