Seven days after Jacob Blake was shot seven times in his back by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, hundreds of people took to the streets this Saturday in a new demonstration of rejection against police brutality against black people.
To the chant "without justice, without peace", which was also heard in the streets of several cities in the United States after the murder of George Floyd, last May, the protesters now added the cry of "seven bullets, seven days", in reference to the shots that Blake was killed a week ago.
Kenosha Police Department veteran Rusten Sheskey shot that many times at point-blank range in the back of 29-year-old Blake while pulling him by his shirt as the young man tried to get into a car.
Blake was paralyzed from the waist down and is recovering in a hospital where he is in custody. It was only this Friday that they removed the handcuffs with which they kept him protected, after his lawyer Patrick Cafferty announced the payment of a bail of 500 dollars for an arrest warrant against Blake issued in July. At this time, there are no charges against Blake regarding the altercation with the police in Kenosha.
The shooting sparked three nights of rioting in the city halfway between Milwaukee and Chicago. Two people were shot dead during protests Tuesday night. A 17-year-old boy was accused of being the author of these shots.
Two people die in protests against racism in Wisconsin
Aug. 26, 202002: 52The march this Saturday, where flags with messages of "justice for Jacob" were displayed, included the participation of Blake's family, Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes and Democratic Representative Gwen Moore.
"We are heartbroken and enraged, but we are firm in our demand for justice," said Tanya Mclean, a friend of the Blake family who helped organize the event. She said the Blake shooting is not an isolated incident, but part of a "brutal and racist system."
[Jacob Blake was paralyzed from the waist down, according to his attorney. State of emergency decreed in Wisconsin]
The first nights of demonstrations for the attack on Blake sparked clashes between protesters, the police, and groups opposed to the anti-racism movement. Due to these acts of violence, Governor Tony Evers decreed the deployment of members of the National Guard.
The fear of Kenosha residents is expressed in the statements of the young Aniyah Ervin, 16, who told the Associated Press that even before the attack on Blake, they believed that police brutality was not a problem for their community, but now he feels that "it can happen anywhere".
Will Turner, another young black man, claimed that he had brought his sons to the march to show them "the power of a peaceful demonstration."