National Guard Mobilized As Kenosha Braces For Charging Decision in Jacob Blake Case

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Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced the National Guard will be deployed ahead of a decision whether to charge a police officer who shot Jacob Blake last year. Evers is seen during a press conference in August.

Morry Gash/AP

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Morry Gash/AP

America Reckons With Racial Injustice
Kenosha: Negligence Claims Filed Against City And County Over Fatal Shootings

The activation of the Wisconsin Guard comes on the heels of Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian and police Chief Daniel Miskinis announcing what they called «precautionary community safety measures designed to keep the public and demonstrators safe and guard against «unlawful activity.

Some of the safety protocols city officials are considering include a designation of demonstration space, curbing some city bus routes, road closures, protective fencing and a curfew.

Blake, who is Black, was shot multiple times in the back at close range after he slowly walked away from officers and toward the driver’s side of a parked vehicle, opened the door and leaned inside. Investigators later said a knife was recovered from the floorboard of the driver’s side.

Blake was left paralyzed by the shooting.

The encounter was captured by an onlooker on cellphone video and posted online where it went viral, sparking outrage.

«We want justice and healing for Jacob Blake, the Blake family, and our Kenosha community, said Tanya McLean, executive director of the grassroots organization Leaders of Kenosha, which renewed calls Monday for Sheskey to be arrested and face criminal charges.

«Officer Sheskey fired seven shots into an unarmed man’s back, on a block where our children walk to school and our families go to church, she continued, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. «All of us — Black, white, brown, native and newcomer — deserve to be safe in our own neighborhoods, and that means holding police officers accountable when they brutalize us.

Blake’s shooting took place nearly three months after viral video was posted to social media capturing the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. That shooting also triggered widespread demonstrations in Minnesota and throughout the country as protesters called for an end to social injustice and for police reform.

Days after the Blake shooting and amid ongoing unrest in Kenosha, an Antioch, Ill., minor was captured on video Aug. 25 armed with a long gun when he allegedly shot three men: Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum, who were killed, and Gaige Grosskreutz, who was seriously wounded.

The suspect, Kyle Rittenhouse, is out on $2 million bail and faces several charges, including first-degree intentional homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide.