Ever since the May 25 death of 46-year-old George Floyd at the hands of police, protests have emerged throughout the world , and particularly the United States.
And while Floyd’s tragic death as well as the March death of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor have served as catalysts for ongoing unrest in the nation, the protests we see today are broad, responding to longstanding realities of police brutality and systemic racism.
Unfortunately, what has unfolded in the months since these deaths has only given citizens more reason to hit the streets. And the most recent example concerns the shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake Jr. and the grim consequences thereof.
But, while this new incident has inspired several days of protest in the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, it has also inspired a rapid influx of generous contributions to his hopeful recovery.
Although much remains unknown about the events that put Jacob Blake Jr.’s life in jeopardy on August 23, we do know that it began with a domestic dispute of some kind.
As CNN reported , an eyewitness named Raysean White saw two women arguing soon before Blake arrived and ordered one of his children into an SUV. While the situation was unfolding, three of Blake’s children — aged three, five, and eight —would be in the vehicle.
Although a 911 call from an unknown person said Blake “wasn’t supposed to be there” and refused to leave, his family’s attorney, Benjamin Crump, said he was leaving the scene after resolving the women’s dispute.
Although White stepped away from the scene, he saw that police had arrived and were wrestling with Blake when he returned.
As he told CNN, the altercation occurred as shown in the video pictured. White began recording after one of the officers used a taser on Blake.
Although the video is brief, it shows Blake trying to get into his vehicle, whereupon at least one of the officers involved shoots him in the back at close range seven times.
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The two Kenosha officers have since been placed under administrative leave as an investigation by local and state authorities unfolds. Federal agents are also reviewing the incident and deciding whether a civil rights investigation is appropriate.
As Blake underwent surgery on Tuesday, his father spoke at a press conference, saying, “They shot my son 7 times. Seven times. Like he didn’t matter. But my son matters. He’s a human being, and he matters.”
As CNN reported , the shots left Blake with a wound in his arm as well as damage to his kidney, stomach, liver, and spinal cord.
As Patrick Salvi Jr. — another of his family’s attorneys — said, “He had a bullet go through some or all of his spinal cord, at least one bullet. He has holes in his stomach. He had to have nearly his entire colon and small intestines removed.”
As Crump added, “It’s going to take a miracle for Jacob Blake Jr. to ever walk again.”
Kenosha has now seen its third day of protests after the incident.
As The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported , some involved smashed windows and burnt buildings but the unrest came to a tragic head on August 25 when an unidentified man armed with a long gun killed two people and injured a third.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe campaign for Blake’s medical expenses has been set up by his family.
As WTMJ reported , this campaign was initially also intended to secure legal representation but the description has since removed this aspect as such representation has been secured.
In its first 24 hours, this campaign managed to raise $587,000.
This fund will also be used for mental and grief counseling for Blake’s family, particularly in the case of the three children who witnessed the shooting.
As Blake’s father said to reporters, “All my grandson asks repeatedly is ‘Why did police shoot my daddy in the back?'”
If there’s any good news to come from this situation, it’s that donations are pouring in as rapidly as ever since the campaign has raised $1,448,370 by the time of this writing.
h/t: CNN
