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No charges in police shooting of African American Jacob Blake
KENOSHA, United States, Jan 6, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – No police will be charged
in the shooting of African American Jacob Blake, who was left paralyzed in an
incident which sparked unrest in the US city of Kenosha in August, the
prosecutor announced Tuesday.
Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley said that white police
officer Rusten Sheskey had a reasonable claim of fear of being stabbed when
he shot Blake several times in the back as Blake tried to get in his car.
Graveley said it was a “very narrow decision,” but that based on existing
law for officer-involved shootings, it would be difficult for state
prosecutors to prove that Sheskey was not engaged in self-defense if he or
others were charged in the case.
“No Kenosha law enforcement officer in this case will be charged with any
criminal offense, based on the facts of the law,” said Graveley.
The shooting of the 29-year-old on August 23 in the Wisconsin town poured
fuel onto nationwide anger over police shootings of Black Americans, sparking
several days of violent protests.
Bystander video showed Sheskey firing several shots into Blake’s back as
he tried to get into his car while his three children sat inside.
Blake survived but was left without the use of his legs. Graveley said
that Blake, whom the officers were trying to arrest at the time, would also
not be charged with a crime.
– ‘Systemic racism’ –
Blake’s family and attorney decried the decision not to charge the
officers as another indication of racism built into the policing system.
“This is a slap in the face by Wisconsin government and the District
attorney,” his uncle Justin Blake said in a press conference.
“What has happened has perpetuated systemic racism,” he said.
The family’s attorney, B’Ivory Lamarr, said there was “more than
sufficient evidence” to charge Sheskey.
“It shows one very important thing, and that is that there are three
justice systems in America: There’s one for Black and brown people, one for
police officers and one for the rest of America.”
But Graveley said officers had reason to believe Blake was dangerous based
on 911 calls to the scene from his estranged fiancee, an arrest warrant out
for him on domestic abuse charges, and what he said to officers as he sought
to leave the scene with his three children in the car.
The district attorney also said that officers made three attempts to taze
Blake to subdue him, which all failed.
Graveley added it was “absolutely incontrovertible” that Blake had armed
himself with a knife while being confronted by the police, and that Blake
himself had admitted as much. – City girds for fresh protests –
The shooting sparked three nights of violent protests which culminated on
the night of August 25 when, drawn to the city by calls from right-wing
militia, a 17-year-old carrying an assault rifle, Kyle Rittenhouse, shot dead
two protestors and wounded a third.
Earlier Tuesday Rittenhouse entered a plea of “not guilty” to murder
charges in the shootings. Blake’s case fed into the election battle between
Democrat Joe Biden and President Donald Trump, with Biden offering support
for Blake’s family and decrying systemic racism in law enforcement, while
Trump expressed support for the police plus law and order, and for
Rittenhouse.
Ahead of Graveley’s announcement the city girded for a new burst of
protests.
Kenosha businesses boarded up shopfronts in preparation for possible
violence and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers ordered the state’s National Guard
to mobilize 500 guardsmen to help Kenosha law enforcement if needed.
In a statement the American Civil Liberties Union accused Graveley of
relying on “tropes of superhuman Black men” to justify Sheskey’s opening fire
on Blake as he faced away from the officer and entered his car.
“All of this emphasizes how the criminal legal system, from police to
prosecutors, have functioned to oppress and harm Black people,” said ACLU
attorney Carl Takei.
Graveley’s announcement did not end the case. Late Tuesday the Justice
Department said it continued to investigate the shooting as a possible
violation of Blake’s civil rights, which potentially could lead to charges
against the officers.
BSS/AFP/MSY/0905 hrs