KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Several dozen supporters of President Donald Trump have gathered at a Kenosha intersection near damage caused during unrest that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
David Wilson stood in the street in a Trump hat and clutching a Trump campaign banner ahead of a visit from the president Tuesday. The 34-year-old Kenosha resident says he believes outsiders have driven much of the protests and violence that followed the Aug. 23 shooting of Blake.
He says his “hometown should not be proving ground for the rest of the country to do battle in.”
Police shot Blake seven times in the back while responding to a call about a domestic dispute. Family members say the 29-year-old Black man is paralyzed.
A 17-year-old from a nearby Illinois community is charged with fatally shooting two demonstrators on Aug. 25.
Blake’s family is holding a community event about 2 miles away, near where he was shot.
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING IN KENOSHA:
Kenosha has seen protests since Aug. 23, when police shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, seven times in the back. On Monday, President Donald Trump defended a 17-year-old supporter accused of fatally shooting two demonstrators in Kenosha on Aug. 25.
Trump is offering himself as the “law and order” candidate and leader best positioned to keep Americans safe. Biden accused Trump Monday of causing divisions that have ignited violence and distanced himself from radical forces involved in altercations.
HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
12:15 p.m.
An uncle of Jacob Blake says the justice system needs to be changed so that Black children can play outside without worrying about being shot by police.
Justin Blake is calling for authorities to charge the officer who shot his nephew on Aug. 23. Police shot Black seven times in the back while responding to a call about a domestic dispute. Family members say the 29-year-old Black man is paralyzed.
The family is hosting a community event Tuesday to call for justice and support rebuilding Kenosha, after unrest last week left parts of the city damaged. The event is being held near where Blake was shot as President Donald Trump is headed to the city to tour destruction that’s about 2 miles away.
Justin Blake says it’s time for Kenosha to heal. He says the family is asking protesters to stand with the Blake family, but remain nonviolent.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson was among those at the event. He said, “This is about direction, not just complexion. Not Black and white, but wrong and right.”
11 a.m.
President Donald Trump says he’s heading to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to thank law enforcement and the National Guard “for a job well done.”
The city has seen protests since police shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back on Aug. 23. Blake’s family says the 29-year-old Black man is paralyzed from the waist down. A 17-year-old is accused of fatally shooting two demonstrators on Aug. 25.
Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers deployed the National Guard to quell demonstrations. But Trump is taking credit for the deployment, even though his demand that Guard troops be used came a day after Evers had activated them. Trump asserts that Kenosha “would have been burnt to the ground by now” if it weren’t for the National Guard.
Trump also told reporters before boarding Air Force One that he didn’t know if he would speak with a member of the Blake family during his visit.
9 a.m.
Officials say damage to city-owned property from violence that erupted over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, is estimated at nearly $2 million so far.
The city’s public works director, Shelly Billingsley, provided the estimate Monday night on what it would cost to replace garbage trucks, street lights and traffic signals, among other things that were destroyed or damaged over the last week.
Mayor John Antaramian has said the city will request $30 million in aid from the state to help rebuild.
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Source: CBS Minnesota
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