Sunday, August 30, 2020

Armed neighborhood watch group forms to protect Kenosha subdivision

PETE WICKLUND Lee Newspapers

Gilbert, left, and Jason patrol the entrance of their Kenosha subdivision.
About a 10-minute drive from Downtown Kenosha, two men stood this week with AR-15 firearms protecting their subdivision.
The armed men were Jason and Gilbert, part of a group of about 10 residents of the subdivision that have been out nights since Tuesday protecting their neighborhood in light of the unrest in Kenosha.
Despite the we-mean-business message the group conveys to passing motorists, The men were anything but threatening Thursday night. They were sincere in their concern for their neighbors and city.
“All we’re doing is making sure the community here is able to go asleep, sleep fine and are not worried about anything,” Gilbert said.
Gilbert cradles an AR-15 firearm while standing guard Thursday night outside his Kenosha subdivision.
Gilbert, who has lived in the area for 18 years, got involved after seeing other members of the neighborhood guard assembling Tuesday.
The effort was launched after a Neighborhood Watch meeting held in the wake of violence that ensued largely in the city's Downtown and Uptown districts after the police shooting Aug. 23 of Jacob Blake.
“We had a neighborhood Watch meeting, about 20 of us assembled and talked about what we should do," said Jason, who has lived in the neighborhood about 20 years.
Several ideas were thrown about and what was initially settled on was if sentrys in the neighborhood saw potential trouble, they would drive through the subdivision and honk their horns so residents would know something was happening.

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