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Saturday, October 9, 2021
Jacob Blake shooting: Federal officials will not charge Kenosha police officer
WASHINGTON - Federal prosecutors announced Friday that they won’t file charges against a white police officer who shot Jacob Blake in Wisconsin last year.
Officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake, who is Black, during a domestic disturbance in Kenosha in August 2020. The shooting left Blake paralyzed from the waist down and sparked several nights of protests. An Illinois man shot three people, killing two of them, during one of the demonstrations.
State prosecutors decided not to file charges against Sheskey in January after video showed that Blake had been armed with a knife.
The U.S. Department of Justice launched its own investigation days after the shooting. The agency announced Friday that it won’t pursue charges against Sheskey either, saying there’s not enough evidence to prove he used excessive force or violated Blake's federal rights.
From: https://www.fox6now.com/news/federal-officials-close-review-of-jacob-blake-shooting
Friday, September 3, 2021
Monday, August 30, 2021
Blake, paralyzed in police shooting, hopeful he'll walk soon
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| Jacob Blake |
CHICAGO - A Black man who was left paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot by a white police officer in Wisconsin expects to be walking soon, an accomplishment he says is tempered by fears of it happening again.
Jacob Blake Jr. was shot seven times by a Kenosha police officer in August 2020, three months after George Floyd was killed by police in Minnesota. Blake's shooting set off days of violent protests in the city of about 100,000 people located midway between Chicago and Milwaukee.
Blake tells CNN he was able to take a few steps during his son's birthday celebration this past week, which he compared to sliding his legs through a woodchipper. Although he was "so geeked" by the moment that followed months of physical rehabilitation, he is not claiming victory.
"Yeah, I’m here, and yeah I’m about to be walking, but I really don’t feel like I have survived because it could happen to me again," Blake told the network. "I have not survived until something has changed."
Blake said he continues to relive not only his own shooting, but other gun violence in the Black community. Last month, during Fourth of July fireworks when Blake was in Chicago with family, he called 911 over what he later realized was an anxiety attack.
"I’m hearing these booms (fireworks) and it’s not scaring me because I got shot, it’s scaring me because all of those people have gotten shot so every time a boom went off, I’m kind of imagining people dying," Blake said.
Blake was shot by Kenosha police Officer Rusten Sheskey after he and two other Kenosha officers tried to arrest Blake on an outstanding warrant. A pocketknife fell from Blake’s pants during a scuffle. He said he picked it up before heading to a vehicle to drive away with two of his children in the back seat. He said he was prepared to surrender once he put the knife in the vehicle. Sheskey, who was not charged, told investigators that he feared for his own safety.
The shooting touched off chaotic protests in the Kenosha area, during which time an Illinois man allegedly shot and killed two demonstrators and wounded another. Kyle Rittenhouse faces two charges of felony murder and one charge of attempted felony murder in the attack that left Blake "furious" and "angry."
"For the reasons they said they shot me, they had every reason to shoot him, but they didn’t," Blake said. "Honestly if his skin color was different, and I’m not prejudiced or a racist, he probably would have been labeled a terrorist."
From: https://www.fox6now.com/news/blake-paralyzed-in-police-shooting-hopeful-hell-walk-soon
Tuesday, July 13, 2021
Friday, June 25, 2021
Kenosha officials reject damage claim sought by Jacob Blake
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Photo by: @rellovejones, @money_mike_la via attorney Ben Crump |
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Officials in Kenosha, Wisconsin, have denied a claim for damages from Jacob Blake Jr. The man was paralyzed when he was shot by a white police officer last summer.
Blake sought damages for medical expenses, lost wages and “pain and suffering and disfigurement.” The claim was capped at $50,000 under state law.
But Blake’s lawyers submitted an itemization of “special damages” in the amount of nearly $777,000. The Kenosha City Council voted 17-0 to reject Blake’s request. The Kenosha News reports that there was no deliberation. The city administrator says the filing of the claim was a formality that could allow Blake to sue for the damages.
From: https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/kenosha-officials-reject-damage-claim-sought-by-jacob-blake
Friday, May 21, 2021
Friday, January 15, 2021
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
WATCH NOW: Rally calls for officer's firing; Blake family scheduled to meet with Biden on police reforms
Family and friends of Jacob Blake, along with other local activists marched on City Hall Monday night demanding the termination of the officer who shot Blake multiple times, and who the Kenosha County District Attorney declined to criminally prosecute a week ago.
Erica Ness, Leaders of Kenosha’s director of community engagement, said the organization and Blake’s family would continue to demand justice for Blake despite the decision. During a press conference held outside the city Municipal Building, 625 52nd St, they called for Officer Rusten Sheskey to be fired from the Kenosha Police Department.
“We’re here to let the mayor know and to let the Kenosha Police and Fire Commission know that Kenosha’s not safe with Rusten Sheskey continuing to be on the police department,” she said. “And, in addition to long-term reform, so we do not have any police officers shooting Black men in the back anymore, we need him gone.”
“We’re not going to stop marching until we make sure Kenosha is safe and protected by the police officers, instead of (people) fearing for their lives,” she said.
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
No Officers To Be Charged In Shooting Of Jacob Blake In Kenosha
KENOSHA, Wis. (CBS) — No police officers will be charged by the Kenosha County District Attorney’s office in the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin this summer.
Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley announced the decision on Tuesday afternoon. He also said there will be no charges against Blake himself.
On Aug. 23, Kenosha police Officer Rusten Sheskey, who is white, shot Blake, 29, who is Black, seven times. Blake was left paralyzed from the waist down.
Graveley went into great detail as to why he made the decision – emphasizing that a prosecutor must build a case that can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in court, and if prosecutors cannot do so, they cannot bring charges.
Graveley focused in particular on the issue of self-defense, noting that uniformed officers were called to the scene on a designated domestic abuse call and knew there were arrest warrants for Blake. He said the question was whether Sheskey reasonably believed shooting at Blake was necessary to prevent being stabbed by Blake or to prevent someone else from imminent danger – and if charges were brought, then the District Attorney would have to prove Sheskey did not reasonably believe such a thing.
Graveley said in Wisconsin, the burden of proof is on the state to prove an officer was not acting in self-defense, and he was not confident he could prove that case.
He added that he cannot bring charges to send a message about the misuse of force by police, to advance the cause of racial equity, or because the Blake family has suffered and needs healing – because while all are noble causes, they cannot legally be used as grounds to bring charges.
Read and see more: https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2021/01/05/no-officers-to-be-charged-in-shooting-of-jacob-blake-in-kenosha/
Kenosha prepares for unrest, Jacob Blake's family calls for charges as district attorney's decision expected soon
KENOSHA - Ahead of an expected charging decision in the police shooting of Jacob Blake, Kenosha officials, business owners and Wisconsin National Guard troops on Monday were preparing for unrest and activists were calling for the officer to face charges.
Blake's family and Kenosha community leaders on Monday urged police and prosecutors to fire and charge officer Rusten Sheskey in the Aug. 23 shooting that paralyzed Blake and sparked protests against police violence nationwide.
"Police officer Sheskey needs to be fired, indicted and have his day in court," Jacob Blake's uncle Justin Blake said at an evening news conference. "The Blake family one day will get justice. ... We’re a patient family."
Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley has said he plans to release his decision on whether to charge Sheskey within the first two weeks of January, but he has not provided a specific date.
Monday, January 4, 2021
Kenosha braces for more unrest as DA mulls whether to charge officer in Blake shooting
Kenosha city officials are preparing for unrest as they wait for the Kenosha County district attorney to make a decision in the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
On Monday, the Kenosha City Council is expected to vote on a resolution put forward by Mayor John Antaramian that, if approved, would create an emergency declaration for the city “regarding potential civil unrest" in the event DA Michael Graveley makes a decision within the first two full weeks of January.
Graveley has said he would make an announcement during that time frame but has not been more specific.
The resolution cites the violent protests that took place in late August after Blake was shot by Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey on Aug. 23. The shooting left Blake paralyzed.
Is Kenosha going to burn again?
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Jacob Blake's father says he is now paralyzed from waist down; doctors don't know if paralysis will be permanent
By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER and TAMMY WEBBER Associated Press
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