1K March in Kenosha: 'Hell Yeah, I'm Mad'

Protesters rally in Wisconsin for Jacob Blake
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 29, 2020 12:30 PM CDT
Updated Aug 29, 2020 5:30 PM CDT
Blake's Family to Lead New Kenosha Rally
Jacob Blake's father, Jacob Blake Sr. talks to a crowd at a rally Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis.   (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Roughly a thousand people gathered Saturday in Kenosha for a march and rally against police violence, about a week after an officer shot Jacob Blake in the back and left the 29-year-old Black man paralyzed, the AP reports. Marchers chanted "No justice, no peace!" and "Seven bullets, seven days"—a reference to the number of times Blake was shot on Sunday. Those leading the march carried a banner reading "Justice for Jacob" as they made their way toward the Kenosha County Courthouse, where several speakers encouraged demonstrators to vote for change in November. "There were seven bullets put in my son's back. ... Hell yeah, I'm mad," said Blake's father, Jacob Blake, Sr. He said he wants to ask the police "what gave them the right to attempted murder on my child?"

Blake Sr. asked members of the crowd to raise their fists in the air with him. "We are not going to stop going in the right direction. We're going to the top ... we're gonna make legislation happen because that’s the only thing that they recognize." Several speakers referenced voting for change in the November election, as well as a special session that starts Monday in Wisconsin to discuss police reforms. "Justice is a bare minimum," said Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes. "Justice should be guaranteed to everybody in this country." One of Blake’s sisters, Letetra Widman, sarcastically thanked the police department "for showing their true colors." Protesters have marched on Kenosha’s streets every night since Blake's shooting on Sunday. (A teenager is charged with killing two protesters on Tuesday.)

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