What’s Going On In Kenosha, Wis.?

In the late afternoon on August 23, 2020, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, a town of about 100,000 halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee, while responding to a 911 call about a domestic incident in the area, a Black man named Jacob Blake was non-fatally shot seven times in the back. The incident reignited the Black Lives Matter protests and riots that had roiled America since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The Incident

At about 5 p.m. on Sunday, August 23, police responded to a 911 call about a domestic incident in the area with a “wanted” alert for someone at the address. The caller had said, “Blake wasn’t supposed to be there, and that he had taken the complainant’s keys and refused to give them back.”

A witness said that Blake pulled up near a few women shouting at each other on the sidewalk without saying anything to the women. Other witnesses said that Blake was trying to intervene between two arguing women when police arrived. Blake tried to reenter his SUV while his three sons were inside. The Police Union said that officers were dispatched because a complaint was issued that Blake was trying to steal the caller’s keys and vehicle.

When officers got to the scene, they tried to subdue Blake with tasers. Another witness had heard police yelling “drop the knife,” but they didn’t see him having any weapons nor being violent. After a scuffle of violence, Blake tried to get into his car to leave, but an officer shot him seven times. He was then flown to a hospital, where his legs were completely paralyzed and had damage to his stomach, kidney, and liver, and required extensive surgery. He is expected to survive.

The Police Union had said that Blake was in possession of a knife, found on the floor of the driver’s seat, but this is disputed by Blake’s attorney.

Initially, Blake was legcuffed to the hospital bed while officers watched over him, but they were removed after Blake paid a bond.

All police officers involved in the incident are now on administrative leave while the incident is being investigated by the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Protests and Reaction

The incident sparked violent protests in Kenosha, reigniting the Black Lives Matter movement started over two months ago.

Some buildings in the area were damaged, and police deployed tear gas and rubber bullets. The Wisconsin National Guard was called in the next day, on August 24. Interstate exits leading into the town were soon closed, and some stores, buildings, and other infrastructure were lit on fire. Tensions are still high as of writing. Other cities also saw smaller protests in support of Blake.

In response, multiple teams from various professional sports leagues refused to play that week. This began on August 26 when the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA refused to play. Other teams from the NBA, WNBA, MLB, MLS, NHL, and NFL refused to play for at least a few days afterward.

Fatal Shooting of Protesters

On August 25, at about 11:45 p.m. while protests were taking place in Kenosha, a scuffle between Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, from Antioch, Illinois, armed with an AR-15 style rifle, and other protesters led to the fatal shootings of Anthony Huber, 26, and Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and the injuring of at least one other. The incident was captured on cell phones from various angles.

Afterward, Rittenhouse, still armed, approached police vehicles with his hands up, but officers did not stop nor arrest him. This drew criticism as Rittenhouse was not arrested immediately despite witnesses shouting that he was the shooter. He was arrested the following day in Illinois for first-degree intentional homicide.

He is being charged with the felonies of first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, attempted homicide, among other charges. He was also charged with the misdemeanor of possession of a dangerous weapon as a minor. His hearing will be on September 25.

Some extremists, like Tucker Carlson from Fox News, showed praise for the shooting, leading to tremendous amounts of backlash.

Effect On 2020 Elections

Unlike what has been going on in Portland, Oregon, the protests in Wisconsin have been treated very differently by both the Democrats and Republicans. This is due to the fact that Wisconsin is a swing state, unlike Oregon, a solid Democratic state.

Republicans have labeled the protests as “rioting” and “anarchy,” and claimed that this is the result of Democratic leadership, similar to what they did with the protests and riots in Portland.

Democrats have described the protests, and especially the fatal shooting of protesters, a product of Donald Trump’s America. Trump is exacerbating racial tensions in ways not seen in decades, resulting in huge clashes between race groups. In fact, just a couple days ago, clashes between Black Lives Matter protesters and Trump supporters resulted in the shooting, and death, of one man in Portland.

Undoubtedly, these events are furthering minority support for the Democratic Party, while Republicans are strengthening support from groups like white supremacists and non-college-educated whites. It is important to note that Wisconsin was won by Trump by a margin of only 0.77% or 22,748 votes. In addition, the state is currently showing a six-point lead for Joe Biden.

Events like these will further polarize the country as a whole and it looks set to be on a collision course this November.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments down below, and make sure to subscribe on the right hand side so you don’t miss any of my posts.