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Kenosha unrest

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2020 Kenosha Unrest
Part of the Black Lives Matter movement,
Reactions to the shooting of Jacob Blake
DateAugust 23, 2020 (2020-08-23) – present
Location
Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S.
Caused byShooting of Jacob Blake
Methodspeaceful protesting, tear gas, pepper spray, baton rounds, rioting, vandalism, looting, arson, counter-protest vigilante action and gunfire
StatusOngoing
Casualties
Death(s)2 protesters
Injuries1 protester shot and hospitalized, 1 police officer hospitalized, 1 firefighter hospitalized [1]
Charged1 counter-protester for two counts of first degree murder[2]
State of emergency declared effective on August 23

In the aftermath of the Jacob Blake shooting, protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin and elsewhere occurred as part of the larger Black Lives Matter movement[3] and reactions to other high-profile police killings in 2020. Armed civilian counter-protestors have also been present and involved in the shooting deaths of two protestors.

Background

Main article: Shooting of Jacob Blake

Jacob Blake is an African-American man who was shot in the back during an arrest by police officer Rusten Sheskey.[4][5] The incident occurred in Kenosha on August 23, 2020, as police officers were attempting to arrest Blake. Blake was unsuccessfully tasered.[6][7] He was shot after he opened the door to his SUV and reached into the vehicle.[8] He is recovering in hospital, but is paralyzed from the waist down.

Events in Kenosha

Day 1: August 23

A state of emergency was declared for the county starting at 10:15 p.m., and garbage trucks were used to block 56th Street. Starting at 11:05 p.m., police began using tear gas and rubber bullets in an attempt to disperse crowds, which lasted throughout the night.[9][10] Near midnight, the rioters set alight fires in front of the windows of the Kenosha County Courthouse[9] and at least three garbage trucks and a trolley car were lit on fire.[9][10]

By 2:30 a.m., a truck in a used car dealership along Sheridan Road was lit on fire. The fire spread to most of the 100 other cars on the lot, damaging an entrance sign for the nearby Bradford Community Church (it did not spread to the church building itself).[10][11] Businesses in the western portion of downtown suffered from arson and looting in the later hours before dawn.[12] Along with many downtown businesses, buildings surrounding Civic Center Park, including the post office, Reuther High School, the Kenosha County Administration Building, and the Dinosaur Discovery Museum all sustained damage to their front windows and entrance foyers.[13]

A Lenco BearCat armored personnel carrier was reported as damaged by the rioters[14] and an officer was struck in the head with a brick, knocking him unconscious.[15]

Day 2: August 24

Peaceful demonstrations were held during the day.[16]

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers activated the Wisconsin National Guard to protect fire fighters and critical infrastructure in Kenosha.[17] The ACLU of Wisconsin strongly opposed the move.[18]

The county announced a curfew that went into effect 8:00 p.m. on August 24.[19] Metra commuter rail suspended service north of Waukegan station the same night.[20] The Kenosha County exits for Interstate 41/94 were also closed off.[18]

Protesters broke a door off its hinges in an effort to forcefully enter the Public Safety Building before being turned back by pepper spray.[21] Teargas was deployed for a second night starting around 8:30 p.m. in an attempt to disperse unlawful crowds gathered near the courthouse, as protestors launched fireworks at police.[22] Soon another garbage truck was lit on fire,[23] a car dealership was looted and a furniture store torched,[24] while armed gunman appeared to be guarding a downtown gas station.[25] Several streetlights were pulled down and by 1:00 a.m. several businesses downtown were on fire.[24]

A Wisconsin Department of Corrections community parole facility[26] and the city's Danish Brotherhood Lodge were among prominent buildings targeted by arsonists.[27] Other buildings set ablaze also contained residential apartments and several homes were also burned.[16][28] Fire crews worked into the morning of August 25.[29]

Day 3: August 25

The Kenosha County Board sent a letter to Gov. Evers requesting the deployment of an additional 2,000 National Guardsmen.[30] Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth asserted that most of the damage was from individuals with no intent to protest and who were not from Kenosha County. Governor Tony Evers declared a state-ordered state of emergency for the region, sending 250 troops in the Wisconsin National Guard to the city.[31]

Law enforcement erected a tall fence to protect the courthouse. Protesters attempted to breach the fence line throughout the night but all attempts failed.[32][33]

Significant numbers of armed civilians,[34] described in some reports as vigilantes, were also on the streets.[35] Police said that such groups had not been invited and were not helpful.[36] However, cellphone footage showed police on the ground thanking armed civilians and giving them bottles of water.[34]

Kenosha police chief Dan Miskinis has stated people became involved in a disturbance and persons were shot.[37] Video footage showed a young white man initially shooting another man who pursued him into a car parking lot and threw something at him.[38] The shooter is later captured on video as he continued to be pursued down the street by several men before tripping. He is then seen opening fire on those pursuing him.[39][34] The shooter subsequently walked towards police vehicles with his hands up and still armed with a semi-automatic rifle, but the police vehicles drove by while members of the public shouted for him to be arrested.[36][40][41][42][43]

Day 4: August 26

The Kenosha County Board sent a second letter to Gov. Evers requesting the deployment of an additional 1,500 National Guardsmen. "Our county is under attack," the board wrote in the letter. "Our businesses are under attack. Our homes are under attack. Our local law enforcement agencies need additional support to help bring civility back to our community."[30]

Homicide investigation

On August 26, a 17-year-old white male from Antioch, Illinois was arrested in his home state on charges of first-degree intentional homicide in the shootings on August 25, according to Lake County, Illinois Clerk of Courts public records. He was labeled a "fugitive from justice" in the complaint, which states he "fled the state of Wisconsin with intent to avoid prosecution for that offense." He was assigned a public defender and scheduled to appear at an extradition hearing on August 28.[44] Under Wisconsin state law,[45] he will be charged as an adult.[2] He has been described as a "police admirer," and publicly expressed support for law enforcement and Blue Lives Matter.[46]

On August 26, police announced that the two people who were shot and killed overnight were 26-year-old Silver Lake resident and 36-year-old Kenosha resident. A 26-year old male was also shot in the arm but was expected to survive.[47][48]

Events elsewhere

Madison

Just after 12:10 a.m. on August 24, the Wisconsin State Capitol building in Madison reported dumpster fires and a looted liquor store during related rioting in that city.[26] Six arrests were made including of a male suspect with a handgun.[49] The night of August 24, 40 businesses were damaged in looting. Rioters used Molotov cocktails but failed to burn down any buildings.[31]

Antioch

After the arrest of the shooter on August 26, residents of Antioch began preparing for local protests. According to reports, through Wednesday, residents began setting up fences and drilling them into trees. Though some Illinoisans drove to the shooter's apartment complex in Antioch in order to prepare, there were no confirmed plans for organized protest by the evening.[50]

Minneapolis

On August 24 in Minneapolis, a 100-person protest over the shooting of Jacob Blake took place in the city's downtown area. After the main protest group disbanded, some protestors broke windows and threatened to breach a jail facility, resulting in 11 arrests. The protest came three months after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer that led to local unrest and a global protest movement.[51]

Los Angeles

On August 24, Los Angelino protestors marched by the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters in support of the protestors in Kenosha, as well as in response to the fatal shooting of Anthony McClain in Pasadena. At one point, protestors moved a metal barricade propped up by the police. The LAPD declared the protest an unlawful assembly at about 11:20pm, and while there were no reports of arrests, there were reports that the police fired unknown projectiles into the crowd.[52]

In the evening of August 26, about 300 protestors marched around Downtown Los Angeles to continue protesting over the shootings. At around 11pm, LAPD officers clashed with protestors inside the 3rd Street Tunnel.[53]

See also

References

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