Jacob Blake Films an Emotional Video From His Hospital Bed
Blake was shot seven times in the back as he got into his car. His children were watching.
On Sunday afternoon in Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officers pulled up to a residential street to address a domestic incident. It was there that officers would be caught on video firing seven shots at the back of Black man as he attempted to get into his silver SUV. Witnesses say he was there to break up the dispute between two women. Three of his children were in the car and watched as their father was shot. His name is Jacob Blake, and he is currently fighting for his life.
Update, 9/8: In a video filmed from his hospital bed, Blake said: "Your life—and not only just your life, your legs, something that you need to move around and move forward in life—could be taken from you like this, man."
His family has said that Blake is paralyzed from the waist down, and it's not clear if he'll recover the use of his legs. "Every 24 hours, it’s pain—it’s nothing but pain,” Mr. Blake says. “It hurts to breathe; it hurts to sleep. It hurts to move from side to side. It hurts to eat.”
Words from brother who can’t be silent Mr Jacob Blake pic.twitter.com/cc6pEdlvRQSeptember 5, 2020
Original post: The police officers involved have been placed on leave, and the city of Kenosha declared an emergency curfew after late-night protests continued into the early morning.
"Jacob is out of surgery and in ICU," wrote Blake's cousin on Twitter. "We will continue to pray as he fights. We will not excuse the actions of the Kenosha Police department, but his mother asks everyone to please remain peaceful."
According to The Washington Post, the Wisconsin Department of Justice will investigate the shooting. It's another series of events that rings all too familiar following the unlawful killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and many more.
No matter where you are located, there are many ways you can demand justice for Jacob Blake. Here's how you can help.
How can I help demand justice for Jacob Blake?
Sign the petition calling for justice for Jacob Blake here.
Donate to the Milwaukee Freedom Fund which is assisting protesters in Kenosha with bail funds, here.
Call or email a handful of Kenosha state officials from this list created by Twitter user @ankita_71, here.
Split a donation between bail funds across the country here.
Donate to Black Lives Matter here.
Sign the Black Lives Matter petition to #DefundThePolice here.
Donate to the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of Black organizations across the U.S., here.
Register to vote for upcoming elections in your state, here.
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