Kenosha sheriff declares state of emergency ahead

Wisconsin has mobilized the National Guard and the Kenosha County Sheriff has declared a state of emergency ahead of a decision over the charges for an officer who shot Jacob Blake, as protesters took to the streets. 

The Kenosha City Council held a meeting on Monday and agreed to grant Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian emergency powers as officials prepare for expected unrest following the decision of whether to charge the cops involved in the shooting in August.  

Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey shot Jacob Blake seven times on August 23 as Blake was about to get into an SUV during a domestic dispute.

The police union has maintained Blake resisted arrest and was armed with a knife, although state investigators have said only that a knife was found on the floor of the vehicle. 

Blake’s three children were in the back seat of the SUV when he was shot.

Blake was admitted to a Milwaukee hospital where he spent over a month recovering before being transferred to a spinal rehabilitation center in Chicago in October 2020. 

After the incident, his family initially stated Blake was paralyzed from the waist down, however it was unclear if the condition was permanent. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump later said it would ‘take a miracle’ for Blake to walk again. 

The shooting sparked protests that went on for several nights. Some of them turned violent, with some protesters burning businesses and members of self-styled militias answering a call on social media to travel to the city. 

Prosecutors have charged Kyle Rittenhouse of Antioch, Illinois, with shooting three people, killing two of them, with an assault-style weapon during one of the demonstrations. Rittenhouse, who is white, was 17 at the time of the shootings. Conservatives have rallied to Rittenhouse’s legal defense.

Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley is expected any day to announce whether Sheskey will face criminal charges. 

Fearing a repeat of the August protests, city officials adopted an emergency resolution Monday night and are planning to take other steps, including setting up a limited area for protests, imposing a curfew and closing roads. 

Concrete barricades and oversized metal fencing surrounded the Kenosha County Courthouse Monday night.

Meanwhile, Gov. Tony Evers activated 500 National Guard troops to help Kenosha authorities when the decision is announced.

‘Our members of the National Guard will be on hand to support local first responders, ensure Kenoshans are able to assemble safely, and to protect critical infrastructure as necessary,’ Evers said in a statement.

Blake’s father led a march through the city Monday evening, calling on people to ‘make noise’ and be ‘heard around the world.’

‘(Sheskey) tried to kill my son and could have killed my grandchildren,’ Jacob Blake Sr. said during a news conference before the march. ‘He shot him seven times in his back unjustifiably.’

The family said it’s taken too long for a charging decision, and the precautions suggest that Sheskey won’t be charged.

‘What is the National Guard for?’ Jacob Blake Sr. said. ‘They going to deliver mail? Deliver ice cream? What do you think they’re here for?’

Tanya McLean, executive director of the community organization Leaders of Kenosha and a friend of the Blake family, said as Monday evening’s march was kicking off that violence isn’t acceptable.

‘No matter what the decision is, we are seeking nonviolence,’ she said. ‘We want everybody to come out, make as much noise as you want, but we don’t want any destruction of property or businesses. We are for nonviolence. Anything else is not acceptable for this community.’