Small numbers of protesters against racism and police violence roamed the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, late Thursday evening, and National Guard forces deployed in the city following a wave of unrest that witnessed violence that erupted after a white policeman shot an African-American man. This week sparked unrest that killed two protesters.
About 150 National Guard troops deployed in Kenosha on Thursday, in an effort to secure calm for a second night after several nights of protests over police firing on African American Jacob Blake, 29, who is currently being treated in a hospital.
Kinosha was relatively calm after Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Cole identified Rasten Chesky as the officer who fired at close range in the back of Blake after he opened his car door.
Tensions rose in the city on the banks of Lake Michigan after police arrested some activists protesting the incident in which a white officer shot Blake seven times in the back, paralyzing him.
The incident, which occurred last Sunday night, sparked protests in several American cities over the police killing of people of African descent, including a protest in front of the White House. The incident brought back to mind what happened last May, when African American George Floyd died after a white police officer in Minneapolis crouched on his neck for 10 minutes, and the incident sparked unprecedented protests in the United States and spread to other regions of the world.
Counter-protests
In Kenosha and elsewhere, right-wing demonstrators, some of them armed, also took to the streets in counter-protests under the pretext of preserving the peace and trying to stop the looting and riots. A third was hit by a rifle he was carrying in violent clashes in Kenosha. Yesterday, the public prosecutor charged the young man, who called Kyle Rittenhouse from Illinois, with murder and attempted murder, as well as reckless endangerment of the lives of others.
A young man running with an automatic weapon escapes after shooting black protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The city where police shot 7 bullets at Jacob Blake's back. Notice the last video of how the police did not arrest him or shoot him, as they did with unarmed lions. pic.twitter.com/q8PNZfoHXw
- Samar D Jarrah (@SamarDJarrah) August 26, 2020
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said, "I would like to say to these people who run with guns for no apparent reason ... Stay home, let people here protest peacefully."
Athletes strike
The Kenosha riots shocked the country, as professional athletes, from professional basketball players to the North American Ice Hockey League, began a strike. President Donald Trump has criticized the athletes' protests against racism and police violence, saying the Basketball League has become "like a political organization."
On the other hand, Senator Kamala Harris, who is the Democratic vice presidential candidate in the upcoming presidential election, praised the actions of the basketball league players, and she - the former California state attorney - said she believed that the officer who shot Blake should be charged.
The leader of the civil rights movement in the United States, Jesse Jackson, yesterday at a news conference, expressed his regret at what he called the "black killing pattern," and blamed Trump for creating a culture in which the police are encouraged to use excessive force.