The police officers involved in the shootings that seriously injured African-American Jacob Blake will not be prosecuted, the prosecutor in charge of the case announced on Tuesday (January 5), which had rekindled anti-racist anger in the United States at the end of the summer. .
"Based on the facts and the law, we have decided that no charges will be brought" against the three officers involved in the tragedy, local prosecutor Michael Graveley told a press conference.
Anticipating the announcement, Kenosha City Council has declared a state of emergency in the city of 100,000 inhabitants of the Great Lakes region and 500 members of the National Guard are ready to be deployed should violence break out.
"It's a slap," said Justin Blake, one of the victim's uncles, during a press briefing.
"What is happening perpetuates systemic racism" in the United States, he added.
On August 23, Jacob Blake, 29, was shot several times in the back in front of his three sons as he tried to get into a car.
Seriously injured, he lost the use of his legs.
The scene, filmed by a witness, was quickly posted on the Internet.
Sport and politics
The case had sparked three nights of riots in Kenosha and culminated on August 25 when a 17-year-old man linked to self-defense militias fired a semi-automatic rifle at three protesters, killing two.
His arrest the next day had brought a precarious calm to this Wisconsin town.
The young man, Kyle Rittenhouse, was later released on bail of two million dollars.
On Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty.
The file had led to a strong mobilization in the world of sport, with the postponement of several NBA meetings in particular.
Two months before the presidential election, this drama had been strongly politicized, with the on-site visits of Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
The Republican had focused his speech on the restoration of "law and order", the Democrat had denounced the "underlying racism" which gnaws, according to him, the United States.
The country has witnessed a historic protest movement against racism and police violence since the death of George Floyd, an African-American suffocated by a white policeman on May 25 in Minneapolis.
"Unjustifiable"
Prosecutor Michael Graveley, however, felt that his role was not to enter this discussion but to verify whether the agents had made a legitimate use of force.
And, according to him, the author of the shootings, Rusten Sheskey, did indeed act in a state of self-defense.
Jacob Blake was the subject of an arrest warrant for domestic violence when his ex contacted the police, he said.
When the agents wanted to arrest him, "he resisted with a knife," said Rusten Graveley.
According to him, an agent fired when the young man made a "quick" spinning motion towards him, which he perceived as "a threat".
But his arguments did not convince defenders of Jacob Blake.
"They are trying to justify the unjustifiable," denounced family lawyer B'Ivory Lamarr.
"It's a huge disappointment," he continued.
"This shows that in 2021 there are still three justice systems: one for blacks, one for the police, and one for other Americans."
But for the powerful association for the defense of civil rights ACLU, "this is not a surprise" and it confirms that "the penal system works to the detriment of black people".
With AFP
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