Jacob Blake Police Shooting: Wisconsin Leaders, Officials Respond

MILWAUKEE COUNTY, WI —Elected officials, organizations, and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee issued statements in response to Sunday's police shooting in Kenosha.

Kenosha police shot and seriously wounded Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man. An eyewitness posted a video of the police shooting on Twitter. Blake is currently in intensive care at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee after he was transported there Sunday via Flight for Life.

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The Milwaukee Bucks released the following statement:

"The Bucks organization is praying for the recovery of Jacob Blake, who was shot multiple times in the back by a police officer at point blank range in Kenosha, Wisconsin yesterday. Our hearts go out to his family and friends.

We stand firmly against reoccurring issues of excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging the black community.

Our organization will continue to stand for all black lives as we demand accountability and systemic change on behalf of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Sylville Smith, Ernest Lacy, Dontre Hamilton, Tony Robinson, Joel Acevedo and countless other victims. We will work to enact policy change so these incidents no longer exist."

Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki released the following statement:

"It is with a heavy heart that I received the news about the shooting last night in Kenosha. While many of the details of this shooting are unknown to us, the general public, it is not difficult to imagine the pain, fear and anger felt by all who were present. I pray for healing for Jacob Blake and for comfort for his family and loved ones.

I also pray for peace in Kenosha, as the situation remains volatile in the wake of this shooting. Violence can never be the means to attain peace and justice. The Church stands as a beacon of hope. The sins of violence, injustice, racism and hatred must be purged from our communities with acts of mercy, with the protection and care for the dignity of every human person, with respect for the common good, and with an unwavering pursuit of equality and peace. Together, let us pray to God for peace, justice, mercy and protection for every human being."

Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) released the following statement in response to the officer-involved shooting in Kenosha and the unrest that followed.

“Like many in Wisconsin, I watched the events in Kenosha unfold last night and was disturbed by the video of the officer-involved shooting. Jacob Blake and his family are in my prayers and I hope for his recovery.

“It’s essential that we get a complete picture of what happened. I would ask that the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation meet its goal of completing a thorough investigation in 30 days. The Kenosha community deserves to know the totality of the circumstances leading up to the shooting. Before passing judgment, we have to know if the shocking 20-second video clip shared with the media tells the whole story.

“I was also deeply disturbed about what occurred in Kenosha: the demonstrators’ complete disregard to public safety, damage to personal property, and the attack on police. Moving forward, I encourage those who would like to express their frustration and anger to do so peacefully.

“This is not a time for political posturing or to suggest defunding law enforcement. When a community is hurting, the most important thing that we can do is to listen. That is why today, I am announcing a Speaker’s task force focusing on on racial disparities, educational opportunities, public safety, and police policies and standards. We must find a path forward as a society that brings everyone together.”

Rep. Brostoff Statement on Police Shooting of Jacob Blake

In response to yesterday’s police shooting of Kenosha resident Jacob Blake, State Representative Jonathan Brostoff released the following statement:

“Seven times. Jacob Blake was shot seven times yesterday, by someone whose sworn duty was to protect. That officer shot Jacob Blake in front of HIS CHILDREN in broad daylight. A man who tried to be a good Samaritan, who tried to break up a fight between two of his fellow community members, was shot in his back by a police officer seven times.”

Yesterday in Kenosha, police shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, seven times at point-blank range as he attempted to enter his vehicle. Police had been called just after 5 p.m. to the site of a fight between two community members, where bystanders say Jacob Blake had stopped to help defuse the situation between the two women involved. According to witnesses, officers attempted to use a Taser on Blake before he walked away towards the vehicle where his children were waiting for him, where he was shot by the officer as he attempted to enter the vehicle.

“Situations like this one happen with tragic regularity in our country, and prove that the time for talk is over: now is time for meaningful, substantive action. I am calling for immediate action on the following: body cameras on each and every police officer in the line of duty; an end to qualified immunity, and changing laws in order to hold officers personally liable for unwarranted lethal and near-lethal actions that they take; we must demilitarize police departments, end the 1033 program and ban ‘warrior’ training; and most especially, we need to shrink police budgets and reallocate that money to proven community alternatives. These changes are important steps forward and there are more we will need, but now is the time for action. How on Earth is it appropriate to have armed police respond to a non-violent verbal altercation, rather than unarmed professionals who are actually trained in de-escalation techniques? Again and again, we see that this status quo doesn’t work, and hasn’t worked. It’s time to imagine and invest in non-violent alternatives.

I thank G-d that Jacob Blake is still alive, and I hope and pray that he is able to go home to his family soon. Black Lives Matter. Jacob Blake’s life matters. And for his sake, for his children’s sake, and for the sake of every single person who has ever faced or feared violence at the hands of the people we pay to supposedly keep us safe, we must begin to build a better future, now.”

Milwaukee Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa released the following statement:

"Like so many Wisconsinites, I was horrified to see the video of Jacob Blake being shot multiple times in the back by Kenosha police. Additionally, I understand that Mr. Blake’s children were in the car and witnessed their father being shot, a trauma no child should have to endure.

This is a tragedy that should have and could have been prevented. As a state legislator and a new alderwoman in Milwaukee, the largest city in Wisconsin, I have heard sentiments coming from folks on all sides of this fight for police reform, Black Lives Matter, and the police budget.

I write this statement, in particular, for the people of the 8th Aldermanic District. This is the district I represent on Milwaukee’s near south side, where I was born and raised. My constituents tell me that public safety is their number one concern. No mother should worry if their son will come home at night, no child should witness their father being brutally attacked and everyone in Wisconsin should feel safe in their own neighborhood. Public safety will always be compromised if any life is devalued more than another.

Ours is arguably the most diverse district in the great state of Wisconsin, home to a 75% supermajority of people of color, a Latino-majority district, and a proud history of Polish and German immigrant families, many of whom still call the near south side home, I am proud to say.

Public safety continues to be my #1 concern because I know that it is my constituents’ #1 concern. And it is why, as a state representative, a Milwaukee alderwoman, and a Wisconsinite, I condemn this senseless tragedy. We cannot have our law enforcement shooting constituents in the back multiple times, in front of their children. We must ask for justice, demand reform, and cry out, “Black Lives Matter.”

The ACLU of Wisconsin responded to the shooting.

"The violence against Mr. Jacob Blake by police sparked immediate outrage in the Kenosha community, causing a tense night of demonstrations. Kenosha Police showed up in riot gear, using tear gas against protesters and armed with rubber bullets.
Chris Ott, executive director of the ACLU of Wisconsin, issued the following statement regarding the incident.

“Let’s not mince words: The police shooting that occurred in Kenosha Sunday evening looks like attempted murder. News outlets have reported that Mr. Blake, the man shot seven times in the back by Kenosha PD, was attempting to break up a fight between two women before he was shot. He did not appear to be armed and was walking away from police when an officer repeatedly shot him with his back turned and in front of his children. While his family endures this deep and lasting trauma, Mr. Blake now fights for his life at a local hospital, put there by the very people sworn to protect and serve the community.

“These repeated acts of violence against Black people by police have created a clear message: the police do not value the lives of the people in the Black and brown communities they serve in the same way that they do their own. For the last three months, people in Wisconsin and across the country have taken to the streets to protest the routine harassment and abuse that people of color experience at the hands of law enforcement. This cruel, avoidable, and gruesome shooting once again demonstrates why the task of transforming American policing is so urgent. Reform is not enough.”