Jacob Blake’s father says son’s paralyzed from waist down after police shooting in Kenosha
Doctors don’t yet know whether the injury is permanent. ‘I want to put my hand on my son’s cheek and kiss him on his forehead, and then I’ll be OK,’ the father says.
In this September 2019 selfie photo taken in Evanston, Ill., Adria-Joi Watkins poses with her second cousin Jacob Blake. He is recovering from being shot multiple times by Kenosha police on Aug. 23.
Courtesy Adria-Joi Watkins via AP
When Jacob Blake’s father talked with his son Sunday morning, the younger Blake was gearing up for a day of celebrating his son’s eighth birthday.
That evening, the father got word that his son had been shot eight times by police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Eighteen minutes later, he saw the now-viral video, he said.
“What justified all those shots?” his father said. “What justified doing that in front of my grandsons? What are we doing?”
Some witnesses say Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man who attended middle and high school in Evanston, was simply trying to break up a fight Sunday evening. The cellphone video of the incident shows Blake walking around and opening up his car door before appearing to be shot in the back by police.
His father said there are now “eight holes” in his son’s body, and he’s paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors don’t yet know if the injury is permanent.
The elder Blake made the drive from Charlotte, North Carolina, to be with his son in the hospital Tuesday.
“I want to put my hand on my son’s cheek and kiss him on his forehead, and then I’ll be OK,” his father said. “I’ll kiss him with my mask. The first thing I want to do is touch my son.”
He called the incident “attempted murder” and said “those two officers shot eight shots inside my baby’s back.”
“At first, it catches you off guard and you become over-the-top emotional,” his father said. “Then you get to the point where you go from emotional to mad. Your child is not in danger of dying, but they took him to the edge.”
Jacob Blake’s fiancee and six children are “getting showered with love,” his uncle Justin Blake said, and the family hopes to get both the children and his fiancee into therapy concerning the shooting.
Growing up, the younger Jacob Blake was a “happy little dude,” his father said. He grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, before moving to Evanston in middle school, attending Nichols Middle School and Evanston Township High School.
He’s been living in Kenosha for about three years, his father said, and is the father of six children between ages 3 and 13. Family is “definitely” important to the younger Blake, who has seven brothers and five sisters, according to his father.
“If you were in need of something and my son had it, he would not hesitate to give it to you,” his father said. “He’s a very giving individual.”
The elder Jacob Blake keeps a book on his nightstand that his son made and dedicated to him in third grade. “He’s very sincere,” his father said.
Family’s Evanston, civil rights ties
Musician L. Stanley Davis has been friends with the Blake family since 1971. The Rev. Jacob Blake Sr., the grandfather of the Jacob Blake whom police shot in Kenosha, was the “father that I never really had,” said Davis, 68, of Woodlawn.
The minister was an activist for affordable housing in Evanston and pastored the Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church from 1967 to 1976, said the Rev. Deborah Scott, who currently leads the church.
In 1968, the Rev. Blake helped to organize a march in support of fair housing after Martin Luther King Jr’s death, according to the Evanston History Center. Four years later, he led his church in building the Ebenezer Primm Towers, which provide affordable housing for seniors. In 2003, Jacob Blake Manor, which also provides low-income housing for seniors, was named after the minister.
The Rev. Jacob Blake at a press conference. The young Jacob Blake’s grandfather pastored Ebenezer AME Church from 1967 to 1976 and fought for fair housing in Evanston.
Sun-Times file
Much of what Evanston’s Black community benefits from today can be traced back to the Rev. Jacob Blake, Davis said. The pastor employed Black students at Northwestern University in the church and offered up space to house the Northwestern Community Ensemble, a gospel choir Davis founded in 1971, Davis said. Seeing a lack of Black teachers at Evanston Township High School, the Rev. Jacob Blake urged the district to diversify its teaching staff.
“Forget the glass ceiling — he knocked the door down,” said Davis, 68, of Woodlawn, of the Rev. Jacob Blake. “He turned a couple tables over in Evanston.”
Justin Blake also attended ETHS and now lives in the Park Manor neighborhood. He founded Black Underground Recycling in neighboring Englewood to provide income to the Black community and run a community center.
Justin Blake said his nephew would visit and help serve food to thousands of Chicagoans on the South and West sides.
“Him being a Blake, you don’t have an option to say, ‘No, I don’t feel good today,’” his uncle said. “You go out and build the community. You have no choice but to do something positive in your community.”
A protester stands near a burning truck outside the Kenosha County Courthouse, where police clashed with protesters in the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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A member of the Wisconsin National Guard stands watch outside B&L Office Furniture Inc. at 1101 60th St. in Kenosha, one of several businesses to burn during the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protests resumed in Kenosha, Wisc. on Monday evening after police shot and wounded a Black man the day before.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protesters pose in front of a burning truck outside the Kenosha County Courthouse, where police clashed with protesters in the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake in the Wisconsin city, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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A firefighter struggles with the hose alone at 59th Street and 11th Avenue as several businesses burn nearby, including the Wisconsin Department of Corrections’ Community Corrections Division, in the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Police use tear gas on protesters as they clash outside the Kenosha County Courthouse in the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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The Wisconsin Department of Corrections’ Community Corrections Division at 1212 60th St. in Kenosha was one of several businesses to burn during the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protests resumed in Kenosha, Wisc. on Monday evening after police shot and wounded a Black man the day before.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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B&L Office Furniture Inc. at 1101 60th St. in Kenosha was one of several businesses to burn during the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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A member of the Wisconsin National Guard stands watch outside one of several businesses burning during the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protests resumed in Kenosha, Wisc. on Monday evening after police shot and wounded a Black man the day before.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protests resumed in Kenosha, Wisc. on Monday evening after police shot and wounded a Black man the day before.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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A used car lot is one of several businesses to burn during the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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The Wisconsin Department of Corrections’ Community Corrections Division at 1212 60th St. in Kenosha was one of several businesses to burn during the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protests resumed in Kenosha, Wisc. on Monday evening after police shot and wounded a Black man the day before.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protests resumed in Kenosha, Wisc. on Monday evening after police shot and wounded a Black man the day before.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protesters face off with police outside the Kenosha County Courthouse in the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protests resumed in Kenosha, Wisc. on Monday evening after police shot and wounded a Black man the day before. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protests resumed in Kenosha, Wisc. on Monday evening after police shot and wounded a Black man the day before.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protests resumed in Kenosha, Wisc. on Monday evening after police shot and wounded a Black man the day before.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protesters march around Kenosha in the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protesters face off with police outside the Kenosha County Courthouse in the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protesters march around Kenosha in the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protesters face off with police outside the Kenosha County Courthouse in the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protesters march around Kenosha in the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protesters march around Kenosha in the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protesters march around Kenosha in the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protesters march by boarded up businesses in Kenosha on the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protesters face off with police outside the Kenosha County Courthouse in the second night of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, Monday night, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Police block protesters from the Kenosha Public Safety Building in the wake of unrest overnight after police shot Jacob Blake in the the 2800 block of 40th Street, Monday afternoon, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Police guard the entrance to the Kenosha Public Safety Building, Monday afternoon, Aug. 24, 2020. Protesters are gathered in downtown Kenosha, one day after police shot Jacob Blake. |Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Police pepper spray protesters from the Kenosha Public Safety Building in the wake of unrest overnight after police shot Jacob Blake in the the 2800 block of 40th Street, Monday afternoon, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Community activist Eric Russell rallys with protesters in downtown Kenosha in the wake of unrest overnight after police shot Jacob Blake in the the 2800 block of 40th Street, Monday afternoon, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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A man gets milk and water poured on his face after he was pepper sprayed while protesters were trying to enter the Kenosha Public Safety Building, Monday afternoon, Aug. 24, 2020. Protesters are gathered in downtown Kenosha, one day after police shot Jacob Blake.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Getty photographer Scott Olson gets milk and water poured on his face after he was pepper sprayed while photographing protesters trying to enter the Kenosha Public Safety Building, Monday afternoon, Aug. 24, 2020. Protesters are gathered in downtown Kenosha, one day after police shot Jacob Blake. |Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Getty photographer Scott Olson gets milk and water poured on his face after he was pepper sprayed while photographing protesters trying to enter the Kenosha Public Safety Building, Monday afternoon, Aug. 24, 2020. Protesters are gathered in downtown Kenosha, one day after police shot Jacob Blake. |Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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A man gets milk and water poured on his face after he was pepper sprayed while protesters were trying to enter the Kenosha Public Safety Building, Monday afternoon, Aug. 24, 2020. Protesters are gathered in downtown Kenosha, one day after police shot Jacob Blake. |Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian attempts to address protesters outside the Kenosha Public Safety Building in the wake of unrest overnight after police shot Jacob Blake in the the 2800 block of 40th Street, Monday afternoon, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian attempts to address protesters outside the Kenosha Public Safety Building in the wake of unrest overnight after police shot Jacob Blake in the the 2800 block of 40th Street, Monday afternoon, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian attempts to address protesters outside the Kenosha Public Safety Building in the wake of unrest overnight after police shot Jacob Blake in the the 2800 block of 40th Street, Monday afternoon, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protestors confront Kenosha County Sheriff’s Deputies outside the Kenosha Police Department in Kenosha, Wis., on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020. Kenosha police shot a man Sunday evening, setting off unrest in the city after a video appeared to show the officer firing several shots at close range into the man’s back. |Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP
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A man on a bike rides past a city truck on fire outside the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wis., on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020. Kenosha police shot a man Sunday evening, setting off unrest in the city after a video appeared to show the officer firing several shots at close range into the man’s back. |Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP
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People pound on the Kenosha Police Department door in Kenosha, Wis., on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020. Kenosha police shot a man Sunday evening, setting off unrest in the city after a video appeared to show the officer firing several shots at close range into the man’s back.|Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP
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People take photos of a used car lot that was burned in downtown Kenosha during unrest overnight after police shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, in the the 2800 block of 40th Street, Monday morning, Aug. 24, 2020. |Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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People walk past a used car lot that was burned in downtown Kenosha during unrest overnight after police shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, in the the 2800 block of 40th Street, Monday morning, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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A man and children walk past a truck that was burned in downtown Kenosha during unrest overnight after police shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, in the the 2800 block of 40th Street, Monday morning, Aug. 24, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
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Protests erupted Sunday after the shooting of the 29-year-old Blake, with cars set on fire and windows smashed out. Monday night, peaceful protesters marched through the city streets, denouncing police abuse, but the incidents again turned violent after dark. Kenosha residents were waking up Tuesday to desolate streets with burned out buildings.
Children in back of SUV
Blake’s partner, Laquisha Booker, told NBC’s Milwaukee affiliate, WTMJ-TV, that the couple’s three children were in the back seat of the SUV when police shot him. “That man just literally grabbed him by his shirt and looked the other way and was just shooting him. With the kids in the back screaming. Screaming,” Booker said.
“They start to wrestle,” said another witness at the scene, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “The officer is punching on him. Two officers come to assist. They get him down on the curb behind his vehicle. Somehow he manages to get up. They said he has a knife. All of the officers pull out their guns. ... (One of the officers) tells him, ‘Get out of the car!’ and he starts shooting.”
The witness said he never saw a knife.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said Monday that he has seen no information to suggest Blake had a knife or other weapon, but that the case is still being investigated.
The police officers who shot Jacob Blake were “the flint as well as the gasoline” sparking the violence in Kenosha, his father said.
“Those police officers that shot my son like a dog in the street are responsible for everything that has happened in the city of Kenosha,” his father said. “My son is not responsible for it. My son didn’t have a weapon. He didn’t have a gun.”
Contributing: Maureen O’Donnell, AP
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