A massive crowd joined the family of Jacob Blake Saturday to march through the streets of Kenosha demanding an end to police violence.
John Hawkins was one of the more than 1,000 people to show up and give their support to the Blake family six days after the 29-year-old was shot in the back by a police officer in the southeast Wisconsin city.
“It’s important for people to show up and publicly demonstrate,” said Hawkins, who drove up from Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood to participate. “We need to show that we oppose police killings.”
Hawkins, 72, said the officer who shot Blake should face criminal charges.
Spoken word, songs and speeches
Before the start of the march, Jacob Blake’s uncle, Justin Blake, addressed the crowd with a rallying cry of “No justice, no peace,” which was then echoed by the diverse throng of supporters.
Demonstrators headed toward the Kenosha County Courthouse about 2 p.m., which has become a focal point of the largely peaceful protests this week that have at times turned violent.
Blake’s family led the crowd in chants as they walked the half-mile to the courthouse, where Blake’s father, also Jacob Blake, questioned what made police think they had the right to “attempt a murder” on his son and promised to “stand up for my son when he cannot stand up.”
Letetra Wideman, Jacob Blake’s sister, read from poems she has penned in the aftermath of the shooting while donning a shirt that read “I am my brothers keeper.”
“I am the keeper and I will not die,” Wideman recited from one. “For 400 years, you have tried.”
Jarrett Blake, Jacob Blake’s cousin, told the Sun-Times it has been a struggle for him to focus on classes this week at Leo High School, a Catholic school in Chicago’s Gresham neighborhood where he is a junior.
On Monday, the 16-year-old said he “couldn’t think straight” and didn’t attend class.
But witnessing the crowd of supporters on Saturday gave him hope. His cousin would have been proud to see it, he believed.
Other speakers at the courthouse rally included spiritual leaders, who asked for prayer, and elected officials, who called for demonstrators to vote.
U.S. Rep Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) spoke personally about the effect the Kenosha police shooting has had on her. As the mother of two Black sons, Moore said she “shivers” every time her children walk out of the door.
“We need to march on them ballot boxes,” Moore told marchers. “Get out and vote.”
Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes called the fall election a “mile marker, not a finish line.”
Justice, he added, is only the “bare minimum” afforded to every person in the country.
A leader of the group said Huber had stood in front of her earlier in the night before he was killed, guarding her when she was on her knees with her hands up being tear gassed.
“Those are our fellow brothers,” she said. “I don’t care what color they were. They were out there defending us.”
More than a thousand people join the family of Jacob Blake to march through the streets of Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020. |Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
1 of 35
Justin Blake and Letetra Wideman, Jacob Blake’s uncle and sister, join other members of their family and hundreds of supporters to march through the streets of Kenosha, six days after Jacob Blake was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
2 of 35
More than a thousand people join the family of Jacob Blake to march through the streets of Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
3 of 35
More than a thousand people join the family of Jacob Blake to march through the streets of Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
4 of 35
Jacob Blake’s father, also Jacob Blake, speaks to a crowd of more than a thousand during a rally in Civic Center Park in downtown Kenosha, six days after his son was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
5 of 35
Hundreds join the family of Jacob Blake for a rally in Civic Center Park in downtown Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
6 of 35
A woman prays as the family of Jacob Blake hosts a rally in Civic Center Park in downtown Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
7 of 35
Jacob Blake’s sister, Letetra Wideman, speaks to a crowd of more than a thousand during a rally in Civic Center Park in downtown Kenosha, six days after her brother was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
8 of 35
Jacob Blake’s father, also Jacob Blake, speaks to a crowd of more than a thousand during a rally in Civic Center Park in downtown Kenosha, six days after his son was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
9 of 35
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
10 of 35
More than a thousand people join the family of Jacob Blake to march through the streets of Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
11 of 35
More than a thousand people join the family of Jacob Blake to march through the streets of Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020. |Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
12 of 35
Jacob Blake’s father, also Jacob Blake, speaks to a crowd of more than a thousand during a rally in Civic Center Park in downtown Kenosha, six days after his son was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
13 of 35
Fred Hampton Jr. speaks during a rally in Civic Center Park in downtown Kenosha, six days after Jacob Blake was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
14 of 35
More than a thousand people join the family of Jacob Blake to march through the streets of Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020. |Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
15 of 35
More than a thousand people join the family of Jacob Blake to march through the streets of Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
16 of 35
More than a thousand people join the family of Jacob Blake to march through the streets of Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020. |Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
17 of 35
Jacob Blake’s sister, Letetra Wideman, speaks to a crowd of more than a thousand during a rally in Civic Center Park in downtown Kenosha, six days after her brother was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
18 of 35
More than a thousand people join the family of Jacob Blake to march through the streets of Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
19 of 35
More than a thousand people join the family of Jacob Blake to march through the streets of Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020. |Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
20 of 35
More than a thousand people join the family of Jacob Blake to march through the streets of Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020. |Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
21 of 35
More than a thousand people join the family of Jacob Blake to march through the streets of Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020. |Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
22 of 35
Security marches in front of the family of Jacob Blake as they lead hundreds through the streets of Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
23 of 35
More than a thousand people join the family of Jacob Blake to march through the streets of Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
24 of 35
Security marches in front of the family of Jacob Blake as they lead hundreds through the streets of Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
25 of 35
Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes speaks during a rally in Civic Center Park, six days after Jacob Blake was shot in the back by a police officer in Kenosha, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
26 of 35
More than a thousand people join the family of Jacob Blake to march through the streets of Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
27 of 35
Justin Blake, the uncle of Jacob Blake, joins family members and hundreds of people for a rally in Civic Center Park in downtown Kenosha, six days after Jacob Blake was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
28 of 35
U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) speaks during a rally in Civic Center Park in downtown Kenosha, six days after Jacob Blake was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
29 of 35
Hundreds join the family of Jacob Blake for a rally in Civic Center Park in downtown Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
30 of 35
Jacob Blake’s sister, Letetra Wideman, speaks to a crowd of more than a thousand during a rally in Civic Center Park in downtown Kenosha, six days after her brother was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
31 of 35
More than a thousand people join the family of Jacob Blake to march through the streets of Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020. |Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
32 of 35
Jacob Blake’s father, also Jacob Blake, walks with family members and supporters during a rally in Civic Center Park in downtown Kenosha, six days after his son was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
33 of 35
Jacob Blake’s father, also Jacob Blake, speaks to a crowd of more than a thousand during a rally in Civic Center Park in downtown Kenosha, six days after his son was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020.|Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
34 of 35
More than a thousand people join the family of Jacob Blake to march through the streets of Kenosha, six days after he was shot in the back by a police officer in the Wisconsin city, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020. |Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
35 of 35
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers called for a Senate special session on Monday to discuss police reform, which Blake’s family said they had been invited to attend.
Justin Blake said the family intends to propose both long-term ideas to address systemic racism, as well as immediate actions the legislature could take.
“If an African American is struck down by a police officer anywhere in this nation, that should be taken up by the federal institution that’s closest to them, investigated and then dealt with,” Justin Blake said. “The police officers should never be [able] to receive his money after he’s damn near murdered and paralyzed somebody.”
‘God’s working on him’
The man the crowd had rallied for remained hospitalized Saturday night. Only Jacob Blake’s parents have been able to see him in the hospital and he is currently paralyzed from the waist down, the family said.
But Jacob Blake is a fighter, Justin Blake said.
Watching the cellphone video that captured the shooting of his nephew, Justin Blake said he never thought he was dead.
“God’s working on him,” Justin Blake said. “We’re praying for his recovery.”
Despite getting into foul trouble, which limited him to just six minutes in the second half, Shannon finished with 29 points, five rebounds and two assists.
The incident occurred about 3:40 p.m. near Minooka. The horse was successfully placed back into the trailer, and the highway reopened about 40 minutes later. No injuries were reported.