Photo credit: Quinn Clark
Hundreds of protesters followed Jacob Blake’s family to the Kenosha County Courthouse in a march that demanded justice for victims of police brutality.
Jacob Blake’s uncle, Justin Blake, recalls when he first saw the video of his nephew being shot.
Photo credit: Quinn Clark
Justin Blake, Jacob Blake’s uncle, leads the crowd of protesters in chants such as, “Black power” and “You can’t stop the revolution.”
On the day of Jacob’s shooting, Justin walked to the Greyhound busses as soon as he could. All he knew was that he needed to get to “Little Jake” as fast as possible. At the Greyhound bus, a young man approached Blake and told him he was sorry about his nephew. The man tapped his phone to play the now viral video for him for the first time.
“I walked four blocks away from the Greyhound bus just trying to comprehend and digest what we saw,” Blake said. “Can you imagine seeing your nephew, your child or anybody who was shot in the back?”
The sound of the seven shots aimed at Jacob Blake’s back have echoed across the world. After six days of protests in Kenosha, Blake’s family is far from done demanding change from not only the Kenosha Police Department, but for the systemic racism that runs deep in the United States.
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Jacob Blake’s father, Jacob Blake Sr., urges the crowd in front of the Kenosha County Courthouse to vote.
On Saturday, Aug. 29, Jacob Blake’s family, along with the Chicago Black Panthers, the Universal Negro Improvement Association, politicians, artists and hundreds of supporters took to the streets of Kenosha. The march went from 52nd Street to the Kenosha County Courthouse, where several activists and members of Blake’s family spoke to the crowd of protesters that stretched over the lawn in front of them.
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A protester holds a sign expressing his fears of being killed for the color of his skin.
Although Jacob’s father, Jacob Blake Sr., was just in Washington D.C. the day before, he appeared onstage in front of the courthouse. After days of travel and nearly losing his son, he still spoke to the crowd with strength. “To the police in this town: what gave them the right to attempted murder on my child? What gave them the right to think that my son was an animal?” Blake said. “What gave them the right to take something that was not theirs?”
His voice cracked as he recalled a conversation he recently had with his son in the hospital. As his tears stopped him from continuing, the crowd shouted, “You got this! You can do this!” in encouragement. “He squeezed my hand and he said, ‘Daddy, Daddy, I love you, you know, I love you,’” Blake said. “I said, ‘Man, listen, I love you more than anything in the whole world.’”
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Then, Blake’s son asked him a heartbreaking question; one that is on the mind of millions of people. “My baby said, ‘Daddy, why did they shoot me so many times?’” Blake said. “I said, ‘Baby, they weren't supposed to shoot you at all.’”
Blake urged people to exercise their right to vote and began a chant to instill the importance of voting in the crowd’s minds. “One person, one vote, one person, one vote,” he chanted.
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A protester holds up signs remembering the deaths of Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum, protesters who were shot by Kyle Rittenhouse.
Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes was one of the politicians to speak to the hundreds gathered at the courthouse. He said he didn’t want to take time away from the family, but he did have a message. “Justice is the bare minimum,” Barnes said. “Justice should be guaranteed to everyone in this country.”
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A member of the national guard watches the protesters march back to their starting point. He is met with protesters asking why he is there if they are protesting peacefully.
The rally moved back to 52nd Street, in front of the Regimen Barber Collective, where protesters were urged to enjoy free snacks and beverages and listen to music with one another. The majority of the protest cleared by 6 p.m., one hour before Kenosha’s 7 p.m. curfew.
As a former political science major, Justin Blake says he is ready to make suggestions for new legislation to curb police brutality and to save lives. After the march, he described the changes he’d like to see implemented. “There's some immediate things that can be done right off the bat,” Blake said. “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. The police officer should never be to receive his money after he's damn near murdered and paralyzed somebody.”
Blake urges people to “get their boots on the ground” and continue to demand justice. Tearfully, he also asks that everyone prays for his nephew’s recovery. “We're just asking for everybody's prayers around the world and the country to be focused on Little Jake, because, as his uncle, I want him to walk out of that hospital,” Blake said. “That's what justice would look like to his uncle.”
Photo credit: Quinn Clark
Protester stands in front of the march dressed as President Donald Trump behind bars.
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