Sign for the 400 Block in Downtown Wausau
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — No incidents were reported as protesters gathered in Wausau’s 400 Block on Saturday to call for social justice after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha.
WAOW TV reports that dozens of protesters gathered for what they called a “Silence no More” event to share their stories.
Joseph Freeman Jr. says he is treated differently every day because of the color of his skin. “For a lot of people this just goes over their head but for some of us we live this every day. I live it every day because of the color of my skin,” he told WAOW-TV.
Protesters were also seen marching along Stewart Avenue across the bridge and into downtown.
It’s the second protest that was held this week in Wausau. On Tuesday, just over a dozen residents gathered near the Marathon County Courthouse protest the shooting incident.
Blake, a Black man, was shot seven times in the back as he was reaching into his car. According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, officers had tried to subdue him with a taser but that failed to bring him to the ground.
Blake told authorities he had a knife in his car, and the investigation revealed that there was on the driver’s side floor of the vehicle. It is unclear if he was reaching for it when officers, who had a hold of his shirt, shot him in the back numerous times.
Investigators have emphasized that no other weapons were found in the car.
The incident started as a domestic call where a woman said her ex-boyfriend, who wasn’t supposed to be at the residence, had shown up.
Blake was reportedly paralyzed from the waist down in the incident. Friends and family say it’s unclear if he will be able to walk again.
Comments