Evanston Calls For Justice For Jacob Blake, Local Leaders Respond

EVANSTON, IL — A demonstration is planned Thursday calling for justice for Jacob Blake, who grew up in Evanston before moving to Kenosha and being shot by police there. Local leaders have also responded, making remarks and issuing statements in response to the shooting, which has left the 29-year-old father of six paralyzed from the waist down, according to his family.

Hundreds of people marched through Evanston Tuesday in support of the Blake family, which has deep roots in the community. The gathering began at the Jacob Blake Manor, an affordable housing development named after Blake's grandfather.

"They shot my son seven times, like he didn’t matter, but my son matters. He’s a human being and he matters," Blake's father, Jacob Blake Sr., said at a news conference Tuesday after travelling from his North Carolina home. He said he had little to no confidence in the investigation of the shooting.

"Anybody that is white that is doing an investigation about a Black young man that was shot seven times in his back and hasn't come up with an answer or a comment at this point is not welcome," he said.

On Wednesday, state officials in Wisconsin identified the officer who shot Blake as Rusten Sheskey, who has worked for the Kenosha Police Department for seven years. Sheskey, 31, and the other officers involved have been placed on administrative leave. No charges have been filed in connection with the incident. A Wisconsin Justice Department report to prosecutors is expected by Sept. 25.

"We can't keep gathering this way," U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky said at Tuesday's demonstration in Evanston. "Today's gathering is about a family crisis, an Evanston family crisis, that's why all of us are here to give hope, and support to the family. But it's also about a national crisis. How many times and how many places are we going to have to gather to talk about Black Lives Matter, to talk about justice in policing?"

Schakowsky said the George Justice in Policing Act of 2020, which passed the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives along mostly party lines a month after Floyd died with a Minneapolis police officer's knee on his neck, would never have been gotten on House Democrats' agenda were it not for the nationwide protests for police reform. A Senate police reform bill backed by Republicans, the Just and Unifying Solutions To Invigorate Communities Everywhere, or JUSTICE, Act, has failed to garner the 60 votes needed to proceed.

"Organizing works. Demanding that our country make a change actually does work. and now we have to take the next step and make sure that the Republicans understand that they have to pass this bill," Schakowsky said. "Without justice there is no peace."

RELATED: Demonstrators Gather In Evanston In Support Of Jacob Blake

Mayor Steve Hagerty issued a statement Tuesday evening. It said the city's hearts ache collectively for Blake and his family and that he is praying for a full and speedy recovery from his wounds.

"I was devastated to learn of yet another police-involved shooting of a Black man in our country. Although this horrific incident occurred in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Jacob Blake has deep roots in Evanston, and his family has long worked to advance civil rights in our city and beyond," Hagerty said.

"Although painful, this incident reinforces our City's commitment to eradicating racism, addressing inequalities, and continued professional development of our police officers," the mayor added.

Organizers of Thursday's march from the group Evanston Fight for Black Lives described the Hagerty's statement as a "mockery of all that Jacob has gone through, and all that is still in front of him."

A response to the mayor from the youth-led group said Hagerty does not comprehend the way he and the city has harmed its black residents and called for the defunding of the Evanston Police Department.

"Evanston has a long history of police 'reforms,' but these minor changes to the system entirely ignore the racist corruption of the institution of police," it said. "In order to truly address anti-Black police violence, we must do more than professional development or other edits to a fundamentally racist system."

A few hours after hundreds of Evanston residents marched through town Tuesday, three people were shot, two fatally, in Kenosha during a third night of protests and civil unrest.

Investigators believe an Illinois teen who expressed pro-police sentiments illegally brought an assault-style rifle across the border, where he shot several people in video-recorded incidents before returning to Lake County. Footage shows him walk past police and leave the scene of the killing with his rifle over his shoulder and his hands in the air while people shout for him to be arrested.

Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, of Antioch, was taken into custody Wednesday at his home. He faces extradition to Wisconsin on a first-degree intentional homicide warrant issued in connection with the fatal shootings of Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, of Kenosha, and Anthony Huber, 26, of Silver Lake, Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Gov. Terry Evers has authorized an additional 250 National Guard members to be sent to Kenosha, bringing the total to 500. Federal officials said up to 2,000 troops would be made available for the city of about 100,000.

The U.S. Justice Department, which has announced plans for the FBI and federal prosecutors to open a civil rights investigation into Blake's shooting, said it would send in more than 200 federal agents.

In Evanston, Thursday's march is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the corner of Church Street and Ridge Avenue.