'Shameful': Evanston NAACP Chief Responds To Kenosha County Board

EVANSTON, IL — The president of the Evanston/North Shore branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the nation's oldest civil rights organization, delivered a response Tuesday to a letter from Kenosha County supervisors calling for thousands more National Guardsman to be sent to Kenosha in response to arson and rioting following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

On April 25, eight members of the Kenosha County Board of Supervisors sent a letter to Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers asking for him to request an additional 2,000 troops to help out local law enforcement. They described as "woefully inadequate" the governor's deployment of 150 guardsmen early the previous morning.

"Kenosha has been under siege with two nights of non-stop rioting and destruction, with no end in sight," the letter said, suggesting it was obvious from posts on social media that a large group of people were headed to Kenosha the prior evening with the intent to cause havoc.

"Reports from on-the-ground witnesses estimated over 1000 rioters armed with fireworks, counter tear gas equipment, Molotov cocktails, and semi-automatic weapons terrorized Kenosha last night," it said. "These terrorists had only one goal in mind — to destroy Kenosha. Similar social media reports predict even more rioters are going to show up this evening, and their targets for destruction are Kenosha's schools and libraries."

---

The Rev. Michael Nabors, president of the Evanston/North Shore chapter of the NAACP and pastor at Second Baptist Church, said he was initially outraged by the letter. After reflecting on its contents, he said he determined it was critical for the public that he issue a response.

"Your letter has done almost irreparable damage to your reputations as officials in the county where you are responsible for representing every resident," Nabors said. "Your gross mischaracterization of incidents occurring on the night of August 24th, the derelict assumptions and stereotypes you blatantly painted, and the obvious political one-sidedness of your conclusions are all without cognitive reflection or moral depth. In short, your letter sounded like it was penned by white nationalists believing in white supremacy, rather than measured politicians seeking to build beloved community. "

Nabors said the supervisors had destroyed any conciliatory path by choosing to create an "us versus them" dynamic. He said the supervisors were playing the victim, offering nothing in the way of hope and ignoring the area's history of racism.

"Your letter is so presumptuous and narrow, it completely negates the nature of what is before you," he said. "You did not mention the shooting of Jacob Blake, shot seven times at point blank range in the back, and this, in full view of his children. You did not say anything about, or to the Blake family in relationship to their pain and the obvious distress they all felt in seeing their loved one shot down."

The supervisors' letter cited over 30 businesses that had been damaged during the first two nights after police were captured on cellphone video shooting Blake in the back, paralyzing him as he tried to enter an SUV after a struggle with officers.

"The citizens of Kenosha are begging us, as local officials, to do what we can to keep Kenosha safe," the eight supervisors on the 23-member board told the governor. "We need your help, and we are, in turn, requesting you to help us before even more is lost."

Nabors said people who protest for change should not be blamed for those that join demonstrations with ulterior motives, such as looting or property damage.

"How shameful that adults like each of you, acted with an impetuous and anger-filled spirit to paint your picture of misinformation, hatred and stereotypes," Nabors said.

"In all seriousness, each of you should be removed from office for the misstatements in your letter. When people of goodwill gather to protest injustice in America, it is their right to do so."

Related:
Evanston Calls For Justice For Jacob Blake, Local Leaders Respond
Kenosha Buildings Burn In Second Night Of Jacob Blake Protests
2,000 National Guardsmen Headed To Kenosha: Report
Trump Supports Cops, Doesn't Mention Jacob Blake In Kenosha Visit

Hours after the supervisors sent the letter to Evers, three people were shot, two fatally, in a confrontation on Sheridan Road late Tuesday night.

Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old Antioch resident currently being held at a juvenile detention facility in Lake County, faces extradition to Kenosha County on six counts stemming from the incident, which was also captured on video.

"In short," Nabors told the county supervisors, "who is to say that your public pronouncements railing against 'so-called terrorists' is not in itself, a terrorist act which resulted in armed white militia and crazed Kyle Rittenhouse gathering in the streets of Kenosha? "