The uncle of Jacob Blake, the African-American man who was shot in the back seven times by the police on Sunday, August 23, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has spoken out about the tragedy.
Justin Blake spoke to a number of publications, providing an insight into the victim’s life after footage of the shooting spread across social media like wildfire and was reported by every major news outlet. He told TMZ that he was pretty sure that his nephew was shot for the “crime” of being Black in the United States. He added that the police officer who shot him “has absolutely no justification for what he did, and he should be charged with attempted murder.”
In the video which has been widely shared, multiple officers can be seen following Blake from the passenger side of a car toward the driver’s door with guns drawn. As he starts to open and enter through the driver’s door, one of the officers grabs and pulled Blake’s T-shirt from behind with one hand while holding a gun in the other. Soon after, seven shots are heard. Justin said that his nephew’s three kids, who were in the car when their father was shot, were severely traumatized and had been presently placed in the care of relatives. All they know is that their dad was severely hurt but don’t really understand what happened.
Jacob has undergone surgery and is in the intensive care unit. His uncle said that he had been at the hospital with Jacob’s mother, sister, and close relatives but they were yet to be allowed to see the victim as he was recovering from the surgery.
He further claimed that Jacob was shot due to no fault of his own as he was merely trying to break up an altercation between two women when cops were called on the scene and the confrontation took place. The Kenosha police department said officers had responded to a “domestic incident.”
Wisconsin governor Tony Evers was forced to deploy the National Guard after widespread protests started in Kenosha on August 24, with several businesses torched overnight Tuesday, August 25. Justin said that he supported the protests and unrest in the town because he felt it was necessary as “it’s the only way to be heard and get the attention of the government.”
However, in an interview with CNN, Justin said that he did not want people to protest violently. “We are gonna get justice, we are gonna demand justice but we are gonna do it without tearing apart our own communities,” he said. In a separate interview with Chicago Tribune, Justin shared details about the victim’s background. He said that his nephew moved to the Kenosha area of Wisconsin a few years ago for the sake of his family. “It was a safer location. He could work and try to save and build a better life,” he said.
Despite moving away from the local community back in Evanston, Jacob contributed toward the place where his extended family lived, his uncle said. Jacob volunteered at Black Urban Recycling in Chicago, an organization that recycles tin metal and works as a fundraiser for the veterans. The organization was set up by Justin. “The veterans love when he comes around because he’s always polite and perky,” his uncle told the newspaper. “He’s a lively young man. He’s like his father, my brother. He’s got a hell of a personality and he loves people.”