Condemn decision not to bring charges over Jacob Blake shooting

5 January, 2021 – Wishaw, WI – Kenosha District Attorney Michael Graveley announced that Kenosha Police Department Officer Rusten Sheskey will not be charged for shooting Jacob Blake in the back seven times, which paralyzed him from the waist down.

As WSAW-TV reports:  “Officer Rusten Sheskey’s shooting of Jacob Blake on Aug. 23, captured on bystander video, turned the nation’s spotlight on Wisconsin during a summer marked by protests over police brutality and racism. More than 250 people were arrested in the days that followed, including 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, a self-styled medic with an assault rifle who is charged in the fatal shootings of two men and the wounding of a third.”

Sheskey shot him seven times – in the back – at point-blank range.  State investigators had said only that officers saw a knife on the floor of the SUV and hadn’t said whether Blake threatened anyone with it.  The police union seems to claim he had a knife in his hand; the police did not use bodycams.

It is unclear whether Mr Blake and his legal representative had any input into the investigation process at all, whereas the police union’s opinion carried weight with the DA.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump tweeted:  “Nowhere does the video footage show a knife extended and aimed to establish the requisite intent. Also, to establish that the officer reasonably believed he was in danger… if he felt in danger, why did he chase Jacob Blake?”

Earlier Mr Crump told a press conference:  “We feel this decision failed not only Jacob and his family, but the community that protested and demanded justice… Officer Sheskey’s actions sparked outrage and advocacy throughout the country, but the district attorney’s decision not to charge the officer who shot Jacob in the back multiple times, leaving him paralyzed, further destroys trust in our justice system. This sends the wrong message to police officers throughout the country. It says it is OK for police to abuse their power and recklessly shoot their weapon, destroying the life of someone who was trying to protect his children.”

 Chris Ott, Executive Director of the ACLU of Wisconsin said:ACLU said of the decision:

“We are disappointed that, instead of holding police accountable for another example of their repeated use of excessive force against people of color, District Attorney Graveley declined to charge Officer Rusten Sheskey in the shooting of Jacob Blake. This continues the cycle of enabling police violence and evading accountability when they seriously injure and harm a Black person. Based on the video footage of the incident, it remains hard to see any reason to shoot Mr. Blake in the back repeatedly. But, as we’ve seen so many times before, the police in this case were held to a different standard of responsibility than the rest of us… This officer will continue with his career with the mistaken belief that he has done no wrong, while Jacob Blake will remain paralyzed and left to deal with the consequences of this officer’s actions. Today, justice was not served.”

ACTION:

Please contact Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers through one of the channels below and give them the following message, personalized to your liking:

As a member of gun law reform group One Pulse for America, I am disgusted but sadly not surprised that a very flawed investigation allowed a very flawed police officer to get away with shooting Jacob  Blake in the back seven times, paralyzing him.

As Attorney Ben Crump points out:  “Nowhere does the video footage show a knife extended and aimed to establish the requisite intent. Also, to establish that the officer reasonably believed he was in danger… if he felt in danger, why did he chase Jacob Blake?”

If you continue to allow an officer who already had five complaints against him to continue in his role, you are responsible for all his further actions.  If you continue to allow Wisconsin’s officers to operate without using body cam each and every time they encounter a suspect, you are failing to protect your citizens.  You should be ashamed at this outcome.  I want to hear from you with details of what you are personally doing to ensure this does not happen again – and to ensure Mr Blake will be given the support he and his family need after police failures and inadequacies paralyzed him.

-OR- send this tweet:

If you are serious, I want to hear you are ensuring WI police are trained, equipped with bodycams that are used every single time they engage. Any officer with 5 complaints/issues must be dismissed. Jacob Blake was shot 7 times: nothing excuses this and the DA’s poor decision.

Jacob Blake shooting – arrest and charge police now

24 August 2020, Kenosha, Wisconsin – Three police officers caught on video are alleged to have tased and beaten a man, who moments later they shot in the back – seven times. Their victim is in stable condition; his children who witnesses the attack are obviously traumatized.  The police are facing nothing more serious than suspension at present.

With no arrests, the officers have been at liberty to do as they please, perhaps even ‘get their stories straight’? – as the family and community suffers.

Kenosha police do not have to wear video cams; they go by audio recordings only.  Two of the officers shouted ‘drop the knife’ at Mr  Blake although the witness who filmed the shooting say he did not see a knife.  In the video it looks as if there was no knife but car keys.

There is no need to wait for an investigation before there are arrests: they shot a man in the back seven times at point blank range.

The level of force was wholly disproportionate.

Sadly, this is Wisconsin.

The Kenosha District Attorney is Michael D Graveley, here he is pictured n 2016 after winning an award.

Gina Barton of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote an article in May of this year, highlighting 18 deaths at the hands of Wisconsin police:  many of these deaths saw no charges brought, such as Larry Jenkins, shot while fleeing in 2002.

Let’s demand charges are brought immediately against police who shot Mr Blake.

ACTION:

Please contact Kenosha County District Attorney Michael D Graveley through one of the channels below and give them the following message, personalized to your liking:

 

The police officers who were involved in assaulting and then shooting Jacob Blake in the back – seven times at point blank range – are not under arrest:  why not?

Surely anyone with or without a badge who has acted in such a manner needs to be immediately arrested and charged appropriately.  As it stands, there are three officers who were seen to assault Mr Blake, who allegedly tased him, and then shot him in the back using lethal force when not necessary.  If he was tased, it is also possible he was in great pain and disorientated – the officers seem to have taken no account of this at all.

There is an allegation he had a knife – it looks as if he only had car keys.  With immediate effect I want to see the relevant officers arrested and charged to ensure they do not get a chance more than they have already enjoyed to ‘get their story straight,’ and I call on you to ensure that there is no attempt to in any way intimidate or interfere with the witness who captured the sickening events on tape.

It looks like Mr Blake may just have been trying to break up an argument – which would be even more damning for the police.  In any event, there was never any call to shoot him in the back at point blank range a massive seven times – and the person who did this needs to be behind bars:  not arresting them is an affront to justice.

Support including financial support must be made immediately to ensure the welfare of Mr Blake’s family, and going forward I want to see:  1 only competent, highly-trained police who have been screened to ensure no racists are given badges and guns; 2 immediate roll-out of mandatory body cam for all officers; 3 an independent inquiry into the operations of the Kenosha Police Department’s procedures and past controversial shootings.

Even a brief visit to the Kenosha County DA’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kenosha-County-District-Attorney/168227209859507 paints a very damning picture of how the police and your office operate, and this has to end today.

Phone:  262-653-2400

Email:  (form) https://www.kenoshacounty.org/forms.aspx?fid=73  and/ or Michael.Graveley@da.wi.gov

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kenosha-County-District-Attorney/168227209859507

Twitter:  @KenoshaCounty

 

And if you want to, please copy in the FBI:  they have a remit to investigate police corruption and racism, and sadly Kenosha looks like it would be fertile ground for such investigations:

Phone:  (202) 324-3000

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/FBI/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/FBI 

Once you have made contact, fill out the three fields below and click the orange banner to report taking action!