Jacob Blake Issued a Moving First Statement From His Hospital Bed

From Oprah Magazine

On Sunday August 23, Jacob Blake was shot several times in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The 29-year-old, who is currently hospitalized and paralyzed from the waist down, issued his first statement from his hospital bed on Saturday.

In a nearly 1-minute video posted to social media by his attorney Benjamin Crump, Blake said, "I just want to say, man, to all the young cats out there, and even the older ones older than me, it's a lot more life to live out here, man," he said. "Your life and not only just your life, your legs, something that you need to move around and move forward in life, can be taken from you like this, man."

He continued on, "Please, I'm telling you, change y'all lives out there. We can stick together, make some money, make everything easier for our people out here, man, 'cause it's so much time that has been wasted."

The violent altercation between the father of six and two law enforcement officers—including officer Rusten Sheskey—was caught on video by a neighbor and posted to social media. The clip immediately went viral, inspiring #BlackLivesMatter protests and outcry similar to what the country has seen after the tragic police killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor earlier this year.

In the video, you can see Blake walking away from two police officers, who follow him to the driver's side door of an SUV. When Blake opens the door, Sheskey grabs his shirt and fires seven shots—all aimed at Blake's back. Three of Blake's children were in the car at the time.

Law enforcement were called to the scene after a 911 call that reported a domestic incident, according to ABC news, with a woman reporting a boyfriend who was not supposed to be on her property. However the woman has yet to be identified and it is not clear if Blake was the subject of the complaint. According to Crump, Blake was helping to calm the incident when officers pursued him with a Taser, eventually using it on him. Blake also told the cops he had a knife in his possession, and it was later recovered from the driver's side floorboard.

Both cops are currently on administrative leave, and the Wisconsin Department of Justice is leading the investigation into the case. No reasoning has been provided for why Blake was pursued and shot seven times. Blake is currently accused of third degree sexual assault, and plead not guilty earlier this month. The charges were brought in July before them shooting (the two cases are not related) with a trial possibly proceeding in November.

"While we do not have all of the details yet, what we know for certain is that he is not the first Black man or person to have been shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement in our state or our country," Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement in August.

President of the Kenosha Professional Police Association Pete Deates said: "As always, the video currently circulating does not capture all the intricacies of a highly dynamic incident. We ask that you withhold from passing judgment until all the facts are known and released."

At the time Crump, a renowned civil rights lawyer posted to Twitter: “We all watched the horrific video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back several times by Kenosha police. Even worse, his three sons witnessed their father collapse after being riddled with bullets. Their irresponsible, reckless and inhumane actions nearly cost the life of a man who was simply trying to do the right thing by intervening in a domestic incident. It’s a miracle he’s still alive.”

As we wait for more details to emerge about this case, here, we've included ways you can support Jacob Blake's family and the Kenosha community in the wake of this tragedy.

*This story will be updated frequently.

Donate

A GoFundMe has been started by Blake's family to "go toward Jacob’s medical bills, legal representation, support for his children and therapy costs." The page also states: "This is the only official go fund me created by the family of Jacob Blake." You can also donate to the Milwaukee Freedom Fund, which offers aid to local organizers and demonstrators.

"Justice for Jacob Blake" GoFundMe Fundraiser

The Milwaukee Freedom Fund

Sign

So far, Change.org and Color of Change have created petitions demanding the Kenosha police who shot Blake be fired and charged with his shooting.

Change.org

Color of Change

Call

Podcast host @ankita_71 has created a straight forward guide of the Wisconsin officials to call and email demand justice in Jacob Blake's name.

Take Action

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