Kenosha, WI: Rally, march demands justice for Jacob Blake 1 day before DA’s verdict

Kenosha, WI – Activists from multiple southeastern Wisconsin organizations gathered Monday, January 4, blocks from downtown Kenosha, to hear from Jacob Blake’s family and demand justice. The gathering came together in response to the upcoming decision from Kenosha District Attorney Michael Graveley on whether Rusten Sheskey will be charged with any kind of crime. Sheskey is the officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times in August, which sparked a week of protest in Kenosha and surrounding areas.

Protesters stopped along the way to hand out handwarmers to fight the cold and hear from Jacob Blake’s family and other local activists. The event was full of love, but many expressed concerns about the deployment of hundreds of Wisconsin National Guard troops to Kenosha and the preemptive state of emergency declared by Sheriff David Beth.

The treatment of protesters by police over the summer surely is weighing heavily on everyone’s minds, especially as a moment of silence was held for Anthony Huber and JoJo Rosebaum, two protesters killed at the hands of white supremacist Kyle Rittenhouse.