Wisconsin Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Statement on One Year Since Jacob Blake was Shot by Kenosha Police

The Wisconsin chapter of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement on the one-year mark of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. On August 23, 2020, Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake, a Black man, in the back seven times as he was getting into a car. Blake’s family stated that his three children were in the car at the time of the shooting. Blake is now paralyzed from the waist down. No charges were brought against Officer Sheskey. 

“It has been one year since Jacob Blake was shot in front of his children, and nobody has been held accountable,” said Katie Olson, a volunteer with the Wisconsin chapter of Moms Demand Action. “While our elected officials have been working in a bipartisan way to answer calls for lasting change by discussing use of force laws and banning chokeholds, we still have a long way to go toward addressing the racist systems that continue to perpetuate police violence against Black people. Although no amount of action or accountability will change the fact that Jacob Blake is paralyzed or heal the deep trauma inflicted on him and his family, we remain committed to standing with the Kenosha community and fighting for real and lasting change.” 

More information about police violence is available here.