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Following US President Donald Trump’s controversial visit to Kenosha, his challenger Joe Biden also travels to the city, which has been rocked by unrest during anti-racism protests. You will meet the family of African American Jacob Blake, who was seriously injured by police shooting. “My goal will be to have a positive impact on what happens,” Biden said before the visit.
The protests in Kenosha were sparked by a black man who was shot in the back during a police raid. Trump met there on Tuesday with representatives of the security authorities and businessmen affected by the unrest. There was no meeting with the family of African American Jacob Blake, 29, who survived the seven shots with serious injuries. Biden, on the other hand, will be meeting with members of Blake’s family, a spokeswoman for her campaign team told CNN news channel.
Biden also said before Thursday’s trip that he believes the police officer who shot Blake should be charged, even if the investigation should eventually go its way. Attorney General William Barr later criticized in an interview with CNN that it was “inappropriate” to speak in favor before the investigation was completed. Barr himself said at the same time, without further details, that Blake was about to commit a crime and was armed.
Trump traveled to Kenosha despite the fact that the mayor of the city and the governor of the state of Wisconsin, both members of the Democratic Party, had opposed the visit of the Republican. Mayor John Antaramian had also originally asked Biden to wait with a trip, but withdrew it after Trump’s visit.
In television footage of Trump’s meeting in the city, neither the mayor nor Governor Tony Evers could be seen, but Police Chief Daniel Miskinis and Sheriff David Beth, who thanked the president for their support. Trump had sent federal government security forces to Kenosha after the governor had already activated the National Guard.
Trump had made violence on the fringes of protests, especially in cities ruled by Democrats, a central issue in his election campaign. At the same time, he refused to condemn the violence of his followers. For example, the president said of a video from the city of Portland showing a parade of Trump supporters shooting protesters with a paintball gun: “Paint is not ammunition.”
Trump had fueled the debate over his visit by defending on Monday a 17-year-old white man who shot two people on the sidelines of protests in Kenosha. These were the only two deaths during the protests in Kenosha. Trump warned that the protesters had attacked the teenager “very violently” and that “they would have killed him” if he had not defended himself.
Witness video shows the shooter armed with a rifle fleeing from the protesters. That was after he fatally wounded a man. The video shows people trying to stop him. He falls down and shoots a man who appears to be looking for his rifle. The 17-year-old has been accused of two murders, his lawyer speaks of legitimate defense.
The video also shows that the shooter then walks with his hands towards the approaching police vehicles, which pass him. He was arrested the next day in the neighboring state of Illinois. This drew criticism from Blake’s father, among others, who spoke of “two systems of justice” in the United States.
Biden raised $ 364.5 million for his election campaign in August. Biden’s team said that $ 205 million came from smaller online donations. More than 1.5 million Americans had donated to Biden for the first time.
