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As Donald Trump toured parts of the Wisconsin city of Kenosha on Tuesday, against the wishes of local government officials, the family of Jacob Blake, the young black father now paralyzed after being shot by city police, had a message for the visiting American president.
Justin Blake, Jacob’s uncle, opened a community party on the same block in Kenosha where a police officer shot his nephew multiple times in the back. The shooting prompted another harsh scrutiny of US police practices and led to the deaths of two firearms protesters, killed by a white militia supporter last week.
“We are not going to allow anyone to stain my nephew’s name,” Justin Blake said, as Trump met elsewhere with local law enforcement and criticized protesters who had taken to the streets after the shooting.
“We have no words for the orange man in the White House,” added Blake.
Trump’s visit came to a city at the center of American politics following the Blake shooting, the nights of protest and vandalism it sparked, and finally the deaths of two protesters allegedly at the hands of Kyle Rittenhouse, who is now charged with murder. .
Trump had announced his trip to Kenosha as a unifying move, but Blake’s family refused to meet with him and his agenda was dominated by meetings with local police officials and business leaders. He toured the damaged property and paid far more attention to the destruction than to the police shooting that preceded it.
For many residents, especially black citizens, Trump’s visit was not well received, echoing local mayor John Antaramian and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, who had asked the president not to come. In local court, about 100 Trump supporters and a similar number of Black Lives Matter supporters traded chants back and forth. Some 50 meters away, members of the National Guard sat laughing and joking behind the courthouse wall.
Jacob Ansari, a 42-year-old IT security adviser, wore a T-shirt depicting the Republican Party being thrown in the trash. He said: “The president doesn’t have to be here and increase the tension. He is irritating his followers and bringing in all these people who don’t wear masks and who have the potential to incite more violence.
He added: “People frame everything around broken windows and property, and not the actual human lives that are being harmed by bad cops and white supremacists. I think we all have to go out and stand up right now and say that none of this is okay. It’s not okay for the president to go out and whip his potentially violent supporters. “
Others agreed, saying that Trump’s visit was unlikely to defuse the situation in the city, especially as it brought many Trump supporters to the streets and came after widespread support for the shooter among Republicans and conservatives.
“Trump’s arrival here is counterproductive, because he essentially backed the armed assassin who entered here. That is clearly racist, “said Mike Edwards, who lives in nearby New Glarus.
“The riots give the movement a black eye, but I hope people can see the frustrations behind it. I hope Kenosha motivates people to go to the polls and vote for him. “
Trump’s caravan had passed a mix of supporters on the way into town, many of whom were carrying American flags, and also protesters, some with signs reading Black Lives Matter. When a massive police presence, with several armored vehicles, secured the area, barricades were set up along several of the city’s main thoroughfares to keep bystanders at a distance from the passing presidential vehicles.
Among those waiting for Trump were two elderly women, Joyce and Kathy, who declined to give their last names. They said they had lived in Kenosha for 60 years and had been sitting outside the local courthouse since 9:30 a.m. in support of the president and wearing Maga hats and Trump t-shirts.
“We love that Trump is coming here! Those who are against you, there is nothing you can do to satisfy them. But those of us who love him, he comes here to help and support us. It will make it better for all of us, ”Joyce said.
Kathy added: “People have the right to protest. It is not all bad, but it is causing more problems and promoting more violence. I wish they would just listen to what Trump is trying to do. It has done a lot of good for our country ”.
Meanwhile, at the block party, Blake’s uncle Justin made a farewell comment to Trump on behalf of a family and community still mourning the horrific injuries of one of their own.
“Keep your disrespect and foul language away from our family,” he said.
