2020 Jacob Blake Protests

Overview

The 2020 Jacob Blake Protests refers to the riots and demonstrations that occurred across the U.S. that were sparked by the shooting of Jacob Blake, who was shot seven times in the back by police on August 23rd, 2020, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The unrest caused by the event reignited widespread looting, property damage and conflicts between protesters and police similar to what was seen during the George Floyd protests in late May 2020.

Background

Shooting of Jacob Blake

On August 23rd, 2020, 29-year-old Jacob Blake was reportedly trying to break up a fight between two women in Kenosha, Wisconsin, when police responded to a call about a domestic dispute. During the encounter, police turned their attention to Blake, who reportedly had an open warrant for his arrest, and attempted to subdue him with a taser. Officers then drew their weapons as Blake walked around his SUV and attempted to enter the driver’s side, the police who followed him then grabbed his shirt as he entered the vehicle before shooting him seven times from behind. The family’s attorney later said that Blake was attempting to check on his three sons, who were in the back of the SUV. Blake was then flown to Froedtert Hospital in serious condition, and on August 25th, his father stated that he was paralyzed from the waist down.^[1]

Start of the Protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin

On the night of August 23rd, protests surrounding the shooting erupted across Kenosha County, leading to damaged police vehicles, a truck fire and vandalization of the local courthouse.^[2] An officer was also struck in the head with a brick and knocked unconscious, tear gas was deployed and looting occurred. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers eventually declared a state of emergency and up to 200 members of the National Guard were deployed to maintain safety.^[3]

On August 24th, one viral video shared by the Twitter^[4] account After Action Report showed looters assaulting an older business owner who was trying to defend his business in Kenosha (seen below). The video received over 2.2 million views, 12,300 likes and 13,900 shares in roughly 18 hours.

Developments

Kenosha Shooting

On the night of August 25th, 2020, clashes broke out between armed civilians and protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, resulting in two deaths and a third person seriously injured after a shooting occurred] According to The NYPost,^[6] the shooting was sparked by a conflict between rioters who were damaging cars at a dealership and armed citizens who attempted to stop them.^[7] During the shootout, one individual was initially shot in the head, another in the torso and the last in the arm, each by the same rifle.

Several videos of the shooting went viral on social media, which also trended on Twitter,^[8] depicting the event and the aftermath. On August 26th, Twitter^[9] user ElijahSchaffer tweeted one of his videos showing the shooter fleeing the scene of the first shooting while being chased by protesters who attempted to subdue him before two of them were shot, one fatally and one seriously wounded. The clip (shown below) received over 1.9 million views, 6,200 likes and 2,900 retweets in roughly 10 hours.

Twitter^[10] user Julio_Rosas11 shared a video of the man who was shot in the arm that same night (seen below), receiving over 790,000 views, 4,500 likes and 2,500 retweets.

Later that day, Twitter^[15] user shannonrwatts shared a clip taken from TheRundownLive, who streamed the night's events, which shows an interaction between the armed civilians and Kenosha police. The video (shown below) received over 1.3 million views, 6,900 likes and 5,500 retweets in just over three hours.

On the afternoon of August 26th, President Donald Trump tweeted^[18] that he would be “sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha to restore law and order” following the events of the shooting. His tweet (shown below) received over 62,000 likes and 14,000 retweets in less than one hour.

Shooter's Identity

On August 26th, following the night of the shooting, news broke that the shooter was identified as Kyle Rittenhouse of Antioch, Illinois, who has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, according to The Daily Beast.^[11]

That same day, several videos of Rittenhouse being interviewed before the event were also shared online. One such clip was taken by TheRundownLive and later shared by Twitter^[12] user CRYPTOPUNKK (shown below), receiving over 127,000 views in nine hours.

Another interview, tweeted^[13] by user ElijahSchaffer that same day, also features Rittenhouse before the shooting (seen below) and received over 228,000 views in roughly eight hours.

Spread to Other Cities

In the days following the shooting of Jacob Blake, protests were held in several major cities across the country, including New York City, Minneapolis, Baltimore and Washington DC.^[14] At least five were arrested on August 24th in Minneapolis during the demonstrations.

During the protests in Washington D.C. on August 25th, protesters targeted a group of diners outside a restaurant and can be seen attempting to get them to join in on the demonstration. According to the Washington Post,^[16] a woman named Lauren Victor was singled out at one point for refusing the protesters’ request. Washington Post reporter Fredrick Kunkle shared footage of the encounter on his Twitter^[17] (shown below), receiving over 10.8 million views, 20,000 likes and 11,000 retweets in roughly 22 hours.

Search Interest

External References