‘This is sickening’: Cardi B, Beyoncé, Common decry Jacob Blake shooting
Celebrities and athletes voiced their collective frustration and anger over the shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man who was shot multiple times from behind by Wisconsin police on Sunday and who is now paralyzed from the waist down.
The shooting in Kenosha, Wis., which was caught on video, reignited national outrage over police brutality and the mistreatment of Black people as racial tensions continue to run high following the May killing of George Floyd.
New details continue to emerge. But on Monday, Ben Crump, the civil rights and personal injury attorney representing the families of Floyd and Breonna Taylor, said that Blake “was helping deescalate a domestic incident when police drew their weapons and tasered him.”
“As he was walking away to check on his children, police fired their weapons several times into his back at point blank range,” Crump’s firm said in a statement released on Twitter. Crump confirmed Tuesday that Blake was paralyzed from the waist down and is “praying it’s not permanent.”
Kenosha police did not immediately disclose the race of the three officers at the scene or say whether Blake was armed or why police opened fire, and they released no details on the domestic dispute, according to the Associated Press. The officers were placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice in a shooting by police.
After the footage went public, advocates decried the shooting on social media. Many shared pictures of Blake with his young sons. Others were grateful that Blake made it through alive, although severely injured.
Wisconsin city leaders endorsed police body cameras in 2017, but kept putting them off. They could have shed light on the shooting of Jacob Blake.
Protests erupted in Wisconsin over the past two nights as police clad in riot gear clashed with protesters. Social justice activists described the Blake shooting as another instance of white supremacy at play in law enforcement.
“Wow this is SICKENING ! I can’t believe it ! What’s going to be the excuse now ?” “WAP” rapper Cardi B wrote on Instagram, sharing a video a graphic clip of the shooting. “They just don’t give a ... nomore ! SOMETHING MUST HAPPEN !Yooo this is insane they really not giving a ... anymore.Lord please!”
“Black Is King” star and singer Beyoncé shared a photo of Blake with his sons on Instagram, writing, “Sending prayers and thoughts to Jacob Blake and his family.”
Lakers star LeBron James saw the video for the first time on Monday and it made him feel angry, fearful and hurt, he said. He and teammates Kyle Kuzma and Anthony Davis spoke passionately about the shooting — and the relationship between Black people in America and police following the Lakers’ Game 4 victory over Portland.
“It’s just, it’s just — quite frankly, it’s just [expletive] up in our community,” James said. “And I know people get tired of hearing me say it, but we are scared as Black people in America. Black men, Black women, Black kids, we are terrified. Because you don’t know.”
In the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting, LeBron James and other Lakers spoke about the impact of police brutality while Celtics and Raptors players talk about a possible stoppage of play.
After a playoff win, Oklahoma City Thunder star and former Clippers player Chris Paul also sent thoughts and prayers to the Blake family in a televised postgame interview.
“We said we’re going to speak on the social injustice and the things that continue to happen to our people,” Paul said. “It’s not right. It’s not right. So the win is good, but voting is real. I’m going to challenge all my NBA guys, other sports guys: Let’s try to get our entire teams registered to vote. There’s a lot of stuff going on in the country. You know, sports — it’s cool, it’s good and well, that’s how we take care of our families — but those are the real issues that we’ve got to start addressing.”
The Detroit Lions canceled practice on Tuesday in response to the shooting. Football players held up signs in front of the team facility that read “The World Can’t Go On.”
Anger has erupted in the streets of Kenosha, Wis., after police shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, apparently in the back as he leaned into his SUV.
Here’s a sampling of other reactions:
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