The demonstrations were marked by daily peaceful protesting followed by confrontations with law enforcement, rioting, and
arson at night. A state of emergency was declared on August 23, and the
National Guard was activated the following day. Further confrontations arose when armed militia members, whom Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth described as "like a group of vigilantes", arrived with the expressed intent of protecting businesses in the city.[9][10][11][12]
Jacob Blake is an
African-American man who was shot seven times during an
arrest by police officer Rusten Sheskey.[14][15] The incident occurred in Kenosha on August 23, 2020, as police officers were attempting to arrest Blake. Blake was unsuccessfully
tasered.[16] He was shot after he opened the door to an
SUV he had been using and reached into the vehicle.[17] In an interview, Blake said that during the scuffle he picked up a "pocket knife" which had fallen from his pants and he was trying to put it in his vehicle when he was shot.[18] The officer said he fired when he believed Blake would use the knife to stab him.[18] Blake survived, but was
paralyzed from the waist down.[19][20] He was initially handcuffed to the hospital bed and deputies were posted in his room,[21][22] but the handcuffs and deputies were later removed and a warrant for his arrest was vacated after Blake paid a
bond.[23]
Events in Kenosha
Protests and riots
Day 1: August 23
A
state of emergency was declared in the county starting at 10:15 p.m., and
garbage trucks were used to block 56th Street. Starting at 11:05 p.m., police began using
tear gas and rubber bullets in an attempt to disperse crowds, which lasted throughout the night.[24][25] Near midnight, the crowd lit a small fire in front of a ground-floor window of the
Kenosha County Courthouse[24] and at least three garbage trucks and a trolley car were lit on fire.[24][25]
By 2:30 a.m., a truck in a used car dealership along
Sheridan Road was lit on fire. The fire spread to most of the 100 other cars on the lot, damaging an entrance sign for the
Bradford Community Church in Kenosha (it did not spread to the church building itself).[25][26] The buildings surrounding
Civic Center Park, along with many downtown businesses, including the post office,
Reuther High School, the Kenosha County Administration Building, and the
Dinosaur Discovery Museum all sustained damage to their front windows and entrance foyers.[27]
Police scanners stated that a
Lenco BearCat armored personnel carrier was damaged by protesters, and a video posted by a local newspaper appeared to show an officer being knocked out with a brick.[28][29]
Day 2: August 24
Mostly peaceful demonstrations were held during the day.[30]
Protesters broke a door off its hinges in an effort to forcefully enter the Public Safety Building before being turned back by pepper spray.[36]Teargas was deployed for a second night starting around 8:30 p.m. in an attempt to disperse unlawful crowds gathered near the courthouse, as protesters launched fireworks at police.[37] Another garbage truck was lit on fire,[37] while armed gunmen appeared to be guarding a downtown gas station.[38]
The Kenosha Guard, a citizen
militia organization with a
Facebook group, created an event page named "Armed Citizens to Protect our Lives and Property" on August 24, and by the next evening the page had over 5,000 users. The Kenosha Guard hosted a gathering for militia members to choose locations in the city to protect. Sheriff Beth stated that the presence of militia members created confusion and complicated the situation. Facebook removed the group and page on August 26.[44]
Day 3: August 25
The Kenosha County Board sent a letter to Governor Evers requesting the deployment of an additional 2,000 national guardsmen.[45] Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth asserted that most of the damage was from individuals with no intent to protest and who were not from
Kenosha County. Governor Evers declared a state of emergency for the region, sending in 250 troops from the Wisconsin National Guard to the city.[46]
Law enforcement erected a tall fence to protect the courthouse. Protesters attempted to breach the fence line throughout the night but failed.[47][48] The Kenosha fire chief said there were 34 active fires and 30 businesses damaged or destroyed and the police said there were arrests associated with looting.[49]
Significant numbers of armed civilians[50] were also on the streets.[51] Police said that such groups had not been invited and were not helpful.[52] Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth described them as "a militia... like a vigilante group."[9] However, cellphone footage showed police thanking armed civilians and giving them bottles of water.[50] Sheriff Beth characterized the officers as "very wrong to say that" to the militia members.[12]
Protests continued peacefully with chants and sidewalk art in a park near the courthouse, followed by a march. Riot police and National Guard troops did not have a visible presence.[53]
The Kenosha County Board sent a second letter to Governor Evers requesting the deployment of an additional 1,500 national guardsmen. "Our county is under attack," the board wrote in the letter. "Our businesses are under attack. Our homes are under attack. Our local law enforcement agencies need additional support to help bring civility back to our community."[45]
Protests continued daily through August 29, when about 1,000 people participated in a march and rally. Speakers included the father of Jacob Blake, Lieutenant Governor
Mandela Barnes and others who called for police reform legislation. The group marched to the Kenosha Courthouse chanting, "7 bullets, 7 days", "One Person, One Vote" and "No Justice, No Peace".[57]
Two men from
Missouri who had traveled to Kenosha, who described themselves as militia members, were arrested on federal gun charges on September 1.[4] Prosecutors alleged that one of them had told a witness that he was going to Kenosha "with the intention of possibly using the firearms on people".[58] Kenosha County's state of emergency curfew ended as of September 2.[59]
In March 2021, the Kenosha Police Department reported that in addition to at least 250 protest-related arrests in 2020, an additional 55 (49 adults and 6 minors) had been charged with connected crimes. Of these, 35 were Kenosha residents. Additional arrests were expected in following months.[5]
Visits by political figures
President
Donald Trump visited Kenosha on September 1, 2020, to see the damage caused by the protests and to praise law enforcement. He participated in a roundtable, but did not meet with Blake or his family.[60][61] In a letter to Trump, Governor Evers had asked him to reconsider his visit over concerns that his presence would hinder efforts to "overcome division".[62] Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian and the city's NAACP branch president had expressed similar reservations, with Antaramian saying the trip was "ill advised"[63] and the NAACP branch president stating it would "only inflame tensions".[64] However, Trump insisted he was going to make the trip.[65] Former governor
Scott Walker, U.S. Senator
Ron Johnson, and seven
Kenosha County board members had encouraged the visit.[66] During his visit, he met with store owners whose property was damaged during the protests with at least one owner refusing to be a part of the event.[67] Trump engaged in a round table discussion on community safety at
Mary D. Bradford High School with protesters and supporters lining the streets during his visit.[68]
Democratic presidential candidate
Joe Biden visited Kenosha on September 3. The Biden campaign said he had received "overwhelming requests" from local officials for the Kenosha visit, although it was against the suggestion of the local
NAACP president and also Kenosha County Executive Jim Kreuser. During this first campaign visit to Wisconsin, Biden met with Jacob Blake's family and held a community meeting.[69][70]
Damage assessments
City property valued at $2 million was destroyed by rioters, including garbage trucks, street lights and traffic signals.[6] Kenosha's mayor requested $30 million in aid from the state to cover the extensive damage.[71] Damage to private property could be as high as $50 million, according to estimates from the Kenosha Area Business Alliance. This includes the Parole and Corrections office, Danish Brotherhood Lodge, B&L Furniture, and Rodes Camera Store, which were burned down. Overall 40 businesses were shut down and an additional 100 businesses damaged.[7][72]
Various people in the vicinity chased Rittenhouse as he ran away after shooting Rosenbaum. Rittenhouse fell down and shot two men, Huber and Grosskreutz, as they confronted him, one armed with a handgun.[79][80][81] He then walked away with his hands up at times to the police.[81] He was not arrested by the local police at that moment, but turned himself in to police in his hometown of Antioch, Illinois the next morning.[82]
At trial, Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges.[83]
On January 4, 2021, the Kenosha County Sheriff declared a state of emergency and National Guard troops were deployed to Kenosha ahead of the expected announcement regarding whether or not criminal charges would be filed against Officer Sheskey.[102] On January 5, Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley officially announced that no criminal charges would be filed against Officer Sheskey, any other officers, or against Jacob Blake.[103] A rally for Blake was held on January 4. No violence was reported in the city and Blake's family held a peaceful march on January 11 calling for the officer to be fired. That afternoon, the National Guard was pulled out of Kenosha and deployed to
Madison due to the onset of the
2021 United States inauguration week protests.[104][105]
^Willis, Haley; Xiao, Muyi; Triebert, Christiaan; Koettl, Christoph; Cooper, Stella; Botti, David; Ismay, John; Tiefenthäler, Ainara (August 27, 2020). "Tracking the Suspect in the Fatal Kenosha Shootings". The New York Times.
ISSN0362-4331.
Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
^Kelly, George (August 26, 2020).
"Oakland: 'Agitators' vandalize courthouse following mostly peaceful Jacob Blake protest". East Bay Times.
Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2020. setting fires, breaking windows, spray-painting slogans and lighting off fireworks, as well as pointing lasers and throwing objects at officers"; "firefighters responded to at least two dozen fires, including two vehicles