Gov. Tony Evers on Monday deployed 500 National Guard troops to Kenosha to keep the peace.
UPDATE: The charging decision is scheduled for 3pm Tuesday.
(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s governor is sending National Guard troops to Kenosha ahead of the decision on charges in the Jacob Blake case.
The deployment is the latest sign that authorities expect trouble once a charging decision is made.
“We are continuing to work with our local partners in the Kenosha area to ensure they have the state support they need,” Evers said in a statement. “Our members of the National Guard will be on hand to support local first responders, ensure Kenoshans are able to assemble safely, and to protect critical infrastructure as necessary.”
Monday also saw Jacob Blake’s family and a number of protesters take to the streets.
Kenosha’s city council on Monday approved a resolution that allows for a two-week state of emergency “regarding potential civil unrest.”
Prosecutors in Kenosha have not said when a decision on charges in the case will come. Every indication is that it will come soon.
The protestors say they want to see “change” in Kenosha. Blake’s father, Jacob Blake Sr. said his family “can’t just sit around” and wait.
Video shows Blake fighting with officers, then walking around to the front of an SUV and then reaching inside. Police later found a knife inside the SUV.
A Kenosha police officer shot Jacob Blake in the back during an attempt to arrest him back in August.
The shooting in August sparked nights of rioting and fires in Kenosha. The violence in the streets ended only after Kyle Rittenhouse shot and killed two people and wounded a third.
Blake has remained paralyzed since the shooting. His family says he may never walk again.
This latest deployment to Kenosha is the second for the Wisconsin National Guard. About 500 Wisconsin troops were sent back in August.
Rittenhouse has been charged in that case, although his lawyers say he fired in self defense.
By Benjamin Yount | The Center Square
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Reposted with permission
