KENOSHA, Wis. — Fires burned in Kenosha for a second straight night after police shot Jacob Blake, a Black man who some witnesses say was simply trying to break up a fight.
Shortly after midnight Tuesday, several businesses and vehicles were ablaze in Kenosha neighborhoods when a day of peaceful daytime protests erupted after dark.
Hundreds of protesters stretching several blocks marched ahead of a caravan of honking cars through the streets of Kenosha on Monday evening to denounce police abuse following the shooting of 29-year-old Blake on Sunday.
The cellphone video of the incident shows Blake walking around and opening up his car door before appearing to be shot in the back by police. Blake’s father said there are now “eight holes” in his son’s body, and he’s paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors don’t yet know if the injury is permanent.
“Say his name! Jacob Blake!” the racially diverse group of peaceful protesters chanted, many of their fists raised.
But later Monday night, after an 8 p.m. curfew went into effect, a group of protesters leading the march approached dozens of officers with shields, helmets and other protective gear and began throwing water bottles and lighting off powerful fireworks that sent crowds of demonstrators running as they exploded.
The confrontations capped off a wild day in Kenosha in the wake of the shooting of Blake, a father of six whose family has a history of community activism in Evanston.
