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In the aftermath of the August 2020 police shooting of Jacob Blake,
protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...
s,
riot A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...
s, and
civil unrest Civil disorder, also known as civil disturbance, civil unrest, civil strife, or turmoil, are situations when law enforcement and security forces struggle to maintain public order or tranquility. Causes Any number of things may cause civil di ...
occurred in
Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Wisconsin, fourth-most populous city in Wisconsin, with a population of 99,986 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. S ...
, and around the United States as part of the larger
United States racial unrest In the broader context of racism in the United States, mass racial violence in the United States consists of ethnic conflicts and List of ethnic riots#United States, race riots, along with such events as: * Racially based targeted attacks against ...
and
Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...
movements. In addition to street protests, marches, and demonstrations, the shooting also led to the 2020 American athlete boycotts. The demonstrations were marked by daily peaceful protesting followed by confrontations with law enforcement, rioting, and
arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...
at night. A state of emergency was declared on August 23, and the
National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...
was activated the next day. Further confrontations arose when armed militia members, whom Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth described as "like a group of vigilantes", arrived with the express intent to protect businesses in the city. On August 25, two protesters were fatally shot and a third was injured by
Kyle Rittenhouse Kyle Howard Rittenhouse (born January 3, 2003) is an American man who gained national attention at age 17 for shooting three men in Kenosha, Wisconsin, two fatally, in August 2020, amid protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. He ...
, a 17-year-old from
Antioch, Illinois Antioch is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 14,622. The village is nestled into the Chain O'Lakes waterway system and borders the state of Wisconsin. Part of t ...
. At his November 2021 trial, he argued that he had acted in
self-defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of Force (law), ...
and was found not guilty of
murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...
and other charges.


Background

Jacob Blake is an
African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
man who was shot seven times during an arrest by police officer Rusten Sheskey in Kenosha on August 23, 2020. Blake was
taser Taser (stylized in all caps) is a line of handheld conducted energy devices (CED) sold by Axon Enterprise (formerly Taser International). The device fires two small barbed darts intended to puncture the skin and remain attached to the targe ...
ed, then shot after he opened the door to an SUV he had been using and reached into the vehicle. In an interview, Blake said that during the scuffle he picked up a "pocket knife" that had fallen from his pants and was trying to put it in his vehicle when he was shot. The officer said he fired when he believed Blake would use the knife to stab him. Blake survived but was
paralyzed Paralysis (: paralyses; also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, r ...
from the waist down. He was initially handcuffed to his hospital bed and deputies were posted in his room, but the handcuffs and deputies were later removed and a warrant for his arrest was vacated after Blake paid a bond.


Events in Kenosha


Protests and riots


Day 1: August 23

A
state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
was declared in Kenosha County starting at 10:15 p.m., and
garbage truck A garbage truck is a truck specially designed to collect municipal solid waste and transport it to a list of solid waste treatment technologies, solid waste treatment facility, such as a landfill, materials recovery facility, recycling center ...
s were used to block 56th Street. Starting at 11:05 p.m., police began using
tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...
and rubber bullets in an attempt to disperse crowds. This continued all night. Near midnight, the crowd lit a small fire in front of a ground-floor window of the Kenosha County Courthouse and at least three garbage trucks and a trolley car were set on fire. By 2:30 a.m., a truck at a used car dealership along
Sheridan Road Sheridan Road is a major north-south street that leads from Diversey Parkway (Chicago), Diversey Parkway in Chicago, Illinois, north to the Illinois-Wisconsin border and beyond to Racine, Wisconsin, Racine. Throughout most of its run, it is the ...
was set on fire. The fire spread to most of the 100 other cars on the lot, damaging an entrance sign for the Bradford Community Church (it did not spread to the church building itself). 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 sustained damage to their front windows and entrance foyers. Police scanners said that protesters had damaged a Lenco BearCat, and a local newspaper posted a video appearing to show an officer being knocked out with a brick.


Day 2: August 24

Mostly peaceful demonstrations were held during the day. Wisconsin Governor
Tony Evers Anthony Steven Evers ( ; born November 5, 1951) is an American politician and educator serving since 2019 as the 46th governor of Wisconsin. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 2009 to 2019 as Wisconsin's 26th superintendent of p ...
activated the Wisconsin National Guard to protect firefighters and critical infrastructure in Kenosha. The
ACLU The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. ...
of Wisconsin strongly opposed the move. The county announced a curfew that went into effect at 8 p.m.
Metra Metra is the primary commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 243 train station, stati ...
suspended commuter rail service north of Waukegan station. The Kenosha County exits for
Interstate 41 Interstate 41 (I-41) is a north–south Interstate Highway connecting the interchange of I-94 and U.S. Route 41 (US 41), located about south of the Wisconsin–Illinois border at the end of the Tri-State Tollway in metropoli ...
/ 94 were closed. Protesters broke a door off its hinges in an effort to enter the Public Safety Building before being turned back by pepper spray.
Teargas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce ...
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. Another garbage truck was set on fire, while armed gunmen appeared to be guarding a downtown gas station. Arsonists targeted a Wisconsin Department of Corrections community probation and parole office and the city's Danish Brotherhood Lodge. Other buildings set on fire included a furniture store, residential apartments and several homes. Firefighters worked into the morning of August 25. The Kenosha Guard, a citizen
militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...
organization with a
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
group, created an event page named "Armed Citizens to Protect our Lives and Property", 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. Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said the militia's presence created confusion and complicated the situation. Facebook removed the group and page on August 26.


Day 3: August 25

The Kenosha County Board sent Evers a letter requesting the deployment of 2,000 more national guardsmen. Sheriff Beth said that most of the damage had been done by people with no intent to protest and who were not from Kenosha County. Evers declared a state of emergency for the region and sent 250 Wisconsin National Guard troops to the city. Law enforcement erected a tall fence to protect the courthouse. Protesters attempted to breach the fence line throughout the night but failed. The Kenosha fire chief said there were 34 active fires and 30 damaged or destroyed businesses. Police said there were arrests associated with looting. Significant numbers of armed civilians were also on the streets. Police said that such groups had not been invited and were not helpful (Beth called them "a militia... like a vigilante group."), but cellphone footage showed police thanking armed civilians and giving them bottles of water. Beth said the officers were "very wrong" to thank militia members. At around 11:45 pm, 17-year-old Illinois resident Kyle Rittenhouse shot and killed two people and injured a third. Footage of the first shooting was recorded by Drew Hernandez, and that of the second and third shootings was recorded by Brendan Gutenschwager, an independent video journalist.


Day 4: August 26

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. The Kenosha County Board sent Evers a second letter requesting the deployment of 1,500 more national guardsmen. "Our county is under attack", the board wrote. "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."


Later developments

By August 28, the state had deployed nearly 1,000 National Guard troops and more than 200 federal agents. The Michigan National Guard, Arizona National Guard, and
Alabama National Guard The Alabama National Guard is the National Guard of the U.S State of Alabama, and consists of the Alabama Army National Guard and the Alabama Air National Guard. (The Alabama State Defense Force is the third military unit of the Alabama Mil ...
all sent troops to assist. Protests continued daily through August 29, when about 1,000 people participated in a march and rally. Speakers included Blake's father, Lieutenant Governor
Mandela Barnes J. Mandela Barnes (born December 1, 1986) is an American politician who served as the 45th lieutenant governor of Wisconsin from 2019 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was the Wisconsin State Assemb ...
, 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". Two men from
Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
who had traveled to Kenosha and described themselves as militia members were arrested on federal gun charges on September 1. 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". Kenosha County's state of emergency curfew ended on September 2. 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.


Visits by political figures

President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
visited Kenosha on September 1, 2020, to see the damage and praise law enforcement. He participated in a discussion, but did not meet with Blake or his family. Evers had written to Trump to ask him to reconsider his visit out of concern that his presence would hinder efforts to "overcome division". Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian and the city's NAACP branch president expressed similar reservations, with Antaramian calling the visit "ill-advised" and the NAACP branch president saying it would "only inflame tensions". But Trump insisted on visiting. Former governor Scott Walker, U.S. Senator
Ron Johnson Ronald Harold Johnson (born April 8, 1955) is an American businessman and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Wisconsin, a seat he has held since 2011. A Rep ...
, and seven Kenosha County board members encouraged his visit. During his visit, he met with store owners whose property was damaged during the protests. At least one owner refused to take part in the event. 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. Democratic presidential nominee
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
visited Kenosha on September 3. The Biden campaign said he had received "overwhelming requests" from local officials to visit, although the local
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...
president and Kenosha County Executive Jim Kreuser opposed it. During this first campaign visit to Wisconsin, Biden met with Blake's family and held a community meeting.


Damage assessments

City property valued at $2 million was destroyed by rioters, including garbage trucks, street lights and traffic signals. Kenosha's mayor requested $30 million in aid from the state to cover the extensive damage. 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 another 100 damaged. On October 2, 2020, the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), commonly referred to as ATF, is a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include the investigation and prevention ...
released photos and videos of suspected arsonists, offering up to $5,000 reward for each person identified.


Fatal shooting

On August 25,
Kyle Rittenhouse Kyle Howard Rittenhouse (born January 3, 2003) is an American man who gained national attention at age 17 for shooting three men in Kenosha, Wisconsin, two fatally, in August 2020, amid protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. He ...
, a 17-year-old from
Antioch, Illinois Antioch is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 14,622. The village is nestled into the Chain O'Lakes waterway system and borders the state of Wisconsin. Part of t ...
, shot three people with an AR-15 style rifle. Kenosha resident Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Silver Lake resident Anthony Huber, 26, were killed; Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, a resident of
West Allis, Wisconsin West Allis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. A suburb of Milwaukee, it is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 60,325 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Wis ...
, was injured. Various people in the vicinity chased Rittenhouse as he ran away after shooting Rosenbaum. Rittenhouse fell and shot two men, Huber and Grosskreutz, as they confronted him, one armed with a handgun. He then walked away with his hands up at times to the police. The police did not arrest him, but he turned himself in to police in Antioch, Illinois, the next morning. At trial, Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges.


Events elsewhere


Athlete strikes

In protest of Blake's shooting, multiple professional athletes refused to play that week. It started on August 26 when the
Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
of the
National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
(NBA) refused to take the court for a playoff game. Members of other NBA teams, the
Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The WNBA w ...
(WNBA),
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB), and
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
(MLS) all decided not to play their games on August 26. The strikes extended into August 27 and 28 when players from the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL) refused to play their playoff games. In response to these events, nine
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) teams canceled their practices scheduled for August 27.


Other locales

During the Kenosha unrest, there were similar protests and riots in Madison,
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
,
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, and
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. In
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, there were protests in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...
,
Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
,
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, and San Jose. Blake's aunt, Nicole Blake Chafetz of
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, encouraged peaceful protest and discouraged the violence and property damage that had occurred during the protests in Seattle. The events in Atlanta, Oakland, and San Diego included violence against police officers, and vandalism and property destruction occurred in Atlanta, Madison, Minneapolis, Oakland, Sacramento, and San Jose, for which related arrests were made.


District attorney's decision

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 of whether criminal charges would be filed against Officer Sheskey. On January 5, Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley announced that no criminal charges would be filed against Sheskey, any other officers, or Blake. 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 Sheskey 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.


See also

* Killing of Alvin Cole *
Ferguson unrest The Ferguson unrest (sometimes called the Ferguson uprising, Ferguson protests, or the Ferguson riots) was a series of protests and riots which began in Ferguson, Missouri on August 10, 2014, the day after the fatal Killing of Michael Brown, ...
*
George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...
* George Floyd protests in Wisconsin * 2020–2023 United States racial unrest *
List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States Listed are major episodes of civil unrest in the United States. This list does not include the numerous incidents of destruction and violence associated with various sporting events. 18th century *1783 – Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783, June ...


References


External links

* {{Riots in the United States (1980–present) 2020 controversies in the United States 2020 fires in the United States 2020 in Wisconsin 2020 riots 2020 United States racial unrest African-American history of Wisconsin Arson in 2020 Arson in the United States August 2020 in the United States Black Lives Matter
Protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...
Law enforcement controversies in the United States Law enforcement in Wisconsin Post–civil rights era in African-American history Protests in Wisconsin September 2020 in the United States Shooting of Jacob Blake