Protesters Gather In New York Over Wisconsin Police-Involved Shooting Of Jacob Blake: 'It's The Same Old Thing All Over Again'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The family of a Black man shot by Wisconsin police is speaking out as protests continue across the country, including here in New York.
A crowd grew in Union Square on Tuesday, joined in anger and in grief over the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.
"I feel like it's a slap in the face, right? Because you actually start to feel like there's gonna be some type of change and then it's the same old thing all over again," protester Dagob Ibe told CBS2's Ali Bauman.
Cell phone video shows a Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer shoot Blake in his back multiple times Sunday as the 29-year-old tried to get something from his car where his three sons sat inside.
"They shot my son seven times. Seven times. Like he didn't matter," said Blake's father, Jacob Blake Sr.
"He was treated like some foreign object that didn't belong," said Zietha Blake, Jacob Blake's sister.
Blake's family in Wisconsin says he is now paralyzed from the waist down.
"As I pray for my son's healing, I also have been praying even before this for the healing of our country," said Julia Jackson, Jacob Blake's mother.
Two nights of looting and riots in Kenosha have left the city smoldering, despite an 8 p.m. curfew. Several businesses are gutted and the Department of Corrections facility is fully destroyed.
Police in riot gear have clashed with protesters, who want the officers involved in Jacob Blake's shooting to be held accountable.
"The violence and the destruction, [Jacob] would be very unpleased," Jackson said.
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Blake's attorney says he had been trying to break up a domestic disturbance when police arrived.
In a statement, the Kenosha Police Union said in part, "As always, the video currently circulating does not capture all the intricacies of a highly dynamic incident."
"Let's use our hearts, our loves and our intelligence to work together to show the rest of the world how humans are supposed to treat each other," Jackson said.
National Guard troops have been deployed to Wisconsin to help with the protests. The Kenosha officers involved have been placed on leave during the investigation.
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