Jacob Blake's Father: 'Violence and Looting and Burning' Will Not Heal My Son
Jacob Blake’s father rebuked the rioters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and said “violence and looting and burning” will not heal his son or bring back any of the other men and women who have been killed or injured in controversial confrontations with police.
Jacob Blake Sr. told CNN Friday that the riots in Kenosha and across the country won’t help his son, who was left paralyzed after a police-involved shooting on Sunday.
“You have to understand that we don’t prescribe to useless and violence,” Blake told host Alisyn Camerota.
“Violence and looting and burning, that’s not going to bring Trayvon [Martin] back. That’s not going to bring George Floyd back. That’s not going to bring Tamir Rice back. I could go on and on. That’s not going to bring them back.”
Martin was fatally shot in February 2012 in Florida by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman, CNN reported.
Floyd died on May 25 in Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck for roughly nine minutes during an arrest, sparking widespread protests across the country.
Rice, a 12-year-old black child, also became a symbol for the Black Lives Matter movement after a white Cleveland, Ohio, police officer shot and killed him in 2014, according to The Associated Press.
“That’s not going to make my son get up out of that bed and walk,” Blake told CNN in response to the violence and riots in Kenosha.
“Only God could get him up out of the bed and make him walk. And if he does not, then that’s God’s will. That’s his will. There’s nothing you can do past his will.”
He added, “I can’t be angry because I still have to be faithful.”
Blake’s mother, Julia Jackson, made similar comments in an interview earlier this week.
“My family and I are very hurt — and quite frankly disgusted,” she said.
“And as his mother, please don’t burn up property and cause havoc and tear your own homes down in my son’s name. … [T]o use my child … our tragedy, to react in that manner, is just not acceptable.”
She added, “And it’s not helping Jacob.
“It’s not helping Jacob or any other of the men and women who have suffered in these areas.”
Blake, who is black, was shot after police responded to a domestic violence call, according to the Kenosha News.
After a video of the altercation went viral, peaceful protests turned violent, the Washington Examiner reported.
Blake’s father said his son has been handcuffed to his hospital bed, according to CNN.
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