Jacob Blake, a young father of three children who were in the vehicle he was driving, was shot 7 times in the back on Sunday Aug. 23 in Kenosha, Wisconsin by city police. The incident re-triggered BLM protests.

Blake did not die. His injuries required several surgeries. He is said to be paralyzed from the waist down. His small and large intestines were removed. He suffered severe damage to kidneys, liver and genital functioning.

According to his father, the heavily sedated Blake was handcuffed to his hospital bed. A sheriff’s deputy was assigned to his room. The explanation for these strange, cruel actions were not immediately forthcoming from Kenosha or Milwaukee County law enforcement.  UPDATE:  Handcuffs off on 6th day, see below.

The Sad, Disgusting Predictable Post-Police-Shooting Pattern

• A black man is shot by white police officers (not wearing body cams as instructed one year ago) in incident videotaped by witness where no threat to law enforcement can be seen.
• Shooting officers are placed on administrative leave (presumably with pay).
• A peaceful Black Lives Matter protest ensues calling for justice for shooting victim.
• Credible advocacy group, the ACLU, calls for resignation of police chief, county sheriff and mayor.
• Unknown individuals (often shown to be radical right wing white people (some in blackface)) inflict property damage.
• BLM opponents (racist president and supporters) blame property damage on BLM (black “violent anarchists” of whom we are to be very afraid).
• The reason for protest is overshadowed by attention given to property over human rights (a right wing value, if they have any values). Media follow right wing talking points regarding sanctity of property.
• Zealous, trump supporter (a white 17 year old boy, Kyle Rittenhouse), armed with loaded AR-15 drives from Illinois to Wisconsin to “help” police — photographed scrubbing graffiti, later videotaped being chased by white protesters who want him away from them (one protester threw a plastic bag, another attempts to disarm him with skateboard landing the supporter on the ground), who then fires the protesters in the middle of the street, killing the two men attempted to stop him and wounding a third.
• Since early 2020 BLM protests swept the country, peaceful protesters make it a point to stop anyone inciting or practicing violence, lest BLM be blamed. Thus, in this case, the kid with the AR-15 was being chased by the peaceful people.
• The shooter, who was known to the police and thanked for his supportive service prior to the shooting, raises his arms in surrender position with gun slung on his shoulder as he walks toward multiple paramilitary police vehicles and a squad car passing him enroute to the site of the murders. Police in all vehicles allow the white kid to walk past them while he is armed. What happens next is even stranger. He returns home to his bed and surrenders the next day to his local police. He is treated as a hero by Fox News host and right wing media.
• Chief Miskinis whines that Rittenhouse was not apprehended, actually they told him to get out of the way, because the paramilitary parade of police were responding to “shots fired,” not a “person down” complaint. The police said they had no idea he was involved in the shooting. Guess they missed the gun and hands-up approach. Wondering how that would have worked out had Rittenhouse been black.
• Miskinis also blames Rittenhouse victims for dying because they were on the street after curfew. See video below. But Rittenhouse was not out past curfew and armed!
• Federal militia come to Kenosha using the Portland model — unmarked (probably rented) vans, unidentified heavily armed soldiers, random arrests of protesters for curfew violations (set at very early hours to exacerbate arrests).
• The shooting victim lives but suffers extensive organ damage and paralysis. Despite his precarious health status, he remains handcuffed to his hospital bed.
• An “investigation” will be undertaken by State authorities. It will take 30 or more days.
• Protesters demand quick action. Another novel aspect of this case is that NBA, MLB, WNBA and NHL professional sports teams  — the players, not the owners, suspend play to demand attention to the case.
• Law enforcement always defames victims during the pre-investigation phase, before findings can be issued.
• Police chief Daniel Miskinis announces a July warrant for the Sunday August 23 shooting victim as part of a domestic violence complaint (a 3rd degree felony). A $500 bond went unpaid. That became the reason for handcuffing the victim (heavily sedated and paralyzed) to the bed. Guess he posed a flight risk.
• Public disgust with police department action and eventual payment of bond (and vacating of the warrant) leads to end of handcuffing on Friday August 28, 6 days later. Victim still paralyzed.
• Defamatory process escalates thanks to police union. Union accuses those who saw the widely circulated video of the shooting and the Wisconsin Department of Justice of believing a fictional account of events. This gaslighting is intended to be the basis for defending police action later.  [The police union says Blake was armed with a knife. He was commanded to drop it. He did not comply. His non-compliance led to “hands-on” tactics. Non-compliance continued. Blake was tasered. It did not incapacitate. Blake then put officer in headlock. Another taser did not impact him. Having used less-lethal measures to gain compliance with verbal commands, firearms were drawn and used.]
• Traditionally, the investigation would exonerate the police officers, even if Blake dies. The justified shooting conditions have been issued by the police union.
• The officers might be exposed to a grand jury considering whether or not to indict, but if the town is “conservative” (right wing), they will not be indicted. If political pressure is brought to bear by BLM adherents and the governor, they will be indicted, but survive a jury trial with a “not guilty” acquittal.
• Mr. Blake or his surviving family if he dies will receive a settlement from the city after having to file a civil suit for wrongful death or to pay for living with major disabilities for the rest of his life.
• Justice not won in this or any other case.

The Law Enforcement “Leaders” in the Jacob Blake Shooting
and Kyle Rittenhouse Murder of Innocents

Miskinis Blames Rittenhouse Victims

Kenosha County Sheriff Beth, Racist

The horrible undignified mistreatment of Jacob Blake as he lay mostly unconscious in his hospital bed and the disparagement of the two brave protesters who attempted to chase away the lethally armed Rittenhouse from the peaceful group of protesters are both illustrations of the Fundamental Attribution Bias described in this prior WBI Blog.

P.S.

The pessimistic pattern outlined above need not happen. Are there signs of change? Yes.

The largest unified protest by professional athletes is a significant turn towards hope.

The power of BLM to capture the public’s attention and compel white folks to participate is inspirational.

And I never want to give the dark side the last word. VOTE.