The mother of a man who was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, called for an end to the looting and riots that have taken over the city, saying her son, Jacob Blake, would be "unpleased" with the violence.
"If Jacob knew what was going on he would be very unpleased. So I’m really asking and encouraging everyone in Wisconsin and abroad to take a moment and examine your heart," Julia Jackson, Blake's mother, said on Sunday. "We need healing.... I also have been praying, even before this, for the healing of our country."
Kenosha erupted into violence Sunday night after the shooting. Rioters have targeted a neighborhood known for its many black-owned businesses near where Blake was shot, setting fire to rows of cars in a car lot and burning down businesses and churches.
Blake's cousin also tweeted early Monday morning that Jackson had asked protesters to "please remain peaceful." Other residents condemned the violence yesterday in the media and in videos shared on Twitter. One said the riots are "putting lives in danger." Another, heard shouting in the background of a video of a burning Kenosha building, said, "This is ridiculous" and "You think this is 'Black Lives Matter'?"
Black leaders across the country have spoken out against violence in their cities, which has come in the wake of police-involved deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others. In Seattle, black activists and faith leaders publicly supported the city’s police chief and condemned rioters. Last month, Rachelle Dixon, the vice chair of Portland’s Multnomah County Democrats, called the destruction in her city "disturbing."