MADISON, Wis. — An Illinois teenager charged in the slayings of two people during street protests in Wisconsin following the police shooting of a Black man pleaded not guilty Tuesday, according to multiple news reports.
Kyle Rittenhouse, now 18, was in court just as the city of Kenosha is bracing for a charging decision for the white police officer who shot Jacob Blake on Aug. 23. The shooting, which was captured on bystander video and left Blake paralyzed, sparked sometimes-violent unrest and eventually the deadly confrontation between Rittenhouse and several protesters.
Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake seven times as Blake was about to get into an SUV during a domestic dispute. The police union has maintained Blake resisted arrest and was armed with a knife, although state investigators have said only that a knife was found on the floor of the vehicle. Blake’s three children were in the back seat of the SUV when he was shot.
As the protests that followed damaged businesses in the city of 100,000 near the Wisconsin-Illinois border — authorities ultimately estimated some $50 million in damage — some people answered a call on social media to travel to Kenosha. That included Rittenhouse of Antioch, Illinois, who is charged with shooting three people, killing two of them, with an assault-style weapon during one of the demonstrations.
Conservatives have rallied to Rittenhouse’s legal defense, arguing that he was a patriot who took up arms to protect people and property. Others see him as a domestic terrorist whose presence with a rifle incited protesters. Rittenhouse, who is white, was 17 at the time of the shootings.
Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley is expected any day to announce whether Sheskey will face criminal charges. Concrete barricades and oversized metal fencing surrounded the Kenosha County Courthouse. Fearing a repeat of the August protests, the Kenosha Common Council on Monday night unanimously approved an emergency resolution that goes into effect with the announcement and allows the mayor to set curfews.
Meanwhile, Gov. Tony Evers activated 500 National Guard troops to help Kenosha authorities when the decision is announced.
“Our members of the National Guard will be on hand to support local first responders, ensure Kenoshans are able to assemble safely, and to protect critical infrastructure as necessary,” Evers said in a statement.
Blake’s father led a march through the city Monday evening, calling on people to “make noise” and be “heard around the world.”
“(Sheskey) tried to kill my son and could have killed my grandchildren,” Jacob Blake Sr. said during a news conference before the march. “He shot him seven times in his back unjustifiably.”
The family said it’s taken too long for a charging decision, and the precautions suggest that Sheskey won’t be charged.
“What is the National Guard for?” Jacob Blake Sr. said. “They going to deliver mail? Deliver ice cream? What do you think they’re here for?”
Tanya McLean, executive director of the community organization Leaders of Kenosha and a friend of the Blake family, said as Monday evening’s march was kicking off that violence isn’t acceptable.
“No matter what the decision is, we are seeking nonviolence,” she said. “We want everybody to come out, make as much noise as you want, but we don’t want any destruction of property or businesses. We are for nonviolence. Anything else is not acceptable for this community.”
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