Minneapolis
The mother of Jacob Black — whose son was shot seven times by police officers and paralysed as a result and sparked violent protests in US — urged for peace and calm on Tuesday, after doctors said it would “take a miracle” for her son to walk again.
“We really just need prayers,” Julia Jackson said of her son Jacob Blake, seen in video being shot up to seven times at point-blank range by a white Kenosha, Wisconsin police officer as he tried to get into his car with his three children inside on Sunday.
With hundreds of protesters marching for a third night Tuesday — and at least one small group of mainly white, heavily armed men vowing to protect property — her call for healing took on greater urgency.
Clashes between a smaller group of demonstrators and police broke out later Tuesday, with protesters shooting fireworks at law enforcement who responded with rubber bullets, one of which hit AFP’s reporter. The most recent police shooting of an African American has sparked outrage and protests in US cities, including New York and Minneapolis.
The majority have demonstrated peacefully, though some protesters also burned cars and buildings on Sunday and Monday nights in Kenosha. Jackson was visibly emotional as she urged peace ahead of a national protest planned for Washington this weekend, where Blake’s shooting, the killing of George Floyd three months ago and other deaths have mobilized the powerful Black Lives Matter movement.—AFP
