People gathered to support police during a Sunday rally in downtown Kenosha, Wisconsin, offering a contrast to the sometimes violent demonstrations protesting police brutality that have roiled the city after Jacob Blake’s shooting.
As The Associated Press reported, rally-goers numbered in the “scores,” some of whom wore “back the blue” T-shirts, waved American or Blue Lives Matter flags, and applauded as police vehicles drove by.
Jennifer Payton, 44, who attended the rally, told the AP, “With the things that they face on a daily basis, they need that little extra push of love and to show that they are needed. I mean, if you went in to work every day, and you were told that you were bad or had things thrown at you, I think it would weigh on your psyche a little bit, too.”
Kenosha has been at the center of the national stage since police shot Jacob Blake on Aug. 23 after responding to a domestic dispute, paralyzing him. Since then, the town along Lake Michigan, about 40 miles south of Milwaukee, has seen protests every night. On Tuesday, authorities say a teenager armed with a rifle fatally shot two protesters and has since been charged with first-degree murder.
President Donald Trump announced his intention to visit the riot-torn city on Tuesday, despite Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ request that he “reconsider.” As The Daily Wire reported:
In a letter released Sunday afternoon, and obtained by News 3 Now, Evers told Trump that he and other community leaders in Kenosha “are concerned your presence will only hinder our healing” and “delay our work to overcome division and move forward together.”
“It is our job as elected officials to lead by example and to be a calming presence for the people we know are hurting, mourning, and trying to cope with trauma. Now is not the time for divisiveness. Now is not the time for elected officials to ignore armed militants and out-of-state instigators who want to contribute to our anguish,” said Evers.
Kenosha police revealed Monday that of the 175 arrests made in connection with the recent rioting and looting of the city, more than 100 were not Kenosha residents, and represented 44 different cities. As The Daily Wire reported:
Among those arrested by Kenosha police were members of “Riot Kitchen,” a Portland-based organization that claims affiliation with “anti-fascist” organizations but says it shows up to protests to feed hungry demonstrators and members of the local homeless community. The group, which arrived in Kenosha in two buses, was detained and then arrested by both the Kenosha Police Department and the Wisconsin National Guard.
Although Riot Kitchen claimed police brutality, suggesting that they had been singled out for their agenda and their out-of-state license plates, Kenosha police revealed that the Riot Kitchen crew was carrying “multiple fuel cans,” and attracted officer attention with what appeared to preparations for violence.