East end shooting, rioting seed fear west of Interstate 94
By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer
Interstate 94 has long been a dividing line between east and west in Kenosha and Racine counties.
But for many living on the west end, the busiest stretch of highway in the state is not wide enough to calm fears related to civil unrest in the City of Kenosha this week.
Since Sunday, when a white police officer was recorded on video shooting a black man multiple times in the back, the City of Kenosha has been under siege with protests, riots, looting that has sparked outrage locally and nationally.
Concerns escalated Tuesday when a teen from Antioch, Illinois, was detained pending charges in Kenosha for shooting three people and killing two of them. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was with a group of armed men who purported to be protecting a car dealership, according to various reports.
Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth on Tuesday acknowledged many residents have lingering concerns civil unrest could spread west of Interstate 94 based on social media speculation.
On social media platforms Facebook and Twitter, some residents on the west end of Kenosha County have shared or retweeted posts claiming people from outside the area could be targeting schools and properties west of Interstate 94.
“People are frustrated, I get it. And they’re scared. I certainly get that, too. Rumors abound on social media and elsewhere, with widely varying levels of truth to them,” Beth said in a statement. “We know that much of the damage is being inflicted by people coming in from outside our community, with the intent to rob and destroy, not to engage in their First Amendment right to demonstrate.”
Sunday set the tone
Jacob Blake, a Black man, was recorded on video by a Kenosha resident walking away from a group of city police officers, including one who grabbed onto his shirt, and opened fire multiple times as Blake attempted to enter a car.
The state Department of Justice, which is overseeing an investigation of the shooting, said it occurred after Kenosha police officers responded to a domestic disturbance in the 2800 block of 40th Street.
Blake, airlifted by Flight for Life helicopter, is hospitalized in serious condition at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa.
The Associated Press, as of Tuesday, said Blake is paralyzed from the waist down.
While there has been speculation, including rumors Blake had a weapon, the shooting reignited protests over racial injustice in several cities, just three months after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
Kenosha County officials have since declared a state of emergency, instituted a nightly curfew east of Interstate 94, and shut down all Interstate 94 exit ramps to help prevent outside agitators from entering the City of Kenosha.
The preventive measures, however, have not stopped destruction of downtown Kenosha with rioters setting fires at the Kenosha County Courthouse, landmarks and small businesses.
Local lawmakers respond
Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, has been the target of criticism from local Republican lawmakers for his response to the civil unrest.
Evers, who initially called for police reform Monday afternoon, later that day authorized the Wisconsin National Guard to support Kenosha County law enforcement at the request of local officials.
House Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, responded around the same time and said he found the video recording disturbing.
“Like many in Wisconsin, I watched the events in Kenosha unfold last night and was disturbed by the video of the officer-involved shooting. Jacob Blake and his family are in my prayers and I hope for his recovery,” he said.
Vos, meanwhile, announced plans to form a task force focusing on racial disparities.
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