Sen. Kamala Harris spoke privately with Jacob Blake the Black man shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin and his family on Monday, her campaign said.
The Democratic vice presidential nominee was in Wisconsin for her first campaign visit since joining former Vice President Joe Biden in his bid to unseat President Donald Trump this November. Harris said she wanted to speak with Blakes family to express concern for their well-being and, of course, for their brother and their sons well-being and to let them know that they have support.
Theyre an incredible family and what theyve endured and they just do it with such dignity and grace, Harris told reporters after the meeting. And you know theyre carrying the weight of a lot of voices on their shoulders.
Several members of Blakes immediate family, including his parents and two sisters, met with Harris. Blake joined by phone for about an hour.
Kamala Harris on her meeting with Jacob Blakes family: I mean theyre an incredible family and what theyve endured and they do it with such divinity and grace and you know theyre carrying the weight of a lot of voices on their shoulders. pic.twitter.com/O98W5XhICI
— Tyler Pager (@tylerpager) September 7, 2020
Blakes attorney, Ben Crump, said the discussion was inspirational.
In a moving moment, Jacob Jr. told Sen. Harris that he was proud of her, and the senator told Jacob that she was also proud of him and how he is working through his pain. Jacob Jr. assured her that he would not give up on life for the sake of his children, Crump said in a statement. She encouraged them to continue to use their voices even through their pain to help America make progress to end systematic racism.
Harris visit follows Bidens own trip to Wisconsin last week, during which he also met with Blakes family and spoke with Blake via phone.
Trump went to Wisconsin last week as well, but the president did not meet with or mention Blake during the trip. Earlier he said that the parties could not agree on a way to meet.
A cellphone video of Blakes Aug. 23 shooting by Officer Rusten Sheskey spread around the internet, sparking more calls for an end to police brutality in America and spawning additional protests in Wisconsin and across the nation three months after the death of George Floyd.
All of the officers involved in the encounter with Blake have been suspended. State and federal authorities are investigating the matter, but no charges have been filed.
Blakes attorney shared a video on Saturday in which the 29-year-old gave his first comments on his injuries. Speaking from a hospital bed, Blake, who is paralyzed from the waist down, said his experience was nothing but pain.
Your life and not only just your life, your legs something that you need to move around and move forward in life could be taken from you like this, he said in the video. You do not want to have to deal with this shit, man. … It hurts to breathe. It hurts to sleep. It hurts to move from side to side. It hurts to eat.read more
Kamala Harris Speaks With Jacob Blake, Paralyzed In Police Shooting, And Family
