November 8, 2022, is Wisconsinites’ chance to make sure something like that doesn’t happen again.
It seems that everywhere you look, articles mention January 6th, or as the left calls it, The Capitol Riot. We know that Democrats are using all the scare tactics they can think of just days leading up to November 8th.
Since we have seen many connect January 6 to this election because they claim it was an attempt to eliminate the fair and free election, let’s take a few minutes to remember the Kenosha riots. Americans must remember what happened during these riots and how they were encouraged by Democratic leaders.
Tony Evers, Mandela Barnes, and Josh Kaul must be accountable for leaving their communities and cities vulnerable and afraid; in the hands of violent, criminal mobs.
The Kenosha Unrest: August 2020
August 23, 2020. Kenosha, Wisconsin’s fourth largest city, is usually a peaceful manufacturing town nestled between Milwaukee and Chicago. But, unfortunately, what should have been a typical Sunday turned into hell on earth overnight.
Jacob Blake, an African-American man, was shot and killed during an arrest by Officer Rusten Sheskey. Blake was tasered, but it proved unsuccessful. He was shot after he opened the door to the SUV he was using and reached into the vehicle. Kenosha Police officers responded to a call after a mother reported that Blake kidnapped her child. The woman had obtained a restraining order against Blake after he sexually assaulted her, and she urged officers to intervene quickly.
Blake admitted he had a knife when the police shot him and claimed he was just trying to put the knife back in his truck while the officers attempted to arrest him. Blake was left paralyzed from the incident and spoke to an interviewer with ABC’s Good Morning America, “I shouldn’t have picked it up… considering what was going on. At that time, I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
Rioting in Blake’s name caused upwards of $50 million in property damage, while the officer who shot him was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
This shooting marked the beginning of violence and unrest on the streets of Kenosha. This tragic event was a portion of the much larger and widespread rioting, arson, and looting across the map as part of the BLM movement, the primary catalyst being the death of George Floyd.
After Jacob Blake’s shooting and George Floyd’s death, we saw many Democratic leaders pouring fuel on the fire.
Tony Evers made a statement the same day of the Jacob Blake shooting, “While we do not have all of the details yet, what we know for certain is that he is not the first Black man or person to have been shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement in our state or our country.”
He adds, “We stand with all those who have and continue to demand justice, equality, and accountability for Black lives in our country. Lives like those of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony Robinson, Denise Hamilton, Earnest Lacy, and Sylville Smith. And we stand against excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging with Black Wisconsinites.”
Even after Evers got all the facts about the shooting, he still treated Blake, a criminal, like a victim of a horrible hate crime when commenting on the anniversary of the incident.
Mandela Barnes responded to the incident with an inflammatory tweet that falsely claimed Blake was shot for no reason. Barnes’ stated, “Last night, Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times in front of his children. This wasn’t an accident. The officer’s deadly actions attempted to take a person’s life in broad daylight. Like many of you, the video is burned into my mind like all the past videos just like it.”
Commenting during a speech the following day, Barnes said, “Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times in front of his children. Let me be clear; this was not an accident. This was not bad police work. This felt like a vendetta being taken out on a member of our community. The officer’s deadly actions attempted to take a person’s life in broad daylight.”
Barnes made another outrageous comment after the city was left in ashes, “In the wake of it all, you see a community actually being built.”
Evers and Barnes’ negative statements got so out of hand that law enforcement organizations felt the need to request that they stop. Their remarks were “premature, judgmental, inflammatory, and only add to the anger and divisiveness of an already dangerous situation.”
After the shooting created millions in damage via riots in the summer of 2020, Barnes even joined several extreme speakers at a “Justice for Jacob Blake” rally in Kenosha. One of the speakers at this event made an unsettling statement, “I love being black. I love black people. I know some of you may not want to say that. You tell us how to behave when you have taken our lives. The black man is worth something. His life is worth something. I have to say, god damn it, if you kill one of us, it’s time for us to kill one of yours.”
One year after the shooting of Jacob Blake, Barnes also maintained the rhetoric that Blake was just a victim of brutal, racist police. He tweeted, “On August 23, 2020, Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times in front of his children in Kenosha. Today, one year later, we are still living in a world where a deadly pandemic continues to spread and where systemic racism continues to ravage communities of color.”
Throughout the ordeal, Josh Kaul stayed silent. He was presented with opportunities to regain peace and inform the public that Evers’ premature statement was untrue. That there were more facts to look at and to remain calm. Instead, Kaul said nothing and allowed Evers to make an incorrect statement that could have added to the chaos and destruction in the city of Kenosha. Kaul turned his back on law enforcement and Kenosha.
Evers and Barnes have kept their stance about Blake very clear; Kaul wanted to stay quiet. Even though the shooting was justified, and the officer was cleared, they still tried to drill this idea into everyone’s head that Blake was a victim, not a criminal. The justified shooting of Jacob Blake did not fit their ultra-radical narrative and woke politics.
Governor Evers Could Have Done More
The Kenosha Riots could have ended after one night, but they didn’t. Evers didn’t work quickly or effectively. Did Evers send help? Yes, eventually. Did he work quickly enough? No. Was it enough help to control the chaos? No, it wasn’t. Instead, Evers beat around the bush after he made a premature and antagonizing statement.
Overwhelmed, law enforcement desperately needed Evers to do more to restore order.
It took three nights of violent rioting for Governor Evers to send enough troops to help police regain control. The third day of rioting involved Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old who had to shoot three rioters to protect himself. Rittenhouse faced a mandatory life sentence if found guilty and would have been convicted of first-degree intentional homicide. He was eventually found not guilty on all counts.
Evers decided it would be best to take extreme measures for the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. The Governor announced that he mobilized around 500 WI National Guard troops to prepare for the outcome of the verdict. If only Evers had initially sent enough guard members to prevent the city of Kenosha from being destroyed by rioters in August 2020.
Governor Evers recently called Tim Michels a liar for suggesting he failed to support Kenosha amid the riots and protests in the summer of 2020. He’s calling this comment a lie right before election day, hoping residents will just forget the nightmare they were forced to live through.
Evers provided support, yes. However, he needed to act faster and send more help from the very beginning.
Maggie Gau, Evers’ Chief of Staff, was sent an urgent email by Johnsons’ Deputy Chief of Staff, Julie Leschke, at 8 am on August 26, 2020.
Leschke asked the same question Kenosha City and Council members had been asking for three long days. Unfortunately, Maggie Gau never bothered to respond.
Evers could have initially authorized more National Guard troops, but he chose not to. The Governor also rejected help offered by Trump, including sending out Federal Agents from Homeland Security on August 25, 2020.
Along with these bad choices, he jeopardized Kenosha, and we saw that in the aftermath. Evers exacerbated the rioting with his decisions, beginning with his inappropriate statement that vilified police and glorified Jacob Blake.
Over 100 businesses were damaged during the unrest, and around 40 of them were destroyed. Rioters launched fireworks at police and lit countless cars, garbage trucks, and other vehicles on fire. Violence ensued, and lives were lost. Multiple buildings were burnt to the ground, vandalized, or looted. Evers eventually gave in and accepted the help from Trump.
The bottom line is that Evers did not react effectively to the emergency he was responsible for controlling. Instead of acting forcefully and immediately, he tip-toed around the entire situation. A leader will know when to take action and do whatever it takes to protect citizens, and Governor Evers has shown us that he is not capable of this.
The Bottom Line
If the left is going to bring up the “Capitol Riot” before the election to scare voters into voting blue, then voters must be reminded of the absolute terror that unfolded in their own neighborhoods while Evers and Barnes played favorites with criminals, demonized police and left them overworked and undersupported, and jeopardized the safety and wellbeing of residents in Kenosha and nearby cities.
If something like the Kenosha Riots were to occur again, the state would need to be equipped with strong leaders willing to put residents, law enforcement, and public safety above everything else. Wisconsin needs a governor who isn’t afraid to hold out their hand to police and offer support during challenging times.
The badger state needs a Governor who prioritizes the safety of Wisconsinites, not the criminals. If we want to ensure that crime is appropriately addressed, we need to elect suitable candidates who are tough on crime and ensure residents are kept safe.
