Neither the deployment of the National Guard, nor the curfew that took effect at 8 pm on Monday evening deterred protesters, some of them toting guns, from taking to the streets of Kenosha for the second night in a row.

The unrest was sparked by the shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, a black man, by police on Sunday. Blake was shot seven times from behind and is now being treated in the hospital for his injuries. The showdown between Blake and the officers, said to be over a domestic violence incident, was caught on a cellphone camera, with the footage triggering mass protests in the city which have quickly spiraled into riots, looting and vandalism.

On Monday evening, protesters set out marching toward the courthouse, protected by lines of officers clad in full riot gear.

Just like the previous night, the unrest was accompanied by vandalism, with protesters filmed setting fire to garbage trucks parked near the courthouse.

A fire has also broken out at a Department of Corrections facility in the city.

After damaging public city property, protesters turned their anger to private businesses, with another video showing them trashing vehicles at a car dealership.

The vandals have torched several other businesses, including a furniture store, and have torn down street lights.

The first night of mayhem on Monday has left scores of cars scorched and businesses ransacked, prompting Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers to call in National Guard troops to quell the violence.

'We'll burn your store down too': Kenosha rioters show no remorse

Rioters have brandished guns in the open for the second night in a row, but it wasn't only the rioters and police that took to the streets heavily armed: several citizens decided to make a stand and defend local businesses from looters, footage shared on social purports to show.

Demonstrators ignored a citywide curfew and at one point faced down police armored personnel carriers and tear gas, while enacting an apparent scorched Earth policy of torching local businesses indiscriminately, much to the dismay of legitimate protesters and local residents.

One resident, having apparently had enough, patrolled the streets in his pick up truck, engaging with the rioters and pleading for them to take their issues out on the police but spare local businesses.

"Just because you people are too scared to go deal with the cops... take your issues up with them..." the man can be heard pleading.

His efforts were seemingly in vain, however, as one of the alleged "protesters" called out the name of the do-gooder's business, written on the side of his truck, and gleefully proclaimed, "We'll burn your store down too!"

Kenosha is the latest flashpoint of racially charged, anti-police violence to sweep the US, with tensions having already erupted in many cities, including Seattle and Portland, following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in May.

CBS News whitewashes Kenosha destruction as mostly 'peaceful protests'

To some in the mainstream media, the wave of arson and destruction that swept over Kenosha, Wisconsin was nothing more than "peaceful protest" that "gave way to clashes." Don't believe your lying eyes, they may as well have said.

That's not quite how CBS News saw it though. According to anchor Gayle King on Tuesday, the riots began as "peaceful protests, which is what the Black Lives Matter is really about."

"It's not clear if those setting fires were involved in the initial demonstrations," King said. Yet as she described Black Lives Matter's supposedly peaceful methods, CBS played scenes of vehicles engulfed by fire, crowds jumping on cars, and businesses still smoldering from the night's anarchy.

According to King, the protests spontaneously "gave way to clashes" as night fell. Reporter Mola Lenghi further appeared to excuse the destruction, telling viewers that "setting this truck on fire right here behind me is how some protesters have responded to the authorities' use of stun grenades, [and] of tear gas."

By Tuesday morning, hours of video footage from Kenosha circulated online, showing that the protests were anything but peaceful.

CBS instead focused on the event that triggered the riots - the police shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake on Sunday. Blake was shot in the back seven times by officers as he attempted to get into his car, collapsing in front of his children. His father told the Chicago Sun-Times that Blake is now paralyzed from the waist down.

The network wasn't alone in whitewashing the riots. The New York Times also described Monday's events as "peaceful marches" that "gave way to fires and destruction." On CNN, a banner described the protests as "fiery but mostly peaceful."

The latest conflagration in Kenosha isn't the first riot to be given the "peaceful protests" treatment by the media. As the first wave of Black Lives Matter protests hit Minneapolis in May after the police killing of George Floyd, MSNBC's Ali Veshi reassured viewers that the scene was "not generally speaking, unruly." As Veshi spoke, a building burned immediately behind him.

When anarchists occupied Seattle's Capitol Hill district two weeks later, the Seattle Times described the short-lived 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone' as a "loose, egalitarian" paradise of "free snacks," "free of uniformed police." In reality, the zone was a lawless place, where vigilante justice reigned, thieves profited, and by the end of June, four people were shot, two fatally.

The disconnect between narrative and reality was noticed on Twitter, where conservatives mocked CBS' friendly coverage of the Kenosha riots. "You could describe D Day as a peaceful boat trip across the English Channel that gave way to clashes on the beach," one commenter joked.

Wisconsin governor says National Guard will protect STATE property

Governor Tony Evers is sending more Wisconsin National Guard troops to Kenosha to protect state property, but residents seem to be largely left on their own as riots over the police shooting of Jacob Blake show no sign of ending.

"We are assessing the damage to state property and will be increasing the presence of the Wisconsin National Guard to ensure individuals can exercise their right safely, protect state buildings and critical infrastructure, and support first responders and fire fighters [sic]," Evers tweeted on Tuesday.

The governor also declared a state of emergency over the ongoing "protests" in Kenosha, near the border with Illinois.

The 125 National Guard troops deployed on Monday did little to deter rioters from attacking a courthouse and setting several businesses on fire for the second night in a row. The governor condemned "this path of damage and destruction" but immediately qualified it by denouncing "systemic racism and injustice."

Evers, who is white and a Democrat, also called the two days of rioting a reflection of "the pain, anguish, and exhaustion of being Black in our state and country."

The initial Black Lives Matter protest over the shooting quickly escalated, with a car dealership looted and set on fire, followed by a nearby church. The car lot was destroyed again on Monday, along with a furniture store and other nearby buildings and businesses.

Evers also sought to downplay the riots and arson, calling them "the actions of a few" that should not "distract us from the work we must do together to demand justice, equity, and accountability."

The rioters, some of whom were armed and pointed weapons at police and reporters, were entirely unrepentant about the destruction and told journalists they saw it as necessary in order to make change happen.

In one video posted to Twitter, several armed men are seen standing outside a local business. When asked if they are protecting the building, one of them answers, "We're out here trying to protect residents, we're trying to protect the innocent people, and we're trying to protect the businesses of the citizens out here."

Later in the video, one of the men yells at passing protestors, "I'm on your side, as long as you're against the cops, but you can't burn down your local businesses."

During a Sunday night demonstration, a Wisconsin police officer was knocked out by a brick that was thrown at him by a member of a a nearby mob. People in the crowd around the collapsed officer shouted, "F--k the police."

Meanwhile, details have emerged about Blake's criminal past, including a recent arrest for sexual assault.

According to online records, Kenosha County prosecutors charged Blake with third-degree sexual assault, trespassing, and disorderly conduct in connection with domestic abuse. It was unclear whether that case had anything to do with the shooting.

In 2015, Blake was also charged with resisting arrest and carrying a concealed weapon after he pulled a gun at a local bar in Racine.

Police in the former auto manufacturing center of 100,000 people midway between Milwaukee and Chicago said they were responding to a call about a domestic dispute when they encountered Blake on Sunday.

They did not say whether Blake was armed or why police opened fire, they released no details on the dispute, and they did not immediately disclose the race of the three officers at the scene.

The man who said he made the cellphone video, 22-year-old Raysean White, said he saw Blake scuffling with three officers and heard them yell, 'Drop the knife! Drop the knife!' before the gunfire erupted. He said he didn't see a knife in Blake's hands.

"I don't have confidence in anybody that is white that is doing an investigation about a black young man that was shot seven times in his back," Blake's father, Jacob Blake Senior, said on Tuesday afternoon.

His remarks came moments after Benjamin Crump - an attorney representing the family, who has been involved in other Black Lives Matter cases - argued that "we can't have two justice systems in America," one for white and another for black Americans.

Twitter users expressed disgust and reported King for harassment after the prominent Black Lives Matter advocate said he would begin targeting members of the Kenosha police force, regardless of whether they were involved in Sunday's shooting.

An Illinois teen has been charged with first-degree murder over the shooting of three protesters - two fatal - amid the ongoing riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Alleged militia member Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested in his home state.

Rittenhouse was accused of fleeing Wisconsin "with intent to avoid prosecution" for the shooting. A public defender has been assigned to Rittenhouse's case.

Rittenhouse is described as a "fugitive from justice" in public court documents obtained by the Daily Dot.

While two people were fatally shot during the third night of violent rioting in Kenosha, a third victim was hospitalized with injuries that are believed to be non-life-threatening. However, the exact circumstances of the shootings remain murky.

Some witnesses insisted Rittenhouse was a white supremacist supporter of the pro-police 'Blue Lives Matter' movement, while others claimed he was simply there to protect property from rioters.

Riots & looting in Kenosha, Wisconsin as police reportedly shoot black man in the back SEVEN TIMES
24 Aug, 2020 05:10

People attacked a courthouse and threw Molotov cocktails at officers in Wisconsin after a viral video of yet another police shooting of a black man sparked heated protests.

Rioters broke into the local courthouse and started a fire on the ground floor, as looting was reported in the area.

A clip circulating on social media shows an angry crowd surrounding a patrol car. A Molotov cocktail was thrown at the officers. A few seconds later one officer was seen suddenly falling to the ground, while a bystander said that he "just got bricked."

Rallies were held on the streets with protesters chanting "No justice, no piece." People demonstrated outside the Kenosha County Public Safety Building despite a curfew that was imposed until 7am on Monday.

Local media reported that people were smashing the windows of parked police cars.

Public anger was sparked by a police-involved shooting on Sunday night. The chilling video that quickly went viral shows a black man walking towards an SUV followed by two officers, when one of them opened fire at the man as he opened the car door. According to reports, at least seven shots were fired.

Police said they were responding to a "domestic incident," without giving any additional details.

The victim, Jacob Blake, 29, was airlifted to a hospital in Milwaukee. A man claiming to be his friend wrote on social media that Blake was "out of surgery and in the ICU."

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers compared the shooting of Blake to the death of George Floyd and other black Americans who were killed in altercations with police.

"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," Evers stated.

The rioting and violence has escalated quickly with armed protesters face offing against police.

RT reports that Jacob Blake had a criminal record:

Video of the incident triggered a wave of public anger in Kenosha, which fueled a night of rioting. US mainstream media covered the shooting as the latest example of reckless police brutality targeting African Americans.

The reporting however seemed to avoid Blake's apparent criminal record. Wisconsin Circuit Court lists a man with the same name, age and address as the subject of an active arrest warrant, with three charges relating to domestic abuse, including 3rd degree sexual assault.

A 2015 article in the local press describes an incident in a Kenosha bar, during which an intoxicated 24-year-old man by the name Jacob Blake drew a gun during a quarrel with another patron. When police later stopped Blake's car, he resisted arrest and was injured by a police dog.

Neither piece of information justifies the shooting, contrary to what some commenters on Twitter have proclaimed. But those facts may be relevant in explaining what happened with Blake on Sunday night. Mainstream media articles have largely avoided mentioning those details, however.

There is a sentiment shared by many supporters of Black Lives Matter protests that bringing up a black person's criminal record is a dirty right-wing trick, only carried out by apologists for police brutality.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) said in a statement that the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave while an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

In further developments, the National Guard has been called to Kenosha.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has announced that scores of National Guard troops will be deployed to the city of Kenosha by Monday evening as violent riots continue over the police shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake seven times.

"This is a limited mobilization of the National Guard focused on supporting the needs of local first responders to protect critical infrastructure, such as utilities and fire stations, and to ensure Kenoshians are able to assemble safely," Evers said.

----------------------------------------------------

New footage from moments before Blake was shot has emerged showing him fighting with the police who were trying to restrain him. Blake also had open arrest warrants for sexual assault and domestic violence, however, it is unknown if the police were trying to apprehend him for that reason. Witnesses also say the police attempted to use a taser on Blake prior to the shooting.

Kenosha Police issued this statement to CNN:

"As always, the video currently circulating does not capture all the intricacies of a highly dynamic incident. We ask that you withhold from passing judgment until all the facts are known and released."