The last night of the US Republican National Convention saw speakers rail against the faceless “they” who want to defund the police. Earlier, the father of a black man who was shot in the back seven times by police at the weekend in Kenosha, Wisconsin, said his son had now been handcuffed to his hospital bed. 

On Thursday, Jacob Blake’s father said he had visited his son in the hospital the night before and found him in restraints. Blake’s father wanted to know why his son, paralysed after being shot in the back at point-blank range on Sunday 23 August, was being treated this way.

On the night of the shooting, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers released a statement in which he said, “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.”

Protests against the shooting turned violent as angry protestors set cars alight in a prelude to days of clashes with police. While some criticism was levelled at Evers that his comments had incited protestors, it is more likely that protestors were already upset about the death of another black man a few hours earlier. 

The night before Blake was shot by a police officer, 31-year-old Trayford Pellerin was shot and killed at a petrol station in Lafayette, Louisiana. On 22 August, Pellerin was seen, allegedly with a knife, walking away from police officers who shot at him at least 11 times. 

Initially, Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory told media, “The officers opened fire when it became apparent the armed individual was attempting to enter a convenience store, threatening the lives of the customers and workers inside.” However, video of the incident showed Perrin was trying to get away from the policemen. Guillory has since apologised. 

Attorneys Ben Crump and Ron Haley are representing the Perrin family. According to Haley, the location of the bullet holes at the gas station where Perrin was killed make it hard to believe the police when they say they shot at Perrin to protect the people inside the building.

In Kenosha, a video of Blake’s shooting shows the 29-year-old being cornered against his vehicle by police, and then walking away from them and around his vehicle, with two policemen literally two or three steps behind him. He opens his car door and starts to get in when the officer nearest to him opens fire. Seven times. 

The shooting of Blake was captured by Raysean White who lives in the building next door and used his cellphone to record the shooting as he watched from his window. 

White told journalists he could not sleep since witnessing the shooting, but said while it was disturbing for him, “I’m pretty sure Jacob’s kids were more traumatised than anybody during the whole situation.” Blake’s three children, aged three, five and eight, were in the back of the vehicle at the time he was shot.

White said he had earlier seen Blake’s son on the lawn in front of the building as Blake arrived, got out of his car and told the boy to get into the car. White said he stepped away from the window and when he came back he saw police grappling with Blake: “One of them had him in a headlock, punching him in the ribs… the female officer tased him and he kind of leaned on the car.” It was at this point that White started recording. After the tasing, Blake walked around his car and was shot in the back by 31-year-old officer Rusten Sheskey.

The officers involved in the incident have since been suspended. White says police keep giving black people “reasons not to let you protect and serve… We don’t want you guys around because we are scared for our lives.”

On Tuesday 25 August, a 17-year-old teenager shot three people at a protest in Kenosha, killing Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber. Kyle Rittenhouse is being held on multiple charges of first degree murder and will be charged as an adult. 

Rittenhouse is said to be a huge fan of law enforcement and can be seen in some videos talking to police officers on the night. None of them ask him about the rifle he is carrying – you must be over 18 to carry a weapon in Wisconsin. Some reports say Rittenhouse was arrested at his home in Antioch, Illinois, while others say he handed himself in to the Antioch police on 26 August. The teenager will also be charged with possession of a dangerous weapon, a misdemeanor while under the age of 18.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the news that Rittenhouse was to face a total of six counts, including murder and reckless endangerment, President Donald Trump gave his nomination acceptance speech on the White House South Lawn. He was introduced by daughter Ivanka Trump as “… the people’s president… champion of the American worker, defender of common sense and a voice for the forgotten men and women of this country…” 

In his acceptance speech (transcript here) Trump said, “This is the most important election in the history of our country” and went on to promise to protect the right of Americans to bear arms. He praised first responders, most notably the police. He claimed he had been successful in keeping all his election promises and would do the same again.

“America is not a land cloaked in darkness, America is the torch that lights the entire world,” said Trump.  

It would seem that while the USA is allegedly lighting up the entire world outside its borders, inside them incidents of police brutality might set the country ablaze. DM

An Wentzel is Night Editor and specialist reporter for Daily Maverick. She was in the US visiting family when the pandemic struck and is currently marooned in the land of the ‘free’.