As Black Lives Matter protests continue across the country, police faced
off with hundreds of peaceful protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Protesters have demonstrated against police brutality in Kenosha since
the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck for eight minutes
in May.

On Tuesday, some two dozen Kenosha County Sheriff officers stood in
front of a courthouse as the protesters across the street called for racial
justice. Helicopters circled overhead and officers could be seen stationed on
the courthouse roof.

It was the second day of demonstrations in Kenosha after video
circulated Sunday showing the shooting of Jacob Blake — multiple times, in the
back, as he tried to get in his car, with his three children watching.

Blake, 29, was airlifted to hospital in Milwaukee in serious condition,
but local media reported Monday afternoon that his family said he was out of
surgery and improving.

The protesters chanted “No justice, no peace,” and “Say
his name — Jacob Blake” — well-worn slogans from previous demonstrations
ignited by similar incidents.

One couple, who only gave their names as Michelle and Kalvin, brought
their seven-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son with them.

“I want my kids to see how change happens and am here so nothing
like this ever happens to them,” Michelle said.

Another resident, 37-year-old Sherese Lott, called for an end to police
impunity in such killings. “If I killed someone I’d be convicted and
regarded as a murderer. I think it should be the same for the police,” she
said.

Kenosha County, on the shores of Lake Michigan, has declared a curfew
from 8:00 pm until 7:00 am Tuesday, after protesters set alight several city
vehicles and damaged the county courthouse late Sunday.

“The public needs to be off the streets for their safety,” the
county sheriff said in a statement.

Wisconsin governor Tony Evers said he was sending 125 members of the
national guard to the city to maintain order Monday night.

He urged protesters to be peaceful, adding: “We must see the
trauma, fear and exhaustion of being black in our state and our country.”

The footage and the lack of any immediate explanation provoked painful
memories of the police killing of African American George Floyd three months
ago in Minneapolis, which sparked massive nationwide protests.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden called for a transparent
probe into the shooting.

“Yesterday, Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by police.
His kids watched from the car. Today, we woke to grieve yet again. We need a
full and transparent investigation,” he said.

Wisconsin’s Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes said the shooting of
Blake reflected a pattern of police violence nationwide against African
Americans.

Barnes said Blake “was actually trying to de-escalate a situation
in his community but the responding officer didn’t feel the need to do the
same.

Kenosha police pushed back at criticism, and urged the public to wait
for the results of an investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

“As always, the video currently circulating does not capture all
the intricacies of a highly dynamic incident,” said Pete Deates, president
of the Kenosha Professional Police Association.

The officers involved in the incident were placed on administrative
leave, according to the justice department.

Civil rights attorney Crump, who represents the families of Floyd and
other black victims of police violence, said Blake had been trying to break up
a fight between two women.

“We will seek justice for Jacob Blake and for his family as we
demand answers from the Kenosha Police Department,” Crump said in a
statement.

The governor, Evers, also called a special session on the state
legislature to pass bills on police reforms he said were submitted two months ago
but stifled by Republicans.

“We cannot wait for Republican leadership to show up for work,
because clearly they intend to keep us waiting,” he said.

Hundreds of protesters also marched in New York City against Blake’s
shooting Monday.

“I’m angry and I’m upset and I’m tired. I’m really tired. I’m tired
of marching 27 miles up and down the city for this,” one, who gave her
name only as Awal, said with tears in her eyes.