Jacob Blake delivers message from hospital bed: Your life can be taken in an instant
Jacob Blake, the young African-American man who was shot multiple times by a white police officer last month, has delivered a powerful message to his supporters from his hospital bed, warning that their lives could change in an instant.
"Your life and not only just your life, your legs -- something that you need to move around, to move forward in life -- can be taken like this, man," Blake said in a video message released by his lawyer on Saturday.
Blake, 29, was shot seven times by a white officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 23 as he was trying to enter an SUV, with his three children watching.
The scene was filmed by bystanders and shared on social media. The two police officers who were trying to stop or arrest Blake have been suspended.
Despite his injuries, which will likely leave him paralyzed from the waist down, Blake sounded upbeat, saying, "There's a lot more life to live."
#JacobBlake released this powerful video message from his hospital bed today, reminding everyone just how precious life is. #JusticeForJacobBlake pic.twitter.com/87CYlgPDBj
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) September 6, 2020
However, he said there were staples in his back and stomach and that he was in pain all day long.
"It hurts to breathe. It hurts to sleep. It hurts to move side to side. It hurts to eat," he said. "You do not want to have to deal with this."
Blake also urged the protesters to “stick together” because so much time has already been wasted.
"Please, I'm telling you, change your lives out there. We can stick together, make some money, make everything easier for our people out there, man, because there's so much time that's been wasted," he said.
Coming three months after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Blake's shooting sparked a fresh round of anti-racism protests in several cities.
The protests in Kenosha began peacefully the night Blake was shot, but soon turned violent.
On August 25, two people were shot and killed in the violence. A 17-year-old white supporter of President Donald Trump has been arrested and charged with the murders.
Trump, who has ordered additional federal agents to quash the unrest in Kenosha, defended the shooting suspect, claiming, without evidence, that it appeared the gunman was acting in self-defense.
The president visited the flashpoint city on Tuesday but refused to meet with the Blake family. Trump met with police officers instead during the visit.
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