African-American Jacob Blake, who was hit by seven point-blank shots in the back by a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin (United States), spoke about the importance and value of life in a video released today by the media.
“There is much more life to live here,” said Blake, wearing a hospital gown where he still remains after the August 23 incident that sparked violent protests in the city of Kenosha.
“Your life, and not only your life, your legs, something you need to walk and move on in life, can be taken away from you”, lamented the young man, who suffers from paralysis in the lower half of his body and who highlighted his statement with a snap of his fingers.
The recording, less than a minute long, was released on Saturday night on Twitter by Blake’s family lawyer Ben Crump and released today by local media.
“It hurts to breathe, it hurts to sleep, it hurts to move from side to side, it hurts to eat,” Blake said of what he is facing 24 hours a day, where he lives with surgical sutures on his back and stomach.
“I tell people to change their lives outside. We can be together, earn some money, make everything easier for our people, because a lot of time has been wasted ”, he stressed.
The Washington Post reported that Blake first appeared in public on Friday at a virtual court hearing.
The publication indicated that the 29-year-old African-American is accused of third-degree sexual assault, theft and disorderly conduct.
During the hearing, he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
A police officer shot Blake in the back as he opened the door of an SUV car, where his three youngest children were, a scene that was filmed by the witnesses’ cell phone cameras.
The videos show Blake moving away from the cops who were aiming his guns. As he approached the SUV and opened the driver’s door, one of the policemen grabbed his shirt and fired seven times.
