Demonstrators in the Wisconsin city where a man was shot over the weekend marched to residential areas on Wednesday night, making noise as they tried waking families up.
The Black Lives Matter movement mimicked tactics used in Portland, where rioters have periodically gone around cul-de-sacs and urged people to support them.
The group was in downtown Kenosha, where people had rioted since Sunday, before deciding to go to another part of the city.
“This our [expletive]. Take it to their [expletive].”
The marchers soon went through residential streets, using loud noises, drumming, and chanting in efforts to wake residents up. Along the way, they sprayed graffiti on a temple and a church.
The tactic of using vehicles to protect crowds has also been adopted from rioters in Portland.
People ignored the curfew imposed to try to keep the peace. The curfew was moved from 8 p.m. to 7 p.m. after three nights of rioting. Rioters burned down dozens of buildings and broke into small businesses, stealing from them. They also lit vehicles on fire and attacked police officers.
Demonstrators and rioters were upset that Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old, was shot by police on Sunday.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice reported Wednesday that officers responded to a domestic incident and tried arresting Blake but he resisted and walked to the driver’s side of his vehicle.
Blake is being treated at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. His family says he is paralyzed from the waist down.
The department is probing the shooting and plans to deliver a full report to a prosecutor within 30 days of the incident.
“Federal authorities are committed to investigating this matter as thoroughly and efficiently as possible,” the department said.
Attorneys general involved urged people to let the investigation take place before rendering judgment and joined other officials in encouraging demonstrators to act peacefully and abide by the law.
“A world of social media that has clearly emphasized immediate action over any ability to be calm or deliberate when making the most important decisions in life. And has emphasized quick decision making, immediacy, and emotional impact, instead of thinking about making accurate decisions and prioritizing that above all else,” Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley told reporters at a press briefing.
“The destruction of property and the violence that has too often occurred in this community the last couple of days does a disservice to this moment in history,” he added later.
President Donald Trump reached an agreement with Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers that saw almost 1,000 National Guard members deployed to Kenosha to try to quell unrest.
More than 200 federal officers and agents, including FBI agents, were sent to the city, the DOJ said.
The bolstered law enforcement presence appeared to work, with no fires being set overnight for the first time since the shooting.
