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Jun 15, 2021, 7 tweets

You know Jacob Blake Jr.’s name because a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, shot him in the back last August. But you don’t know much about him.

@AishaIman spent the last 9 months learning his story. 👇

insider.com/jacob-blake-pr…

Every day, Jacob Blake Jr. experiences full-body spasms so agonizing that he clenches his teeth, grabs his legs, and locks in place.

They’re a result of the 7 shots the officer fired that left him partially paralyzed.

insider.com/jacob-blake-pr…

How do you react when someone you love is shot by police?

Jacob Blake Jr.’s sprawling family has dealt with the police shooting in different ways, trying to support him, push for justice, and live up to the legacy of their forebears.

insider.com/jacob-blake-pr…

Rev. Jacob S. Blake, Jacob Blake Jr.’s grandfather, was a local pillar of the civil rights movement in Evanston, Illinois. He attended the March on Washington and marched from Selma to Montgomery.

The Blake family is carrying on his legacy today.

insider.com/jacob-blake-pr…

The DA declined to charge Kenosha Officer Rusten Sheskey because prosecutors concluded the shooting was in self-defense, and Sheskey returned to duty on March 31.

Jacob Blake Jr. turned 30 on April 30. He didn't want to celebrate.

insider.com/jacob-blake-pr…

After the shooting, Kenosha erupted into civil unrest calling for justice for Jacob Blake Jr. The city anticipated a repeat of the destruction following the DA's announcement. But the Capitol riots were the next day, and the world's attention turned. In Kenosha, nothing happened.

Jacob Blake Jr. is more than just a name to chant. He's a father to six sons and a descendant of a storied line of activists, preachers, and educated professionals. His story is complicated, and messy.

Dig into the nuance with us: insider.com/jacob-blake-pr…

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