55 people charged in Kenosha violence
State working on arrests after damage in protests
Kenosha police said Friday 55 people have been identified so far as engaging in crimes ranging from arson to disorderly conduct during the violent protests that took place in Kenosha over the summer after the shooting by police of Jacob Blake.
“In late August and into September, 2020, the city of Kenosha experienced unprecedented mob activity,” Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis said in a statement. “Large numbers of people engaged in lawful protest; however, many engaged in unlawful and dangerous activity. We respect the right to demonstrate peacefully, but we cannot and will not accept criminal actions under the guise of protest.”
Miskinis said his department is continuing to work with its law enforcement partners to arrest and charge those responsible for the damage that took place during the protests.
“Of those 55 identified and facing charges, 35 are known to be Kenosha residents,” Miskinis said in the statement. “There are many more suspects to be identified who may well be from outside the area making identification more difficult, but we are not going to let that dissuade us — the victims of the violence deserve our efforts. More arrests are expected in the coming months.”
It is not clear how many, if any, of those 55 people, including six juveniles, have been arrested.
Blake was shot and paralyzed by Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey in August. Sheskey has since been cleared of any wrongdoing by Kenosha District Attorney Michael Graveley.
Blake is suing Sheskey in federal court.
In the days after the most intense moments of protests, authorities arrested 250 people on various charges related to the demonstrations. Roughly 120 of those people were from Kenosha County, some were from the surrounding area and others were from other parts of Wisconsin or out of state.
Last month, two people were charged with looting a beauty store. An activist from Illinois also was charged in February with kicking a door and threatening an officer during the protests.
Authorities continue to seek information on suspects and federal authorities are offering a $5,000 reward for tips for information that leads them to subjects they’d like to interview about the arsons during the unrest.