‘We’re going to stand united in this fight’
Families of Jacob Blake, Breonna Taylor rally with hundreds in Evanston to call for justice
Locked arm in arm, the families of Jacob Blake and Breonna Taylor led a crowd of hundreds in Evanston on Saturday afternoon as they marched for justice and unity.
Blake and Taylor were both shot by police in the last year, Taylor fatally. Their families met in Chicago on Saturday in what they called a “family reunion of sorts” to show their solidarity with each other and other families who have lost their loved ones at the hands of police, to call for systemic reform and to urge people to vote.
“We’re going to push at every door and corner that we can in the United States until we get justice for not only little Jake, but for all the little Jakes out there,” said Justin Blake, Jacob Blake’s uncle.
Blake, who lived in Evanston for years and attended Evanston Township High School, was shot by a police officer in Kenosha in August. Cellphone footage shared online following the shooting appears to show an officer firing several shots at Blake, who is Black, while he was facing away from the officer. He remains paralyzed, according to his family.
The rally started across the street from Jacob Blake Manor, an affordable senior living facility that was named in honor of Blake’s late grandfather, who shares his name. The elder Blake was a pastor at the historic Ebenezer AME Church in Evanston, and was active in the civil rights movement and a push for affordable housing in town, including Ebenezer-Primm Towers.
The group marched a half-mile down the street to Ebenezer-Primm Towers, holding signs high and echoing chants of “Say his name,” “Say her name,” “Black lives matter” and “You can’t stop the revolution.”
Shauna Brewton, a lifelong Evanston resident, said she grew up knowing the Blake family, and she wanted to attend to support them and the cause.
“We’re just trying to live,” she said. “That’s all we’re doing.”
Blake’s uncle, Justin Blake; his father, Jacob Blake Sr.; and his sister, Letetra Wideman, all spoke to the crowd in front of Ebenezer-Primm Towers about the need for justice for their loved one. They said he’s still paralyzed, undergoing physical therapy and “working hard.”
At one point, Wideman carried around a phone with Blake on a video call, showing her brother to the crowd.
“This day is about unity,” Blake Sr. said. “I don’t care what you look like. I don’t care what you smell like. We are part of humanity. I should not have to prove to you that we are part of humanity.”
Breonna Taylor’s aunt, Bianca Austin, said their family wanted to come and show their love for the Blake family. Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was shot to death in her Louisville apartment in March during a police raid.
Austin said they’re not looking for revenge for the shooting of Taylor and others, but that they want those in charge in the justice system to “do the right thing for our kids.”
“We’re going to stand united in this fight together,” Austin said to Blake Sr.
The Rev. Deborah Scott, pastor at Ebenezer AME Church, said that as a person of faith, she always keeps hope alive. Despite the uncertain times, she said, she still has hope that they can make a difference and that “justice will come.”
“Well, protest — that’s a sign of hope,” she said. “We’re protesting that somebody will hear us. We’re protesting because something needs to change. We’re protesting because we’re standing up for those that might not have a voice to speak. So continue in the protest, continue in the struggle, continue in the fight, continue to show up.”
Many of the speakers, including civil rights activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson, also emphasized the need to vote in the upcoming election. Jackson led the crowd in a series of chants of “We have the power.”
He also called for justice and systemic reform in Blake’s, Taylor’s and others’ cases, saying anybody who kills another person, regardless of race, should face consequences.
“I am somebody,” Jackson led in a chant. “Respect me. Protect me.”
Justin Blake ended the rally with a final message to get out and vote. He also encouraged everyone to show love to those around them — to hug their loved ones before they leave the house, to “pump the brakes” as they pass those experiencing homelessness and to help out neighbors and senior citizens.
“Change starts here today,” he said. “It’s 2020. All we have to do is work together.”