Senator Agard Releases Statement on the Decision to Not Charge Officer Involved in Shooting Jacob Blake

KENOSHA – Today, District Attorney Michael Graveley announced that no charges would be filed against the officer who shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back. After an investigation, they concluded that the officer involved had not acted in a way that warranted charges.

Senator Melissa Agard (D-Madison) released the following statement regarding this announcement:

“The anger and demand for reformative change demonstrated at the protests throughout 2020 was borne out of the continual inability to bring justice for black lives. No one should have to worry that calling a police officer will bring them harm, let alone cost them their life. We cannot continue the inaction – folks must be held accountable. What happened in Kenosha is a tragedy and an example of a broken system that desperately needs comprehensive reform.

“Our nation was founded on the principles of freedom and justice for all, however, our justice system lets down our communities of color and promotes violence against black and brown people. Wisconsin is the worst state for racial disparities and this is the result of the inability of our GOP lead legislature to address those disparities. Black Wisconsinites continually have barriers to accessing our criminal justice system, electoral process, education system, and many other aspects of our society.

“We have to do better.”