March on Washington rallies after Jacob Blake shooting

Jacob Blake Sr.
Blake's father: Jacob asked 'why did they shoot me so many times?'
03:17 - Source: CNN

What you need to know

  • Activists gathered today at the Lincoln Memorial to commemorate the historic civil rights March on Washington and demand police reform.
  • The event was held as protests continue over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
  • The families of Blake, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and more, made calls for police reform, justice reform and voter action during their speeches.

Our live coverage of the protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake has ended for the day.

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There is no curfew in the Twin Cities tonight

A worker picks up a shoe outside one of the broken windows at the Nordstrom Rack on Nicollet Mall, Thursday, Aug. 27, in Minneapolis.

There is no curfew in the Twin Cities tonight, according to a tweet from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Minnesota State Patrol and National Guard “remain ready to support local law enforcement” if needed, Walz said in the tweet.

Some context: An 8 p.m. curfew was in place in Minneapolis and St. Paul Thursday after civil unrest occurred Wednesday night.

MLS will resume play after postponing matches this week

Erick Torres of Atlanta United talks with Rodolfo Pizarro of Inter Miami CF after the game was postponed at Inter Miami CF Stadium on August 26 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Major League Soccer will resume play Friday after postponing five matches earlier this week “in recognition of the struggle for racial equality and human rights,” the league said in a news release.

The Black Players for Change are also scheduled to meet with MLS owners to “continue working together to create long-term change both inside and outside of MLS,” the release said.

Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green wants the NBA to keep playing

Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors brings the ball up the court against the Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on December 4, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Following public outrage over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, the NBA had announced that it would postpone Game 5 of three different playoff series because of the boycotts. Now, the NBA and the players association say competition will resume Saturday, with no playoff games Friday.

However, Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green says the NBA should keep playing.

Green also pointed to the issue of resources.

“Tons of NBA guys, NBA teams, and the league as a whole contributes to the urban community, the Black community,” he said. “If we take those resources away, we’re taking resources away from ourselves to be able to continue this fight, and I don’t think that’s the right thing to do.”

In response to NBA commissioner’s statement committing to doing more for communities, Green outlined areas, like voter suppression and police violence, that could benefit from the league’s focus.

“It’s simple, basic human rights. You know, it’s holding these cops accountable that are killing unarmed Black people for no apparent reason. They’re protected by all of these laws and unions. That’s ridiculous. Let’s change some of these laws. Let’s stop voter suppression,” he said. “Overall, continuing to put money in the community changed our school systems to continue to educate.”

Watch the interview here:

Michelle Obama tweets about Kenosha shooting: "I'm exhausted and frustrated"

Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks to guests at the Obama Foundation Summit at Illinois Institute of Technology on October 29, 2019 in Chicago.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama tweeted a lengthy post where she shares her feelings and emotions regarding the state of the country and the fallout from the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

“These past few months, I’ve been thinking a lot about what our kids are seeing every day in this country – the lack of empathy, the division stoked in times of crisis, the age-old and systemic racism that’s been so prominent this summer. Sometimes they see it on the news. Sometimes they see it from the White House Rose Garden. And sometimes they see it from the back seat of a car,” Obama wrote.

Obama said that while she is “exhausted and frustrated,” she has been inspired by the protests.

“They will do something. They already are – opening eyes, rattling consciences, and reminding people of all backgrounds that this problem wasn’t solved earlier this summer and it won’t be any time soon unless we all make a change.”

Here are the latest details we've learned about Blake's shooting and the following protests

Protesters clash with Kenosha County Sherriff's officers in front of the County Court House during demonstrations against the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin on August 24.

The investigation into the Sunday police shooting of Jacob Blake is ongoing, and officials in Kenosha, Wisconsin, held a news conference today to give updates on the incident and the protests it sparked.

Here are some of the newest details that we’ve learned about the shooting and its aftermath:

  • Prior charges against Blake: At the time of Sunday’s violent encounter with police, Blake had a warrant out for his arrest in connection to a domestic abuse call earlier this year. A dispatcher appeared to warn responding officers to Blake’s warrant, referring to “family trouble” at the residence in Kenosha and an “alert at this address for a ninety-nine.” The police code 10-99 can refer to a wanted suspect. It’s unclear whether those officers knew about why there was an outstanding warrant against Blake when they arrived at the residence. That warrant has been vacated, Patrick Cafferty, Blake’s attorney, told CNN Friday afternoon.
  • Dozens of arrests related to protests: There have been nearly 50 arrests in Kenosha related to unrest in the city, Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis said at a news conference today. The arrests were for a variety of charges, including curfew violations, weapons charges and drug possession.
  • Protests are now more peaceful: Kenosha officials attributed more peaceful protests in the city in recent nights to the citywide curfew. “The last number of nights you’ve seen very peaceful protest and that’s what it’s about. That’s how you make change,” Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian said at a news conference.

NBA player Chris Paul: "We are just tired of seeing the same thing over and over again"

Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder during a game against the Houston Rockets during the 2020 NBA Playoffs on August 24, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Chris Paul, the players union president and Oklahoma City Thunder guard, opened up about the raw stress the NBA players have been feeling and reasons for demanding tangible social justice action plans going forward.

Paul fought back tears while describing the pride and strain the players were feeling within the group.

Paul made it clear the players are passionate about empowering and facilitating efforts for people to vote in the upcoming elections and beyond. Paul revealed players had called upon state officials while not playing NBA games these past two days.

“One of the biggest things the guys talked about in our meetings, and it was great that we got a chance to get together and discuss these things, is voting. Voting is something that everyone in the room was very passionate about. We got a chance to discuss; we got a chance to talk to the different governors and tell them we want all of the NBA arenas to be polling sites,” he said.

“Another thing the guys spoke about is while we’re out there playing, you know, we’re the product; we’re the game. During these commercials we would like to see advertising for voting. We understand how strong our voice is, how powerful our voice is, and ultimately, we decided that if we go away from this stage, we don’t necessarily have that same platform,” Paul added.

CNN’s Dan Kamal contributed to this report.

Jacob Blake's sister: "We will not be a footstool to oppression"

Letetra Wideman, Jacob Blake Jr.’s sister, also spoke to those gathering at today’s March on Washington. She said she was speaking on behalf of their mother. 

“We will not be a footstool to oppression,” she said, as she urged Black people to unify, and support “group economics” and solidarity between Black men, women and children. 

Jacob Blake's father: "We're not taking it anymore, I ask everyone to stand up"

Jacob Blake Sr, the father of Jacob Blake, who was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, addresses the "Get Your Knee Off Our Necks" Commitment March on Washington 2020 on Friday in Washington.

Jacob Blake Sr. on Friday said he knew his father was in Washington, DC, at the original March on Washington in 1963 when he was a child.

“I truly did not want to come see you all here today for these reasons,” he stated, adding that he showed up to Friday’s March on Washington because “I have a duty.”

The junior Blake, a Black Wisconsin resident, was shot seven times in the back by a White police officer who tried to detain him on Sunday in Kenosha.

“But we’re gonna stand up. Every Black person in the United States is gonna stand up. We’re tired!” he said.

“And we’re not taking it anymore, I ask everyone to stand up. No justice, no peace!” he said.

Watch here:

Relatives of shooting victims speak out at the March on Washington

Numerous family members and loved ones of Black Americans killed in acts of violence spoke out during the March on Washington today.

Here are some of the excerpts:

  • Sister of Botham Jean — who was killed by ex-Dallas police officer Amber Guyger while in his home when Guyger walked in, thinking it was her own — said people need to keep pushing for “change so that their lives were not taken in vain.” “We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers,” Allisa Charles-Findley said.
  • Wanda Cooper-Jones, mother of Ahmaud Arbery, said she carries “a very broken heart but also a grateful heart that God chose my son to be a part of this historic movement.” “I love you all for standing with us,” she said.
  • Arbery’s father Marcus Arbery Sr., remembered his son, saying how heartbroken he still is at his passing. “I used to speak to my son on the phone every day, and now sometimes I feel like he forgot to call me,” he said.
  • Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, spoke after the audience chanted her son’s name. She said “even though we’re going through a crisis, even though it looks dark, I want you to be encouraged.” “Don’t stop saying Black Lives Matter. Don’t stop fighting, don’t stop protesting, stand together. We were built for this,” Fulton said.
  • Eric Garner’s son spoke, saying “I’m challenging the young people to vote.” He advocated for peaceful marching and urges protesters against looting.
  • Oscar Grant’s mother wanted everyone to know “that this race is not given to the swift or the strong, but to the one who endures.” Wanda Johnson urged people to “continue to band together, to continue to call the injustices unjust.”
  • Dontre Hamilton’s mother urged people to vote this fall. “I will never stop fighting for you,” she said about her son.

Rev. Al Sharpton recalls working in the South during the Civil Rights Movement

Rev. Al Sharpton speaks at the Lincoln Memorial during the "Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks" protest against racism and police brutality, on Friday in Washington.

Rev. Al Sharpton on Friday recalled working in the South during the Civil Rights Movement. 

“After the Montgomery Boycott…we were urged to go to Birmingham. Because in Birmingham, there was a police chief named Bull Connor, and Bull Connor acted with an insensitive disregard…”

“In 1963 and 1964, they fought Bull Connor. Here we are in 2020. We’ve gone from Bull Connor to Bull Trump. We’ve gone from a mean spirited sheriff to a mean spirited president.”

Sharpton criticizes the President for not publicly acknowledging Jacob Blake, who was shot by police on Sunday, as well as Breonna Taylor and others killed in police and racial violence.

“How do you speak when this young man Jacob sits in a hospital and you won’t call his name?” 

In encouraging people to vote, Sharpton also referenced the postal service, stating that he supports USPS. He urges others to vote “to stop the George Floyds and stop the Breonna Taylors.”

George Floyd's sister: "We have to be the change"

George Floyd's sister Bridgett Floyd.

George Floyd’s sister Bridgett Floyd urged Americans to work together to bring about changes necessary to address social injustice in the US.

Speaking directly to attendees at the March on Washington, she said, “I want you guys to ask yourself right now. How would the history books remember you? What would be your legacy? Will your future generations remember you for your complacency, your inaction? Or would they remember you for your empathy, your leadership, your passion for weeding out the injustices and evil in our world.”

Bridgett Floyd invoked Martin Luther King Jr., who she said stood in Washington 57 years ago to lay out his vision and dream. She then told attendees that they “have the power to make it happen.”

Watch:

Floyd's brother: "I wish George were here to see this right now"

George Floyd's brother, Philonese Floyd

“I wish George were here to see this right now,” George Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, told attendees of the March on Washington, speaking from the Lincoln Memorial.

“That’s who I’m marching for. I’m marching for George, for Brianna, for Ahmaud, for Jacob, for Pamela Turner, for Michael Brown. Trayvon and anybody else who lost their lives,” Floyd said.

Floyd noted that it has “never been more clear” than now that change is needed and is happening.

Floyd urged leaders to enact laws to “protect us.” He thanked attendees and supporters across the country who have supported him and his brothers’ cause.

“My brother George is looking down right now. He’s thankful for everything everyone is doing right now. You all are showing a lot of empathy and passion, and I am enjoying every last bit of it right now. If it weren’t for y’all, I don’t know where I’d be right now. Because you all are keeping me running,” he said.

Floyd is among other family members of police violence victims who are speaking at today’s protest. His brother George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in May after pleading for help as a police officer used his knee on Floyd’s neck to pin him to the ground.

His death sparked protests across the country and reignited a push for police reform.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post misspelled George Floyd’s brother’s first name. His name is Philonise Floyd.

Watch here:

WNBA player: Athletes have a responsibility to "be a voice for the voiceless"

WNBA player Natasha Cloud, who opted out of the basketball season, commended the NBA players and other athletes for boycotting games in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting.

Cloud said she is “so proud of them for standing their ground and understanding this is bigger than basketball, that this is bigger than ourselves as athletes and individuals, and bigger than our leagues, too.”

“We inherit this responsibility as athletes to use our platforms and be a voice for the voiceless and I think you’re seeing us do that,” she added.

Cloud, who is going to the March on Washington today, announced she would not participate in the upcoming WNBA season, instead focusing on helping the Black Lives Matter movement.

Breonna Taylor's mother: "We have to stand together. We have to vote."

Tamika Palmer, the other of Breonna Taylor.

Tamika Palmer, the other of Breonna Taylor, urged people at today’s March on Washington to “stand together” and vote.

Taylor, an EMT and aspiring nurse, was killed in March her own home when three plainclothes Louisville police officers executing a “no-knock” warrant returned gunfire after her boyfriend fired a warning shot 

She thanked people who have fought for justice for Taylor. None of the officers involved in the no-knock warrant have been charged with a crime. Two of the officers remain on the force. A third officer was fired and is appealing to get his job back.

Crowd chants Breonna Taylor’s name when Taylor’s mother is lost for words: 

Harris honors Rep. John Lewis and his civil rights work in speech

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris addressed attendees virtually at the 2020 March on Washington organized by the National Action Network Friday, honoring the late Rep. John Lewis and his civil rights work.

Harris sent the tweet with her remarks on Thursday.

She also shared her remarks on Twitter:

These are the 4 major challenges the US faces, according to Martin Luther King Jr.'s son

Martin Luther King III speaks during the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial August 28 in Washington.

Martin Luther King III, speaking at today’s March on Washington in the US capital, said that the US faces four “major challenges.”

“We’re marching to overcome what my father called the triple evils of poverty, racism and violence. And today, those evils have exacerbated four major challenges that currently face our country,” he said.

Here’s a look at the four issues he called out:

  • The coronavirus pandemic: “Covid-19 tragically has killed more than 175,000 Americans,” he said. He noted that the virus disproportionately affects Black and Latino communities.
  • Unemployment: “More than 30 million Americans are unemployed again, disproportionately people of color.” He noted that the pandemic has exposed inequalities in the economy “that kept too many people trapped in the debt and poverty.”
  • Police brutality and gun violence: King noted that today’s march includes families of Black people who were killed by police. He made a point to say the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and many others.
  • Voting rights: King urged those in the audience to defend their right to vote, saying “We must vigorously defend our right to vote because those rights were paid for with the blood of those lynched for seeking to exercise their constitutional rights.” He also called on attendees to vote “as if our lives and our livelihoods, our liberties depend on it because they do!” and added, “No person, no people, are more keenly aware of the risk of disenfranchisement than those who suffered from it.”

Here are the lawmakers speaking today at the March on Washington

People from all over the country gathered Friday morning, taking their place at the nation’s capital to participate in the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington led by the Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network.

Several lawmakers spoke at this year’s march which was organized under the name “The Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks.”

Here are some of the lawmakers who spoke today:

  • Democrat Rep. Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts paid tribute to members of the Civil Rights Movement. “We are challenged by the state of the nation, and the crisis we face, but the state of our movement it is strong,” she said. 
  • Democrat Rep. Adriano Espaillat from New York called for legislation to be passed, including the George Floyd policing bill and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. “It is possible to write budgets that actually value Black lives. If it feels unfamiliar, that is because it has never been done in America. We will meet the moment,” he said.
  • Democrat Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee from Texas took a thinly-veiled swipe at President Trump. She also underscored the need for someone in the White House who can act as a “healer-in-chief.” Jackson Lee called for the passing of the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act, in addition to a bill that outlines a commission to study reparations. “We want an America that will stamp out the divisiveness, the intimidation in the press, we want a White House that stands as a healer-in-chief, who understands Black mothers’ pain, who understands your pain,” she said.

MLK's granddaughter says her generation "will fulfill my grandfather's dream"

Yolanda Renee King, granddaughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., directly addressed fellow young people during the commemoration of the March on Washington.

“Genuine equality is why we are here today and why people are coming together all across the world, from New Zealand to New Jersey,” she added.

Yolanda vowed to her late grandfather that the civil rights movement of the 1960s would not be forgotten and it will inform current protests.

“We stand and march for love and we will fulfill my grandfather’s dream,” she said. 

Yolanda said her generation will put an end to gun violence, police brutality, systemic racism, poverty and climate change.

“My generation has already taken to the streets peacefully and with masks and socially distanced to protest racism. And I want to ask the young people here to join me in pledging that we have only just begun to fight and that we will be the generation that moves from ‘me’ to ‘we’,” she said. 

Watch:

NBA will resume season Saturday

The Black Lives Matter logo is seen on an empty court as all NBA playoff games were postponed today during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at The Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 27 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. 

The NBA and the players association say games will resume on Saturday, while no playoff games will be played Friday.

In a statement released Friday, the league and players union jointly announced a commitment to establish a social justice coalition and election/voting initiatives.

A total of nine games have been postponed since Wednesday, when the Milwaukee Bucks became the first team opting not to play in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake by a police officer in Wisconsin Sunday.

Michele Roberts, director of the National Basketball Players Association, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a joint statement about today’s developments.

Read the full joint statement:

Rep. Pressley addresses March on Washington: "We will meet the moment"

Speakers outside the Lincoln Memorial, in an event organized by the Rev. Al Sharpton and joined by Martin Luther King Jr.’s son, are expected to include families of Black people slain or severely injured in police encounters, including George Floyd and Jacob Blake.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a Democrat from Massachusetts, spoke to crowds Friday morning.

Friday’s march —which will head to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in the afternoon —comes exactly 57 years since crowds packed the National Mall to demand civil rights and economic opportunity in 1963.

The event, dubbed the “Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks,” brings an end a tumultuous week, one that saw Blake shot by police in Wisconsin.

Watch part of Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s address:

GO DEEPER

After Jacob Blake woke up following his shooting, he had a question for his father
Jacob Blake is handcuffed to his hospital bed, family says
Jacob Blake’s sister says she isn’t sad. She’s angry and she wants change
Activists gather for another March on Washington, 57 years later
John Lewis’ March on Washington speech is still relevant 57 years later

GO DEEPER

After Jacob Blake woke up following his shooting, he had a question for his father
Jacob Blake is handcuffed to his hospital bed, family says
Jacob Blake’s sister says she isn’t sad. She’s angry and she wants change
Activists gather for another March on Washington, 57 years later
John Lewis’ March on Washington speech is still relevant 57 years later