Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Sunday said Donald Trump is not welcome in Kenosha after the president announced plans to visit the city this coming Tuesday.
In a letter addressed to POTUS, Democrat Evers urged him to reconsider his trip, writing: 'I, along with other community leaders who have reached out, are concerned about what your presence will mean for Kenosha and our state.'
The White House announced Saturday that Trump will visit Kenosha on Tuesday following days of protests in the city after another police shooting of Jacob Blake. They reconfirmed his trip Sunday evening, after Evers' letter was sent.
But Evers wrote: 'I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing. I am concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together.'
He added: 'It is our job as elected officials to lead by example and to be a calming presence for the people we know are hurting, mourning, and trying to cope with trauma. Now is not the time for divisiveness.
'Now is not the time for elected officials to ignore armed militants and out-of-state instigators who want to contribute to our anguish.'
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, pictured, on Sunday said Donald Trump is not welcome in Kenosha after the president announced plans to visit the city this coming Tuesday
The White House announced Saturday that Trump visit Wisconsin on Tuesday to 'meet with law enforcement and survey damage from recent riots' in the fallout from Blake's shooting in Kenosha
Blake, who is a father of six, has been left paralyzed after cops shot him multiple times in the back as he entered his car last Sunday
Trump will be meeting with law enforcement officers and 'surveying' the damage in the city, where businesses have been vandalized and some buildings burned during demonstrations, White House spokesman Judd Deere announced.
He is also trying to set up a meeting with Blake's family during his visit after the shooting victim's father said the president should have called earlier this week and his mother says she missed his call.
The president's daughter-in-law Lara Trump revealed to Fox News Sunday's Chris Wallace that Trump has reached out to Blake's family and wants to meet with them this week.
Earlier Sunday, Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, also expressed concerns about the visit.
'I don't know how, given any of the previous statements that the president made, that he intends to come here to be helpful. And we absolutely don't need that right now,' Barnes said in an interview with CNN.
In a letter addressed to POTUS, Democrat Evers urged him to reconsider, writing: 'I, along with other community leaders who have reached out, are concerned about what your presence will mean for Kenosha and our state.'
Disturbing images show the wide swaths of Kenosha, Wisconsin, that have been ripped apart and burned to the ground during riots over the police shooting of Jacob Blake. The aerial photo above shows damage to several businesses downtown
The remains of cars burned during the previous nights of unrest are seen on a used car lot in Kenosha on Thursday
An incendiary device goes off in front of a Kenosha Country Sheriff Vehicle as demonstrators take part in a protest Tuesday
A demonstrator takes part in a protest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin
The White House said Sunday evening Trump still plans to make his visit despite Ever's letter.
Deputy press secretary Judd Deere said: 'The White House has been humbled by the outreach of individuals from Kenosha who have welcomed the President's visit and are longing for leadership to support local law enforcement and businesses that have been vandalized.
'President Trump looks forward to visiting on Tuesday and helping this great city heal and rebuild.'
Trump had unleashed a flurry of tweets and retweets the day after Jay Bishop, a man identified as a supporter of a right-wing group was shot and killed in Portland, where a large caravan of Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter protesters clashed in the city's streets.
Bishop was a member of Patriot Prayer, a right-wing group whose members have frequently clashed with protesters in Portland in the past, its founder, Joey Gibson, said Sunday.
He identified the victim as Aaron 'Jay' Danielson and called him a 'good friend,' but provided no details. Danielson apparently also went by the name Jay Bishop, according to Patriot Prayer's Facebook page.
Blue Lives Matter supporters hold flags in Civic Center Park during a rally organized by supporters of law enforcement officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin Sunday
A Blue Lives Matter supporter stands in Civic Center Park, holding a revolutionary era American flag Sunday
The shooting of Blake has ignited new demonstrations against racial injustice and police brutality months after George Floyd's death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer touched off a wider reckoning on race.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, blamed Trump for the tensions.
'Do you seriously wonder, Mr. President, why this is the first time in decades that America has seen this level of violence?' he asked at a televised news conference. 'It's you who have created the hate and the division.'
Trump, who appeared to be watching, responded with real-time tweets labeling Wheeler a 'wacky Radical Left Do Nothing Democrat.'
Disturbing video captured the shooting that left Jay Bishop dead in Portland on Saturday night
After a reporter told Wheeler about the tweet, the mayor shot back, 'I'd appreciate that the president support us or stay the hell out of the way.'
Ben Crump, Blake's attorney who also represents George Floyd's family, said the Blakes have not yet made any contact with the president.
'The Blake family has not been contacted at this time. Blake family is very respectful of all our elected officials, and as his mother says, she prays for all of our elected officials,' Crump told CBS News' 'Face the Nation' on Sunday.
He added: 'So, we will see.'
'They're focused on trying to march for their son because he'll never be able to stand up for himself unless a miracle happens,' Crump said.
The president praised the caravan participants as 'GREAT PATRIOTS!' and tweeted 'Rest In Peace Jay!'
Blake's mother told CNN Thursday that they did not support the violent riots that have overtaken Kenosha, and other parts of the country, since their son was shot following a tussle with police.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is also set to travel to an undisclosed location on Monday to 'condemn violence, and to note that chaos has unfolded' on Trump's watch, the New York Times reported.
While details of Biden's travel plans are not yet known, some have speculated that he could be headed to Kenosha as well.
The visit is certain to exacerbate tensions in the city, where a crowd of about 1,000 demonstrators gathered outside a courthouse Saturday to denounce police violence.
Lara Trump, President Donald Trump's daughter-in-law and adviser, said Sunday that the president has reached out to Jacob Blake's family to set up a meeting as he visits Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday
Blake's mother, Julia Jackson (left), said earlier this week that she missed a call from the president. She also said she does not blame President Trump for the unrest and said she 'has the utmost respect' for him
Trump has been running his reelection campaign on a law-and-order mantle, denouncing protesters as 'thugs' while voicing his support for police.
He has also repeatedly offered to send in the National Guard or federal assistance to quell the unrest.
Blake, 29, took at least half a dozen shots in the back in front of his small children as he tried to get into his car last Sunday, in an incident that triggered an outpouring of anger over yet another shooting of a black man by white police.
During the rally against police brutality and racism on Saturday, his father, Jacob Blake Sr, called on protesters to refrain from looting and vandalism, which had overshadowed peaceful protests before a tense calm set in the past three nights.
'Good people of this city understand. If we tear it up we have nothing,' he told a gathering at a park that was the hub of protests in support of his son, Jacob Blake Jr.
'Stop it. Show 'em for one night we don't have to tear up nothing.'
Donald Trump on Sunday paid tribute to the man shot and killed wearing a Patriot Prayer baseball cap during violent clashes between the president's supporters and BLM protesters in Portland Saturday night
Portland police hold back a man who was with the victim of Saturday night's fatal shooting minutes after the incident
The convoy numbered around 600 vehicles, with Trump supporters flying flags as they cruised through Portland
Most were in trucks and cars, but some motorcyclists also came along for the ride - one with his bike decorated with Trump
The shooting of Blake has turned the mostly white city of 100,000 people south of Milwaukee into the latest flashpoint in a summer of nationwide demonstrations against police brutality and racism.
Blake will likely participate via video from his hospital room in a court hearing next week about criminal charges that predated the shooting, his lawyer told Reuters on Saturday, adding he would plead not guilty.
Anger at Blake's shooting, captured on video that went viral, led to street skirmishes; protesters hurled firecrackers and bricks at police in riot gear who fired volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets.
On Tuesday night a white teenager with a semi-automatic rifle shot three demonstrators, and two of them died.
Protesters march with the family of Jacob Blake during a rally against racism and police brutality in Kenosha on Saturday
People march in support of Jacob Blake and his family to the Kenosha County Courthouse on Saturday
Jacob Blake's father pleaded for peace during a rally at Civic Center Park in Kenosha on Saturday
In Kenosha on Saturday, people painted messages of unity on boards protecting storefronts after many businesses were burned to the ground in arson attacks and vandalism.
Residents hoped calm would hold for a fourth night as protesters, some wearing 'Justice for Jacob' masks, spoke about the need for racial justice.
The 17-year-old suspect in Tuesday night's killings, Kyle Rittenhouse, surrendered to police on Wednesday near his home in Illinois close to the Wisconsin border.
Kenosha officials have been criticized for videos showing law enforcement agents giving him water before the burst of violence and acting chummy with armed militia men in the streets.
Trump has repeatedly condemned the protests that have rocked the country since the death of George Floyd in May, as he presses a law and order message while fighting an uphill battle for re-election in November.
He has not specifically commented on Rittenhouse or Blake.
No comments:
Post a Comment