“I don’t want your pity. I want change!”
Jacob Blake, 29, was shot several times as he walked to a car and opened its door, in front of his young sons. Due to wounds Blake suffered during the shooting, he has reportedly had large parts of his digestive system removed, along with all of his small intestine. He has also reportedly been left paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors believe it will take a miracle for Blake to ever walk again.
Understandably, Blake’s family has had a lot to say about all of that. That’s good, because I’m all but speechless about it.
The family’s words may rip you apart as quickly as policemen’s bullets ripped through Blake’s viscera. At the very least, their words may spur you to action…
…again, if you have a pulse.
Blake’s father, Jacob Blake Sr., spoke first.
“What justified all those shots,” the elder Blake stoically asked. “What justified doing that in front of my grandsons? What are we doing?”
“They shot my son seven times…seven times, like he didn’t matter. But he’s a human being, and he matters.”
Blake’s mother was spoke next, standing in the middle of the previously serene Wisconsin town of about 100,000. “My son has been fighting for his life, and we really just need prayers,” Julia Jackson said, through tears. “As I was riding through the city, I’ve noticed a lot of damage.”
Read MPC’s full column, and hear more from Jacob Blake’s mother and two of his sisters. One of them has a pointed message for all of us.
Click here to connect with freelance writer Michael P Coleman, click here to check out his blog, or follow him on Instagram and Twitter: @ColemanMichaelP
