KENOSHA, Wisconsin — Joe Biden’s visit was met with a collective shrug by many residents, who say they’re far more concerned with getting their lives back together following nights of rioting.
The former vice president’s trip to the town, the first time a Democratic presidential candidate has visited Wisconsin since 2012, came with the eerie backdrop of dozens of businesses vandalized or outright destroyed. Few residents walked the city streets, a stark contrast to similar towns in the state, such as Neenah, or those that have seen their economic life slowly picking up steam again during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Democratic nominee, formerly a 36-year Delaware senator, visited Kenosha days after President Trump surveyed the damage amid inflamed racial tensions following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man. The shooting was followed by protests, which included rallies, marches, property damage, arson, and clashes with police. Two protesters were fatally shot in a confrontation with an armed civilian.
“It was all mom and pop stores that got destroyed down here. It’s really sad. It’s heartbreaking. We’re trying to find justice, and we all know that the people here are on the right side of the issue,” said Jack Jay, a 28-year-old bartender in town who supported Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Democratic primary. “And then to have Trump come in here and be like, ‘OK, I’m here. You can all thank me,’ is one thing. But Biden is just a joke to me. What are you going to do for us?”
Virtually every building in Kenosha had plywood over windows and doors on Thursday afternoon, with many remaining closed — a consequence of local unrest and coronavirus lockdown policies. Although a few dozen supporters appeared outside Biden’s local stop at Grace Lutheran Church in town, his trip felt disconnected from the most immediate concerns facing residents.
“It just seems like a publicity stunt. You know, I voted for Obama, but what Biden’s doing just seems to be what the Democratic Party is all about nowadays,” said Jack Chelski, a 30-year-old restaurant employee in downtown Kenosha. “Just because you’re not Trump doesn’t mean you can just blame everything on him. You know, this restaurant donated a bunch of stuff to the protesters. We’re all on the same side. You can get mad at Trump for coming here, but at least he promised money. I wanna see that money, but still.”
Many locals seemed unaware Biden was even in town, likely because his trip was planned at the last minute and focused on the family of Blake and the town’s small, black community.
“The first point I want to make to you all is I’m not pessimistic. I’m optimistic about the opportunity if we seize it,” Biden said Thursday afternoon. “Regardless of how angry you are, if you loot or you burn, you ought to be held accountable. Period. It just cannot be tolerated across the board.”
Trump, in contrast, made a point to tour the numerous burned-down and vandalized buildings during his stop in Kenosha on Tuesday. Before his visit, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, asked the president not to visit the city, saying it would interfere with the “healing” of residents.
But that didn’t stop the president, who knows winning Wisconsin again in November is key to his electoral success. Polling shows Biden holding a lead over Trump, although that gap has narrowed following the unrest in the state.
“We should talk about the kind of violence we’ve seen in Portland and here and other places,” Trump said at a business roundtable in downtown Kenosha. “The fact is that we’ve seen tremendous violence, and we will put it out very, very quickly if given the chance.”
Residents in Kenosha are keenly aware that the two candidates are desperately courting their votes, although many appeared more concerned with what each man pledged to do in the immediate term to help rebuild the businesses that were destroyed.
“I’m definitely more liberal. But it seemed like Biden pulled the race card a little bit during his speech,” said Cindy Evers, 65, who watched Biden address Grace Lutheran Church on the local news at a nearby restaurant. “That was really too bad. I was excited to see him speak, but I think other stuff he said was good. We’re all just trying to get back to normal here, and I want to know what Biden is going to do about that.”
