White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers denied additional assistance from the federal government as police in Kenosha work to contain nightly civil unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
“We have a National Guard standing by that if the general for the National Guard needs additional help, we’re there to do it,” Meadows said Tuesday night on Fox News. “But today, that request was denied by the governor.”
Evers’s office, in a statement to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, confirmed he had spoken with members of the Trump administration.
“The governor informed them that we would be increasing Wisconsin National Guard support in Kenosha and therefore would not need federal assistance in response to protests but would welcome additional federal support and resources for our state’s response to COVID-19,” spokeswoman Britt Cudaback said.
Blake, a black man, was reportedly left paralyzed over the weekend after he was shot multiple times by police as they attempted to detain him. Video taken at the scene shows police with their guns drawn on Blake as he walks away from them, and at one point, he reaches into a van before officers open fire.
The incident has sparked massive demonstrations against police brutality in the city, some of which has turned into widespread arson, looting, and rioting.
During clashes between protesters, police, and some armed citizens who took it upon themselves to protect local businesses from damage on Tuesday night, at least two people were killed, and another was injured during shootings that broke out overnight.
Earlier on Tuesday, Julia Jackson, Blake’s mother, disavowed the violence in the streets taking place in the city in the wake of her son’s shooting.
“I’ve noticed a lot of damage,” she said. “It doesn’t reflect my son or my family.”
Trump has pressured Evers and other local leaders to take a harder line with protesters and crack down on demonstrations against police brutality.
“Governor should call in the National Guard in Wisconsin,” he tweeted Tuesday. “It is ready, willing, and more than able. End problem FAST!”
