The Marquette men’s basketball team donned black uniforms and took a knee during the playing of the national anthem on Tuesday night, in response to the decision not to prosecute the officers involved in the shooting of Jacob Blake.
Blake was shot after police were called to the home of his girlfriend on August 23 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after his girlfriend complained that he was violating a restraining order. Blake was shot by officers after refusing a lawful order to stop and trying to gain entry into a vehicle. Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley declined to press charges against the officers after determining that Blake was armed with a knife and officers had a reasonable right to believe they were in danger.
The Marquette men’s basketball team took a knee prior to its game vs. UConn and wore black uniforms in support of Jacob Blake after the Kenosha County district attorney decided not to charge any of the officers involved in his shooting
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Marquette released a statement:
The full statement from Marquette:
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The shooting of Blake sparked several weeks of protest and violence across the country.
Gravely expanded on his reasoning for not charging Rusten Sheskey, the officer who shot Blake.
As the Associated Press reports:
Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley said investigators concluded Blake was carrying a knife when police responded to a report he was trying to steal a car. Officer Rusten Sheskey said he ‘feared Jacob Blake was going to stab him with the knife’ as he tried to stop Blake from fleeing the scene.
‘I do not believe the state … would be able to prove that the privilege of self-defense is not available,’ Graveley said.
Marquette University is located in Milwaukee, only 40 miles away from Kenosha.
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