Jacob Blake is an African American who was hit by four out of seven shots fired by a White police officer while attempting to arrest him in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Aug. 23.
CNN News reported that the local police union claimed that during that night, Blake refused to drop the knife and had put the officer in a headlock before the shooting happened. However, the narratives of the police union are believed by Blake's camp to be a mere tactic to justify the actions of the officer. His attorney thinks it is another common strategy used by police departments to justify murder for misdemeanors.
On Aug. 26, it was reported on Hollywood Reporter that the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their playoff game on Tuesday night, according to the Jacob Blake shooting altercation. The players had made the unbelievable decision to oppose the skirmish between Blake and Kenosha police officers.
According to Bucks guard Sterling Brown, while reading a statement on the team's behalf, their focus cannot be on the game (basketball) since no action has been made to the recent incident. NBA Coaches Association also thinks that this baseless shooting by law enforcement underscores the need for a story not after the playoffs but as soon as possible.
This episode had led Black Lives Matter Co-founder and American Activist, Patrisse Cullors, to cry out for support from the Hollywood entertainment industry to join the movement. In another article from Hollywood Reporter, Cullors had mentioned that the campaign is a way of emphasizing that the Black community is holding back in tolerating the exploitation and degradation. She thinks that although not everyone can take the same risks, there is power and opportunity to progress a plan of action that prioritizes Black communities' dignity.
For Cullors, the One-Day strike may mean educating Hollywood on what has been happening to the Black individuals, and this is a good time for everyone to be fearless and bold. She also shared that the Black Lives Matter movement has discussed with some talents what kind of protest to take place that will carry on with the momentum beginning after George Floyd's killing in May.
Jacob Blake is currently on a hospital bed paralyzed from the waist down. His family shared with CNN News that he was handcuffed from the day he was brought to the hospital until Aug. 28 despite not moving. They are confident that he did not deserve the seven close-range shots. The family is crying for justice.