A few hundred people marched through downtown Evanston Thursday evening to call attention to the shooting of Jacob Blake by a police officer in Kenosha.
The crowd began gathering around 6:30 p.m. for a demonstration that saw marchers carrying signs and chanting as they made their way peacefully through the streets.
A marcher with a megaphone called out “Jacob Blake Matters” and the crowd repeated the phrase. They eventually ended at the Evanston Police Department, where organizers made remarks and called for the defunding of police.
Danielle Bridges grew up in Evanston and now lives in Chicago. She said she felt personally compelled to attend the evening’s march.
“I can’t sit at home and ponder on this, I had to do something,” Bridges said. “I had to be out with people and understand what’s going on, and commune with them and make our voices heard.”
The event was peaceful and police officers were on hand to close local streets for marchers, according to a tweet from Evanston police. It was drawing to a close by 8 p.m.
Jacob Blake lived in Evanston for years and attended Evanston Township High School. He is part of a family with deep ties to the community. His grandfather, also named Jacob Blake, was a pastor at the historic Ebenezer AME Church in Evanston and was active in the civil rights movement and a push for affordable housing in town.
Blake was shot by a police officer in Kenosha Sunday night. Cellphone footage shared widely online appears to show an officer firing several shots at Blake, who is Black, while he was facing away from the officer.
Thursday’s march comes after a rally and march was held Tuesday evening in Evanston near Jacob Blake Manor, an affordable senior living facility that was named in honor of Blake’s late grandfather.
Blake’s shooting has sparked nationwide demonstrations. In Kenosha, they have sometimes turned violent.
Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, of Antioch, on Thursday was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide and a number of other charges after shootings in Kenosha where two people died and another was wounded Tuesday night.
An outdoor “service of lament” is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 30, at Ebenezer AME Church in Evanston, where Blake’s grandfather was a pastor. The 2 p.m. service will be held outdoors on the church grounds, 1109 Emerson St.
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter.