Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) criticized Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley for refusing to bring charges against the officers involved in the shooting of Jacob Blake.
“Over the past year, our state and country have witnessed a movement—one that echoes hundreds of years of movements that have come before it, demanding justice, equity, and peace for Black lives,” Evers said in a statement on Twitter.
He added, “What is just as clear today as it has been is we have failed to deliver on these promises, both as a state and as a country.”
Evers acknowledged Blake’s life “has forever been changed” and “his kids witnessed violence no kid should ever see, experienced trauma no kid should ever endure, all while the world watched.”
He slammed the failure to charge the officers and reminded Americans there is still progress to be made.
“And yet, when presented the opportunity to rise to this moment and this movement and take action to provide meaningful, commonsense reform to enhance accountability and promote transparency in policing in our state, elected officials took no action,” Evers wrote.
He continued, “Today’s decision is further evidence that our work is not done—we must work each day in earnest toward a more just, more fair, and more equitable state and country, and to combat the racism experienced by Black Wisconsinites.”
He explained he hopes “for peace and justice for Jacob, his family, and the entire Kenosha community.”
Evers called on individuals who are planning on protesting to do so “peacefully and safely.”
Graveley announced he would not charge Rusten Sheskey, a white police officer who shot Blake several times in the back, as IJR previously reported.
Blake was paralyzed from the waist down.
Graveley claimed Sheskey had the right to self-defense after officials said there was a knife in Blake’s care.