We received the news of Kenosha police’s shooting of Jacob Blake with grief and rage. Jacob Blake - and every other person harmed by law enforcement violence - should never have been targeted, should never have been brutalized, should never have been shot.

While we are relieved that Jacob Blake’s condition is currently stable and hope for his recovery, we are clear that we should never have had to learn his story through violence and trauma.

We are clear that an institution that claims to keep peace while shooting community members in plain sight of their children is irredeemable and unreformable.

We are clear that police terror will continue unabated in Black communities throughout the country until we uproot the violent system of policing itself, including here in Minneapolis.

That Jacob Blake was shot by police in Wisconsin comes as no surprise to us in Minneapolis - we know that Black communities throughout the Midwest are facing the worst disparities and conditions for Black people in the US.

Kenosha is under an hour away from Milwaukee, which is consistently shown to be the worst city in the country for Black folks. Wisconsin consistently ranks as the worst state in the country for Black communities. Minnesota is close behind.

The scale of violence against Black people in the Midwest demands urgent, transformative action. We will continue to share abolitionist work there as it emerges - beware of co-opting politicians, or placating calls to return to endless cycles of failed reforms in coming weeks.

And a reminder to our community members and neighbors in Minneapolis: three months after MPD’s murder of George Floyd, Mayor Jacob Frey has yet to make any significant changes to the budget, size, or scope of MPD - all of which are in his power. You can call him at 612-673-2100.

Our communities deserve real change, real justice, real conditions to thrive and stay safe. We must demand that our leaders defund the police - that is the only path forward.

Some links you might have already seen:
- Milwaukee Freedom Fund: https://supportwomenshealth.salsalabs.org/mkefreedomfund/index.html
- @LiberateMke
- @lit_wi
- official GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/justiceforjacobblake

And we think it’s helpful to remember @MPD_150’s work on the failures of reform: https://www.mpd150.com/the-successful-failure-of-reform/