Jacob Blake, Man Shot By Police In Kenosha, Offers Message Of Encouragement From Hospital Bed
MILWAUKEE (CBS) -- Jacob Blake, the man shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin nearly two weeks ago, offered a message of encouragement on Saturday from his hospital bed in Milwaukee.
Blake urged people not to take life for granted. He also said it is not too late for people to turn their lives around.
"I just want to say, man, to all the young cats out there and even the older ones older than me – there's a lot more life to live out here, man. Your life, and not only that your life – your legs, something you need to move around and move forward in life can be taken from you like this, man," Blake says in the video, posted to Twitter by his attorney, Ben Crump. "And I promise you – the type of s**t that you would go through – staples; I've got staples in my back; staples in my damn stomach – you do not want to have to deal with this s**t, man. Every 24 hours, there's pain – stomach pain. It hurts to breathe. It hurts to breathe. It hurts to move from side to side. It hurts to eat. Please, I'm telling you – change your lives out there. If you stick together, make some money, make everything easier for our people out here, man. There's so much time that has been wasted."
Blake made a court appearance from his hospital bed by video on Friday, but this was the first time he directly addressed the public. The Friday hearing was an initial appearance for previous domestic violence and sexual assault charges and was not related to the Aug. 23 shooting by police.
Protests and civil unrest followed Blake's shooting in Kenosha. Two demonstrators were shot and killed during protests two nights after Blake's shooting; Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, of Antioch, has been charged in those shootings.
