This archive report was first published on 25 August 2020.
Kenosha, Wisconsin, was engulfed in flames and destruction early Tuesday, following a peaceful march in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black resident, on Sunday.
Residents emerged from their houses around midnight to witness the devastating scene, with billowing smoke visible for miles. A strip of businesses in a central residential neighborhood was consumed in flames, including a mattress store, a storefront church, a Mexican restaurant, and a cellphone store.
Less than a mile away, a probation and parole office was also on fire. A line of National Guard members, called to Kenosha amid rising tension, prevented anyone from getting close as firefighters worked to douse the flames.
‘This is our town,’ said Mike Mehlan, 33, a chef, as he stared at the buildings, stunned. ‘People have lost their damn minds.’ Mehlan witnessed at least 20 cars pull up to a nearby gas station, break in, and then head to the stores one block away, where they set the mattress store on fire.
Despite the destruction, some residents, like Wayne Gardner, believed that burning businesses was a necessary step to spur social change and reform to policing. ‘It’s unfortunate, but it has to be done,’ Gardner said.
Similar scenes of destruction were reported in several cities across the country, including Portland, Oregon, and Madison, Wisconsin, where protesters called for police reform.
