Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D) says blaming his office for the state's inadequate response to the 2020 Kenosha riots is not his fault and Republicans criticizing him over it are playing politics.
This week marks the two year anniversary of when Kenosha experienced BLM riots after a city police officer shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times when he resisted arrest and attempted to drive off with two small children in the backseat. Blake was armed with a knife at the time of the shooting. Despite not knowing all the facts about the incident, rioters burned and looted the town for days before order was eventually restored in the aftermath of Kyle Rittenhouse shooting three rioters in self-defense.
"Obviously violence and the results that happened are not acceptable in any stretch of the way, but we worked with the leaders in Kenosha and every time they asked us for something — even the very first day — we did exactly what they wanted us to do," Evers said in a campaign stop in West Allis, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
"It's a dead issue, obviously we want Kenosha to recover and move to a better place, but at the end of the day, blaming me for that situation is just dead wrong and it's just politics as usual," Evers added.
Around 150 Wisconsin National Guardsmen were initially deployed to Kenosha on the second night of riots but it was not nearly enough manpower to stop rioting the next night.
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Republican Gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels and Congressman Bryan Steil (R) toured Kenosha this week to hear from residents, law enforcement, and business owners about the riots. Michels hammered Evers' response to the unrest during the visit.
Heard important discussions today in Kenosha with @BryanSteil and @EricJToney. Two years ago, Tony Evers stood by as Kenosha burned and rioters destroyed lives and livelihoods. This can never happen again anywhere in Wisconsin, and under my watch, it never will. pic.twitter.com/xnxo2AxBoa
— Tim Michels (@michelsforgov) August 23, 2022
Met with law enforcement and others impacted by the Kenosha riots today. I'm honored to have received the endorsement of the Kenosha Professional Police Association. I will always stand up for our brave men and women in law enforcement. pic.twitter.com/wvDBwufYDT
— Tim Michels (@michelsforgov) August 23, 2022
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