NEW YORK, August 25. /TASS/. A curfew in Kenosha, Wisconsin, did not stop protests in the city after police opened fire at a 29-year-old African-American Jacob Blake, CNN reported.
According to the report, up to 150 people are holding protest after the curfew entered into force at 20:00 local time (04:00 Moscow Time). The protest is ongoing in a park in front of the local court’s building.
Protesters hurled bottles at a police cordon of more than 70 officers near the court. Police used tear gas forcing some protesters to leave the scene. Some of them hid behind one of cars set on fire at night and again started throwing bottles at the law enforcement agents.
Five people were earlier detained for violating order during a demonstration against the abuse of power by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The incident in Kenosha occurred on August 23 when a 29-year-old Blake tried to break up a fight between two women. The reasons why police opened fire at him remain unknown. ABC TV channel reported citing Blake’s friend that the man was not carrying weapons. The wounded man was rushed to a hospital in Milwaukee and is in serious condition. Police who were at the scene were placed on administrative leave.
This May, the murder by police of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sparked mass protests across the country with the slogan "Black Lives Matter." During the protests, the US National Guard joined local law enforcement agencies to ensure order. Some 40 cities, including Washington D.C. and New York, imposed a curfew.