The Madison Area Democratic Socialists of America (MADSA) condemns the continued lack of accountability for police officers committing violence in their communities. Officer Rusten Sheskey will not be charged for the shooting of Jacob Blake this past August, and will face no consequences for permanently paralyzing another human being.
Once again, our systems have failed us as Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley refused to bring any charges against Officer Sheskey, who shot Mr. Blake 7 times, or against the other officers present. No trial, no chance for the evidence to be seen by a jury: just another example of the undue protection given to violent police officers by the justice system.
We stand with the Blake family and share the anger of all those who understand that this decision makes a mockery of justice in Wisconsin. MADSA affirms our commitment to the abolition of policing and the building of new, restorative methods of public safety. We support all those who raise their voices in the streets. After years of people crushed by criminalization and poverty, after all the claims to be a just nation, police are still free to shoot a man in the back and walk away without consequence.