KENOSHA, WI (WTAQ) – Governor Tony Evers and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes visited Kenosha on Thursday, following protests and riots in the city throughout the week. The two of them observed damage to local businesses and spoke with residents about the events that have been unfolding since Jacob Blake was shot by police on Sunday.
“I grew up in the Vietnam War era, folks. There is nothing more important than the freedom of speech, and I believe that every day as governor,” Evers said.
“People are out there because they want to save this nation. They want to correct the mistakes that have been made over time, and many mistakes that have been made before most – if not every – protester was even born,” Barnes said. “If we don’t want to correct those mistakes, if we fail to correct those mistakes, what we’re dealing with now will be nothing compared to what we’ll deal with down the line.”
During a press conference that was held following their discussions and tour, both the governor and lieutenant governor had strong takes on the violence that was seen in the city earlier this week. While they did speak out against the actions of those causing damage to property and destroying businesses, much of the discussion fell onto what transpired Tuesday evening.
“We have to bring about this change because it’s desperately needed. But people need to be able to do so without fear of losing their own lives,” Barnes said.
17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse currently faces six charges in Kenosha County, including First Degree Intentional Homicide and First Degree Reckless Homicide for the shooting of two protesters during a confrontation between sides on Tuesday.
“We have to not ever want to see that happen again. I say we have to want, because we truly have to work towards that not becoming the reality of our state,” Barnes explained. “If this sort of person is being celebrated as a vigilante or as a militiaman, then that’s ridiculous. And that speaks to a much larger problem that is completely horrifying…No connections to even the state. That guy was from out of town. Think about how ridiculous that is. Who was he accountable to? Nobody. And for him to even be able to shoot somebody and still walk away from the scene and get back home to Illinois? Then we’ve got a much bigger problem on our hands.”
“I would like to invite all those people that are running around with long guns for no apparent reason to stay home…It is part of our constitution. We just have to make sure that they are in a position not to cause harm like they did,” Evers said. “When you have outside people, primarily, running around with long guns – some of them want to be policemen, some of them anti-police – it’s a recipe for disaster.
Reports claim Wednesday saw a significant drop in armed citizens patrolling areas of the city. The National Guard will be bringing in extra assistance as we enter the weekend, and a curfew of 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. will remain in place in Kenosha through Sunday.
Meanwhile, Evers and Barnes are continuing to make pleas to people on both sides to exercise their First Amendment rights in a safe and peaceful manner.
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