Trump arrives in Kenosha despite pleas to keep away
September 1, 2020
Despite being asked not to come in fear of further stoking tensions, Trump was in Kenosha to show his support for local police. He was met with both protest and support in the city where police shot Jacob Blake.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Vucci
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The US president came to the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday where tensions have been high after police shot an unarmed black man, and a Trump supporter killed two protesters.
After arriving at a nearby airport, the president was driven into the city with supporters brandishing American flags and protesters waving signs that read Black Lives Matter gathered along the route of his motorcade.
Trump has sought to position himself as a supporter of law enforcement in the city and bolster his credentials as the "law and order" candidate in this year's election.
An already polarized city
A massive police presence, including armored vehicles and barricades set up along some of the city's main streets, protected the presidential vehicles from any would-be harm.
Trump went on to visit the burned-out remains of parts of the city where rioting occurred following the shooting of Jacob Blake on August 23.
He spoke to the owners of a centuries-old furniture store and attempted to lay the blame for the destruction at the feet of Democrats who govern both the city and the state, saying, "They just don't want us to come in and then destruction is done."
"These governors don't want to call and the mayors don't want to call. They have to ask," he said, referring to his offers to send in federal law enforcement for support.
Trump also told a group of local businesses that his administration had pledged $4 million (€3.36 million) to business damaged in the rest and $1 million for local law enforcement.
"These are not acts of peaceful protest but really domestic terror," said Trump, describing the riots that had erupted in the city.
Some critics said Trump is intentionally fueling polarization in Kenosha and the US. "President Trump with his visit is doing everything to stoke the polarization of the United States," Michael Wachholz, a lecturer on US politics at Tuoro College in Berlin, told DW.
"He wants to focus on the rioting and the looting and on the things that he as the president should do against it, and this is going to be an open plank for the Democratic party," said Wachholz.
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Trump's visit will 'hinder our healing'
Wisconsin's Democratic governor, Tony Evers, who sent the national guard into Kenosha to put down the protests following the police shooting, had pleaded with Trump not to make the visit for fear of him instigating further violence.
"I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing," Evers wrote in a letter to Trump. "I am concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together."
Black Lives Matter: Protests in sports
US sports teams in the NBA, MLB, MLS and WNBA boycotted scheduled games to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin. It was the latest in a string of recent "Black Live Matters" protests in sports.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/K. Klement
American sports halt once more
US basketball teams in the NBA boycotted their playoff games out of protest against the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Women players in the WNBA followed with their own protest, as did players from Major League Baseball.
Image: Reuters/USA TODAY Sports/Kevin C. Cox
Five MLS games postponed
After the first game in Major League Soccer went ahead as planned on Wednesday, the remaining five scheduled contests were postponed. MLS players have shown solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement since the league resumed play at the beginning of July.
Image: Getty Images/M. Ehrmann
Naomi Osaka boycotts WTA tournament
Two-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka withdrew from a WTA tennis event in New York ahead of next month's US Open, leading the tournament to pause indefinitely. "As a Black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tenns," Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/F. Franklin II
'Black Lives Matter' shirts
Since resuming its season, the NBA has demonstrated solidarity with the "Black Lives Matter" movement. All participants have been wearing shirts or sweatshirts bearing the slogan and have been kneeling before tipoff. Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James (second from right) points to the sky in recognition of the victims of police brutality.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/K. C. Cox
Late recognition by the NFL
The originator of the "take a knee" protest is ex-NFL star Colin Kaepernick (center). He first knelt during the US national anthem to protest police violence against African Americans. President Donald Trump voiced his outrage over the protest, and Kaepernick couldn't find another team after his 49ers release. "I wish we had listened earlier to Kaep," NFL commissioner Roger Godell said recently.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. J. Sanchez
Bundesliga against racism
After the death of 46-year-old Black man George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May, the "Black Lives Matter" movement spread outside to sports outside the US. Bundesliga football players have displayed their solidarity, such as Bayern Munich players Thomas Müller (left) and Alphonso Davies (right) before a game against Leverkusen in June.
Image: picture-alliance/R. Ibing
Kneeling goal celebration
SGS Essen player Nicole Anyomi celebrated a goal against Tribune Potsdam with a "take a knee" pose. "We are in 2020 and racism and injustice still prevails," Anyomi told DW. "We have to be active and raise our voice and speak out. If something happens you can't just stand by, look on and say nothing."
Image: Imago Images//M. Koch
Premier League supports 'Black Lives Matter'
The English Premier League paused 100 days due to the coronavirus pandemic. When the players were finally allowed to return to the empty stadiums, they too sent a clear signal against racism, like during this game between Aston Villa and Sheffield United.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/C. Recine
Cricket is no exception
Protests against police brutality towards Black people also took place in many other sports worldwide. The West Indies cricket team knelt before a test match in Manchester against England.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/NMC/M. Steele
'Your silence is deafening'
Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton never gets tired of reminding his colleagues that just showing solidarity, like before the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix — is not enough. "Your silence is still deafening," Hamilton wrote on his Instagram page in June. "You may not be racist in your silence but we need you to be ANTI-racist." Hamilton's Mercedes team is driving black cars this season.
Image: Reuters/B. Lennon
Treble T-shirt
When Bayern Munich won the Champions League to complete their treble, David Alaba (left) used the opportunity to make a religious and political statement. The front of his sleeveless T-shirt read "My strength lies with Jesus," and on the back "Black Lives Still Matter."
Image: picture-alliance/SvenmSimon/P. Schatz
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"He's coming down here for the wrong reasons," a Kenosha resident told DW. "He's not coming down here to help. He's coming here to force the issue with racism. He's not for us, he's not for the country right now."
However, others were in favor of his visit. "He wants to bring comfort and peace to America," one Trump supporter told DW. "People are hurting right now all over, and I feel it's a good time for him to come."
Biden responds
The Democratic Party nominee for the upcoming presidential election, Joe Biden, said that Trump "doesn't want to shed light, he wants to generate heat, and he's stoking violence in our cities. He can't stop the violence because for years he's fomented it."
Biden's team was also considering visiting the city, although the civil rights organization NAACP advised on Tuesday that neither candidate should make the trip.
Trump further stirred up anger in the city when he refused to denounce a 17-year-old supporter who was charged with killing two protesters and instead seemed to defend him.
"That was an interesting situation,” Trump said on Monday during a news conference. "He was trying to get away from them, I guess, it looks like, and he fell. And then they very violently attacked him.”
