KENOSHA – On Thursday Governor Tony Evers traveled to Kenosha to meet and speak with citizens who have been impacted by the overnight violence and destruction this week, as well as the shooting of Jacob Blake by law enforcement.  Last night again saw protests, which remained peaceful.  In response, Representative Tod Ohnstad (D-Kenosha) provided the following statement:

“I thank Governor Evers for joining us in Kenosha.  He had expressed that it was personally important to him to hear directly from the people who live here and it was important for our city to share our experiences first hand.  There is no replacement for walking the streets for yourself and looking people in the eyes.  Governor Evers has been engaged since the first night and has provided and substantially expanded a variety of resources to respond and protect our city at our request.

Our Governor met with downtown business owners who have been deeply impacted by these events and concerned citizens, as well as Mayor Antaramian, County Executive Kreuser, Secretary Peter Barca, and a number of state and local elected officials such as myself.  In my conversations, we discussed our continued coordination going forward to maintain peace in light of recent unrest and the process to work to restore what was damaged or lost, in addition to the needed reforms that have been underscored by the public outcry over police use of force.

Last nights’ protests again remained peaceful, which serves as a positive sign that individuals have taken to heart the message of non-violent demonstration called for by the Blake family and so many others.  Citizens and groups continue to make their voices heard, but in a manner that does not take the focus away from the important issues being championed and does not inflict further harm on the people and the city we all love.  My hope is that future gatherings continue to channel the strong and rightful emotions being expressed into passionate but completely peaceful events.”

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