Racial conflicts grow in U.S.

The incident, in which a black man named Jacob Blake was shot by a white police officer in the presence of his three young sons and is currently in a critical condition, is sending the shock waves across the U.S. as the second George Floyd incident. In particular, there is growing anger among the black community and protestors as it has been revealed that a 17-year-old white teenager shot and killed two protestors in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday (local time). As anti-racial discrimination protests become larger in many cities, the situation is getting ever so tense with President Donald Trump officially announcing that the federal government will get involved.

The Illinois police announced on Wednesday that they arrested Kyle Rittenhouse for first-degree murders. Rittenhouse is charged for shooting an automatic rifle at protestors in Kenosha, which is about 20 kilometers away from his home, on Tuesday. According to the video footage made public, there were multiple shots fired in a demonstration site and Rittenhouse with a rifle started to run away. As protestors ran to catch him, he fell on the ground and shot multiple times again at the protestors. Two people, including a 26-year-old white man, were killed and one was injured as a result.

Protests are spreading across the country. Over 300 people protested against the police’s excessive use of violence on Wednesday in Downton Los Angeles and dozens of protestors gathered in a square in Oakland among many sporadic demonstrations across the nation.


Jae-Dong Yu jarrett@donga.com