The father of a black man shot by police has refused to “play politics” with his son’s life when Donald Trump visits the city of Kenosha on Tuesday.
Jacob Blake’s shooting sparked a fresh wave of anti-racism protests in the US, prompting calls for President Trump to acknowledge him and his family.
The president will meet police officers on the visit, but not the Blake family.
The visit comes with “law and order” becoming highly politicised ahead of the 3 November presidential election.
In an interview with CNN, Mr Blake’s father, Jacob Blake Sr, said his son’s life was more important than a meeting with President Trump.
“I’m not getting into politics. It’s all about my son, man. It has nothing to do with a photo op,” he said.
Local officials have urged Mr Trump to not visit Kenosha, in the state of Wisconsin, fearing his presence in the city may reignite protests that have calmed down in recent days.
But Mr Trump has rejected their pleas, accusing Democratic mayors and governors of failing to get a grip on the violence as he bids to make law and order a key issue in his bid to a win a second term in the White House.
Ahead of the Kenosha trip, the president said he would not meet Mr Blake’s family because they wanted lawyers to be present.
What did Blake’s father say?
“This is not politics. This is about the life of my son,” Mr Blake Sr said, adding that his son was still paralysed from the waist down, “holding on for dear life”.
Jacob Blake, 29, was shot several times in the back by a police officer during an arrest, as Mr Blake tried to get into a car where his three children were seated.
“We are dealing with an individual that a couple of weeks ago was running around with the boys and talking to me on the phone and laughing to an individual that cannot move his leg,” Mr Blake Sr said.
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The officer involved in the shooting on 23 August, named as Rusten Sheskey, has been placed on administrative leave while an investigation takes place.
Mr Blake Sr said that since his son’s shooting he had “received some threats”.
Asked how his family was coping, Mr Blake Sr said he had had to take his other son, 20, to hospital because he was depressed.
The father gave no further details but added: “It’s sad to me how people don’t understand the kind of pressure this family is under.”
Why is Trump’s Kenosha visit controversial?
The governor of the state, Democrat Tony Evers, has urged Mr Trump to reconsider his trip, warning his presence will “hinder our healing” and arguing that the citizens of the town are already traumatised.
The White House said the president was expected to meet with law enforcement and tour “property affected by recent riots”.
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Mr Trump has also defended a teenage supporter accused of fatally shooting two men amid demonstrations over Mr Blake’s shooting in Kenosha last week.
He suggested that Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was acting in self-defence, telling reporters: “I guess he was in very big trouble, he probably would have been killed.”
What’s going on in Portland?
Portland, Oregon, has also become a major flashpoint for demonstrations since a wave of Black Lives Matter protests were touched off by the killing of another African American – George Floyd – in May.
Mr Floyd died in Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck for a prolonged period during an arrest.
In July, the Trump administration deployed federal forces to Portland, ostensibly to protect a federal courthouse and other federal property. But they were later withdrawn amid allegations their heavy-handed tactics only heightened the unrest.
Asked to condemn supporters who had fired paint pellets during a confrontation with anti-racism demonstrators on the same night, Mr Trump described the protest as “peaceful” and said paint was “a defensive mechanism, paint is not bullets”.
He told a reporter: “Your supporters, and they are your supporters indeed, shot a young gentleman who – and killed him, not with paint but with a bullet. And I think it’s disgraceful.”
Media reports say a man who calls himself an anti-fascist is being investigated over the death of Mr Danielson.
Police say the man in his 30s fled after officers spotted him riding a bicycle in violation of vehicle codes. According to the police, the man was shot at the end of a pursuit, after he allegedly struck an officer and dropped a handgun in a bundle he was carrying.
FREDERICTON – A look at David Coon, leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick:
Born: Oct. 28, 1956.
Early years: Born in Toronto and raised in Montreal, he spent about three decades as an environmental advocate.
Education: A trained biologist, he graduated with a bachelor of science from McGill University in Montreal in 1978.
Family: He and his wife Janice Harvey have two daughters, Caroline and Laura.
Before politics: Worked as an environmental educator, organizer, activist and manager for 33 years, mainly with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.
Politics: Joined the Green Party of Canada in May 2006 and was elected leader of the New Brunswick Green Party in September 2012. Won a seat in the legislature in 2014 — a first for the province’s Greens.
Quote: “It was despicable. He’s clearly decided to take the low road in this campaign, to adopt some Trump-lite fearmongering.” — David Coon on Sept. 12, 2024, reacting to Blaine Higgs’s claim that the federal government had decided to send 4,600 asylum seekers to New Brunswick.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
FREDERICTON – A look at Blaine Higgs, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick.
Born: March 1, 1954.
Early years: The son of a customs officer, he grew up in Forest City, N.B., near the Canada-U.S. border.
Education: Graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1977.
Family: Married his high-school sweetheart, Marcia, and settled in Saint John, N.B., where they had four daughters: Lindsey, Laura, Sarah and Rachel.
Before politics: Hired by Irving Oil a week after he graduated from university and was eventually promoted to director of distribution. Worked for 33 years at the company.
Politics: Elected to the legislature in 2010 and later served as finance minister under former Progressive Conservative Premier David Alward. Elected Tory leader in 2016 and has been premier since 2018.
Quote: “I’ve always felt parents should play the main role in raising children. No one is denying gender diversity is real. But we need to figure out how to manage it.” — Blaine Higgs in a year-end interview in 2023, explaining changes to school policies about gender identity.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
OTTAWA – The pressing issues of climate change and food security join more familiar ones like violent extremism and espionage on a new list of Canada’s intelligence priorities.
The federal government says publishing the list of priorities for the first time is an important step toward greater transparency.
The government revises the priorities every two years, based on recommendations from the national security adviser and the intelligence community.
Once the priorities are reviewed and approved by the federal cabinet, key ministers issue directives to federal agencies that produce intelligence.
Among the priorities are the security of global health, food, water and biodiversity, as well as the issues of climate change and global sustainability.
The new list also includes foreign interference and malign influence, cyberthreats, infrastructure security, Arctic sovereignty, border integrity and transnational organized crime.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
