HUD Secretary Ben Carson directly offered condolences to the family of Jacob Blake after Blake was shot seven times by Kenosha Police officer Rusten Sheskey on Sunday. Carson’s comments come on the fourth night of the Republican National Convention.
While Republicans have blasted the Black Lives Matter movement night after night, there had largely been no mention of the incidents that triggered the summer of unrest across the US.
Carson echoed the calls from Blake’s mother Julia Jackson to stop the violence that has taken place alongside protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
"As I was riding through here, through this city,” she said on Wednesday, “I noticed a lot of damage which doesn't reflect my son or my family. If Jacob knew what was going on as far as the violence and the destruction, he would be very unpleased."
Carson joined in decrying the violence.
“America is great when we behave greatly,” Carson said. “In order to succeed in change, we must come together in love of our fellow citizens. History reminds us that necessary change comes through hope and love, not senseless and destructive violence.”
The Blake Family said that the shooting left him paralyzed, but he is expected to survive his injuries.
Sheskey, who has been placed on administrative leave, has not been criminally charged.
Carson’s speech came as a series of speakers said that the current unrest that has taken place in recent months would only grow if Joe Biden was elected president.
Meanwhile, protests continued throughout the US in the streets and in stadiums on Thursday. Before a scheduled MLB game, the Mets and Marlins held a 42-second moment of silence before leaving the field and opting not to play. The NHL also postponed tonight and tomorrow’s playoff games in solidarity with the protests.