Today, at the UNF Fine Arts Building, UNF’s Students for a Democratic Society (S.D.S.) protested police brutality regarding the events in Kenosha, Wis. and the arrest of a S.D.S. member there.

On Sunday, August 23, Jacob Blake – a black man – was shot seven times by police in Kenosha, Wis. The event sparked protests and rallies in the area. Days later, a 17-year-old boy allegedly opened fire on protestors, killing two people and injuring another with a “military-style semi-automatic rifle.”

The identified suspect, Kyle Rittenhouse, was believed to be a part of a youth police cadet program and was known as a police admirer, according to CNN. He was arrested on Wednesday in Antioch, Ill. –30 minutes from Kenosha– and faces a first-degree intentional murder charge. 

According to Katelyn Scott, Vice President of UNF S.D.S., a S.D.S. member was arrested last night during a protest in Kenosha. Although the arrested person is not a UNF student, S.D.S. feels very strongly about it and the events in Wisconsin. 

“These armed fascists were welcomed by the police force. The police force openly admitted in a video, that you can easily find online, that ‘We love you guys, we appreciate you guys,’” said a student at the protest, “[…] The police are yet another armed, white supremacist terrorist group patrolling our streets with unimaginable amounts of authority to take the lives of whoever they want, whenever they want. If this isn’t proof that we need community control of police, then I don’t know what is.” 

The protest continued with chants like “If we don’t get it, shut it down,” and “Black Lives Matter.” They also urged attendees to call-in, so that the arrested S.D.S member could be released and get her charges dropped.

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