Counsell calls for change after Kenosha shooting: 'We can't stay quiet'
Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell is calling for change after police shot Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday.
Officers shot Blake in the back as he entered an SUV. His three children were in the car. Blake's been hospitalized and is in serious condition, his attorney, Ben Crump, told CNN's Eliott C. McLaughlin and Amir Vera. Video of the shooting went viral Sunday night and sparked protests in Kenosha, while the officers involved were placed on administrative leave.
"A Black man was shot and his life is in peril, and it frankly shouldn't be," Counsell said while wearing a "Black Lives Matter" shirt pregame Monday, according to Stephen Watson of WISN 12 News. "We've got a systemic problem that we need to address, and we all need to educate ourselves. Whether you agree or disagree with what I'm saying, I think it's important that we continue to think, we continue to pursue policy change, we continue to act, because there's violence happening that just absolutely should not be happening. And we can't stay quiet about it."
Counsell said he did not address the team today but has had individual conversations about the shooting Kenosha and continued systemic racism. "I encourage people to understand what's happening. Educate yourselves. Sometimes, it's hard to do."
— Tom (@Haudricourt) August 24, 2020
The Brewers organization also released a statement.
"The video of the shooting of Jacob Blake is deeply disturbing and raises many of the same questions we have been asking related to social injustice and racism in our communities," the team wrote. "Once again, we are faced with images of a horrific incident that show what appear to be inexplicable and excessive force inflicted upon a Black individual. It stirs emotions of anger, confusion, and great sadness at a time when we need healing and lasting change.
"We pray for a full recovery for Jacob, and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones."