Jacob Blake’s family attorney, Ben Crump, is providing insight into the 90-minute in-person meeting Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden had with Blake’s family and Blake himself alongside of his mother by phone.
“The family was grateful for the meeting and was very impressed that the Bidens were so engaged and willing to really listen. Jacob’s mother led them all in prayer for Jacob’s recovery,” Crump said.
Crump noted they talked about contrasting treatment of minorities by police, the impact of Biden’s decision to select Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) as his running mate, and Biden’s plans for the nation if he is elected.
Blake’s father discussed “the need for systemic reform because the excessive use of force by police against minorities has been going on for too long.”
Statement from Jacob Blake’s attorney regarding the visit from Joe and Jill Biden #JacobBlake #kenosha #Biden pic.twitter.com/qZPoqQ4d0s
— Chris Stanford (@ChrisAStanford) September 3, 2020
Crump said Blake shared with Biden the pain he is facing, and Biden “commiserated.”
According to the family’s attorney, Biden told them he believes the “best of America is in all of us” and we need to “value our differences.”
“It was very obvious that Vice President Biden cared, as he extended to Jacob Jr. a sense of humanity, treating him as a person worthy of consideration and prayer,” Crump said.
Jacob Blake, a Black man, was in the back several times by a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Biden traveled to Kenosha on Thursday to hold a community meeting after the city experienced a full week of violent protests in response to Blake’s shooting, along with the shooting of three protesters killing two and injuring a third.
President Donald Trump visited the city on Tuesday to assess the damage, as IJR previously reported.
He revealed the federal government is committed to rebuilding the city and will be providing millions in funding to assist law enforcement, small businesses, and expand public safety.