Jacob Blake's father REFUSES to meet Trump in Kenosha during his visit today and says 'I'm not going to play politics. This is my son's life'
The father of Jacob Blake says he won't meet with Donald Trump when he visits the city of Kenosha today because 'I don't want to play politics'.
Jacob Blake Sr spoke out after the president turned down a meeting with the Blake family because they wanted to have lawyers listen to the conversation, which he called 'inappropriate'.
Asked about Trump's response, Blake Sr said: 'I'm not getting into politics. It's all about my son, man. It has nothing to do with a photo-op.'
Jacob Blake Sr, the father of Jacob Blake who was shot dead in Kinosha a week ago, has insisted he doesn't want to 'play politics' after a meeting with Donald Trump fell through
Jacob Blake Jr was shot seven times in the back in Kenosha on August 23 by police as he tried to get into a car with three of his six children inside
Speaking to CNN's Jim Acosta, Blake Sr's lawyer confirmed that he wanted to listen to the call with Trump, because of the ongoing Justice Department investigation into the shooting.
'[I think] it would be most appropriate to have your counsel on the phone when you're talking to anybody involved in the government,' he added.
Trump is expected to arrive in Kenosha, Washington, around 1pm EST today to shake hands with police officers and visit riot-damaged areas while hammering home his 'law and order' campaign message.
The trip is going ahead despite the Wisconsin governor and Kenosha mayor urging him to reconsider, saying it will set back the city's efforts to heal.
Large parts of the uptown neighborhood - home to many black and Hispanic residents - were burned or damaged by rioters and looters over three nights of chaos following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, which was caught on video.
Donald Trump will visit Kenosha on Tuesday and was in talks with Blake's family about a meeting, but said he declined after the family wanted their lawyers to sit in
Blake Sr (pictured at a rally on August 28) confirmed that he wanted lawyers present because of an ongoing Justice Department investigation into his son's shooting
Blake was shot seven times in the back by officer Rusten Sheskey while trying to get into his car, where his three children were sat.
Police say Blake had attacked them and resisted two attempts to subdue him with a Taser before being shot.
Video shows Blake walking away from police with his arms by his side and opening his driver-side door before gunshots ring out.
He survived the shooting, but is now in hospital in a serious but stable condition. His family say he is likely to be paralyzed for life.
Giving an update on his son's condition, Blake Sr said he is 'holding on for dear life.'
'We are dealing with an individual that a couple of months, 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,' he said.
Blake Sr urged activists to remain peaceful during a wave of demonstrations that followed, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.
Blake's shooting sparked protests in Kenosha which quickly turned into riots, with businesses torched and looted amid unrest that was blamed on outsiders
The interior of burned-out businesses in Kenosha are seen from the air after being targeted by rioters and looters in three nights of unrest that roiled the city last week
A hand-painted sign reading 'KenoshaStrong' is seen outside the remains of a business which was torched and subsequently collapsed amid rioting in the city, sparked by the shooting of an unarmed black man
A car dealership in Kenosha's uptown was one of the first businesses to be targeted, with the owners estimating that $1.5million in damage was caused by a fire that was ignited in their sales lot (pictured)
Over the course of three nights, an estimated $30million in damage was caused to businesses and buildings, with out-of-towers blamed for the disturbance.
The local sheriff's department has said that, of the 175 people arrested during the unrest, 102 of them have addresses outside the city.
Events came to a head on the night of August 25, when 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse shot and killed two people and wounded a third with a rifle he was illegally carrying.
Rittenhouse had traveled from Illinois to join what police described as 'vigilante' groups who said they were there to 'protect' businesses.
The teenager, who is now in jail charged with murder, claims self-defense.
Trump has since spoken out in defence of Rittenhouse, saying he 'probably would have been killed' by protesters if he hadn't opened fire.
'He was trying to get away from them I guess, it looks like, and he fell on then they very violently attacked him,' Trump said.
'It was something that we are looking at right now and it's under investigation, but I guess he was in very big trouble. He probably would've been killed. It's under investigation,' he added.
