San Diegans are expressing their frustrations after watching cell-phone video of Jacob Blake's shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
"To me, it's disgusting to see and heartbreaking to see these types of videos," said United We Stand San Diego member KC Short.
Cell-phone video shows 29-year-old Blake walking around the front of his SUV to his driver-side door with officers following him with their guns pointed and shouting at him. As Blake opens the door and leans into the SUV, an officer grabs his shirt from behind and opens fire while Blake's back is turned.
"People say, 'Oh, what did this guy do to the police in order to be killed like this?' " Short said. "But in reality, we don't look at it like humans -- like, no one should be shot in the back seven times with their children in the car and you have to ask yourself why do people think that's OK?"
Short is an Army veteran who was among the crowd of downtown San Diego protestors Monday night calling for justice for Blake. SDPD said the group, estimated to be around 50 people, at one point blocked the entrance and exit of the parking lot, and ignored orders to clear out.
Short said it is critical for police departments across the country to implement and practice de-escalation policies.
"I want to know: What do they do for de-escalation policies?" Short said. "What do they do to keep their cool?"
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Blake's sons. aged 3, 5 and 8. were in the car at the time of the shooting. In the cell-phone video, seven shots can be heard, though it isn’t clear how many struck Blake or how many officers fired.
"Immediately when that happened, of course, of course, my heart was broken," said Christina Griffin-Jones, who is a founding member and leader of the San Diego Black Lives Matter chapter.
Griffin-Jones said, as someone who has survived police violence, there is serious trauma that follows.
"It is an experience that you never forget, and it is that it's something has been really taken away from you," Griffin-Jones said .
Blake's father, also named Jacob Blake, told the Chicago Sun-Times in a story published Tuesday that he didn't know if his son's paralysis would be permanent. He also confirmed the comments to NBC News. The older man was traveling from North Carolina to be with his son who was being treated in a Milwaukee hospital.
"I'm tired of watching us do a hashtag and videos, and I'm grateful Mr. Jacob Blake will survive and make a full recovery, and we as a nation need to learn from these lessons because history repeats itself," Short said.
