Dozens of buildings have been set on fire in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as black riots continued into a second night.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers activated the National Guard to assist law enforcement in the city. A curfew was put in place from 8 p.m. until 7 a.m. on Tuesday.
Neighbors say that they saw people setting fire to a mattress store. It appears to have spread to a bodega and Mexican restaurant, possibly more.
— Julie Bosman (@juliebosman)
August 25, 2020
Things have very much taken a turn in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Multiple locations now burning. pic.twitter.com/OR53avc6DW
— Omar Jimenez (@OmarJimenez)
August 25, 2020
But hundreds of black people remained outside the Kenosha County Courthouse in the city after the curfew took effect, prompting police to fire the first of several rounds of tear gas at around 8.30 p.m. in a bid to disperse them.
Social media posts showed blacks lighting numerous vehicles on fire in the streets, while some businesses were reportedly looted before being set ablaze.
Julie Bosman, a reporter with The New York Times, tweeted that protesters set off fireworks as police fired more tear gas outside the courthouse.
"As a large group of people dispersed in Kenosha tonight, they set cars on fire, smashed windows and knocked over street lamps," she tweeted.
"I saw a furniture store in flames, two trucks burning, and shattered glass on the streets. It took a lot of tear gas to get most of the crowd to leave."
According to Stephanie Haines, a reporter for TMJ4, there were several massive fires in downtown Kenosha. "The city is filled with smoke," she tweeted.
Several massive fires in downtown #Kenosha. The city is filled with smoke.
Photojournalist Tamott Wolverton shot this video. pic.twitter.com/ekFS89aSdj
— Stephanie Haines (@TMJ4Stephanie)
August 25, 2020
Dump truck set ablaze outside the courthouse, one of many that got incinerated tonight #Kenosha #KenoshaRiots #KenoshaProtests pic.twitter.com/y73oBrRxC4
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene)
August 25, 2020
Anarchy on the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin tonight #KenoshaRiots #Kenosha #kenoshawisconsin pic.twitter.com/ITP2p1CGyP
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene)
August 25, 2020
Businesses were also burned down in the city's Uptown district as rioting spread.
Video shared by Bosman showed massive plumes of red smoke billowing from the burning businesses as firefighters worked to extinguish the flames. A line of National Guard members prevented people from getting close.
By midnight, a mattress store, a Mexican restaurant, a storefront church and a cellphone store were among the businesses devastated by fires.
A Department of Corrections building was also set on fire. One video on social media showed a number of small fires had been set inside an office, while others showed the entire building engulfed in flames.
Rioters set fire to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections #Kenosha #KenoshaRiots #KenoshaProtests pic.twitter.com/pLx44NvMAg
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene)
August 25, 2020
view the rest of the comments →
[–] AmericanBannedStand 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
This post title, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner. It’s so much more useful to say “ a black mob” than “a BLM mob”. Establish firmly in peoples minds that this isn’t the violence of an ideology, it’s biological.