Jacob Blake is Not a Convicted Rapist
The Claim
Jacob Blake is a convicted rapist and pedophile.
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Emerging story
On August 23, 2020, Jacob Blake, a black resident of Kenosha, Wisconsin, was shot seven times by police officers who were responding to a domestic incident. He is a father of six, and three of his young sons (ages 3, 5, and 8, respectively) witnessed the shooting. Blake miraculously survived the shooting, but is suffering from severe internal damage and is paralyzed from the waist down.
Since the killing of George Floyd by police on May 25th, 2020, thousands of protests have occurred in cities throughout the United States. Following the shooting of Jacob Blake, a massive and chaotic protest erupted in Kenosha. Three people were shot during a protest, two fatally.
Following the shooting, social media users cited Jacob Blake’s supposed criminal convictions, especially that of being a “child rapist,” as something of a justification for his shooting. The same users frequently pair this argument with Blake’s failure to comply with police directions on the scene.
Misbar’s Analysis
On July 6th, a warrant for Blake’s arrest was issued on charges of third-degree sexual assault, trespassing, and disorderly conduct. These charges came as a result of an encounter Blake had with his ex-girlfriend, where he allegedly touched her without her consent. Being charged with criminal action is far from being convicted of said action.
Misbar’s investigation found no evidence of Blake’s supposed pedophilia, except for a crudely photoshopped image (citing Rhode Island laws) which has been circulating on social media.
Five years ago, Blake was charged with resisting arrest, carrying a firearm while intoxicated, endangering safety-use of a dangerous weapon, and disorderly conduct. However, he was never convicted of any of the aforementioned charges, which were dropped in 2018.
