\u00ab\u00a0Who walks into a courtroom that was going to jail for 25 to life and walks away clear and free?\u00a0\u00bb Justin Blake said.<\/b>
\nJustin Blake, the uncle of Jacob Blake, said race played a role in Kyle Rittenhouse’s , and he believes the teen was guilty. Rittenhouse on Friday was found not guilty after he shot three men, killing two of them, at protests that erupted over police shooting and wounding Jacob Blake last year. \u00ab\u00a0If you are Caucasian, these are the things that you can do,\u00a0\u00bb Justin Blake told CBS News’ Lana Zak on Saturday. He said the verdict was \u00ab\u00a0an atrocity\u00a0\u00bb and a \u00ab\u00a0miss-service of justice.\u00a0\u00bb On August 23, 2020, officers were for a domestic dispute in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Jacob Blake’s attorney said he was attempting to break up a dispute but the local police union said a complaint alleged he was attempting to steal a vehicle. Bystander video of the incident showed Jacob Blake walking away from police before an officer shot him multiple times in the back. The Department of Justice later to charge the officer. Jacob Blake’s attorneys said he was as a result of the incident, but he did survive. On Saturday, Justin Blake said his nephew is doing well. \u00ab\u00a0Mentally, he’s on top of the world,\u00a0\u00bb he said. The graphic video of Jacob Blake’s police encounter went viral on social media, sparking nights of nationwide last summer. Ahead of one of those protests, Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time, traveled to Kenosha with the intention, he claimed, of helping protect local businesses and providing first aid. Armed with an AR-15 style rifle, Rittenhouse was in the midst of the crowd and shot three men, Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz. \u00ab\u00a0These are middle-class people that were supporting their fight for African descendant rights, using their First Amendment rights in Kenosha,\u00a0\u00bb Justin Blake said of those killed by Rittenhouse. \u00ab\u00a0They were met in the middle of the street and shot down and murdered by this young man, and he is walking clear and free.\u00a0\u00bb He said he has spoken to the families of the men that Rittenhouse killed and called them \u00ab\u00a0beautiful people.\u00a0\u00bb Rittenhouse had faced life in prison for five charges. His attorneys argued that the teen opened fire only in self-defense, while prosecutors said Rittenhouse was an aggressor and a liar. Justin Blake said he believes Rittenhouse was guilty. \u00ab\u00a0Who walks into a courtroom that was going to jail for 25 to life and walks away clear and free?\u00a0\u00bb he asked. He criticized Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder for \u00ab\u00a0not allowing evidence to be seen and heard\u00a0\u00bb at the trial. \u00ab\u00a0This is showing the underbelly of what America truly has been in the last 120 years,\u00a0\u00bb Justin Blake said. \u00ab\u00a0The underbelly is racist as hell.\u00a0\u00bb Clare Hymes contributed reporting. Tori B. Powell is a breaking news reporter at CBS News. Reach her at tori.powell@viacomcbs.com<\/p>\n