Jan. 4, 2021 9:15p
(WGTD)---The Kenosha City Council voted unanimously Monday night to give Mayor John Antaramian emergency powers that take effect when a decision comes down on whether to file criminal charges against the officer who shot Jacob Blake.
Those powers include the ability to set a curfew, although no such announcement was made Monday night. As was the case during curfews enacted on a couple of occasions last summer, exemptions would be carved out for such things as people either returning home or going to work.
Speaking during the virtual meeting, Antaramian also clarified a statement made in a weekend news release that seemed to suggest that the city might try to confine demonstrators to a designated site. "I believe the (police) chief was looking at some areas that people could be told here are good places for you to go, but there is no designation being done to anyone as to where they can or cannot go under this situation," he said.
The mayor reiterated his pledge to address racial inequality and other issues brought up in the wake of the Blake shooting. Said Antaramian: "I intend to do everything I can to make sure that we have an opportunity that this community can become better than it has and that it's a community that people can look at and say 'they got it right.'"
The process began several months ago with listening sessions, and continues with the formation of committees to address specific areas.
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