A Kenosha city official said that the destruction to city-owned property caused by rioters last week following the police shooting of Jacob Blake has caused nearly $2 million in damage.
The estimate is based on what it would cost to replace damaged items, including smashed lights and garbage trucks set ablaze, but does not include personnel costs, according to Kenosha public works director, Shelly Billingsley, The Associated Press reports.
“Right now, were estimating between lost equipment, lost street lights, lost traffic signals, and miscellaneous sign damage–were estimating a cost of approximately $1.9 million,” Billingsley said in an update reported to the citys Public Works Committee, according to Kenosha News.
Billingsley added that her staff continues to tally the numbers in the wake of the destruction, which erupted after Blake was shot on Aug. 23 while resisting arrest in a confrontation with police, suffering serious injuries. The shooting sparked a wave of protests, some turning violent, with rioters torching half a dozen buildings, including a number of small businesses. On the third night of unrest, there was a shooting that resulted in one injury and two deaths. Authorities imposed a curfew in a bid to quell the unrest and minimize the threat to people and property.
Authorities initially refused offers of federal assistance to help cope with the rioting, but after a shooting involving an Illinois teenager, the National Guard was sent in.
President Donald Trump, whos planning to visit Kenosha to survey the damage and meet with business owners and law enforcement, told reporters on Monday night that the unrest there was subdued thanks to the deployment of federal forces.
“Tomorrow, Im going to a place where weRead More From Source
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