Demonstrators march through Adams Morgan while protesting the shooting of Jacob Blake.

Daniella Cheslow / DCist/WAMU

This story was updated at 5:04 p.m. on August 25.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of D.C. Monday night, in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man in Kenosha, Wis.

At around 6:30 p.m., protesters started gathering at the Columbia Heights Civic Plaza, and by 7 p.m., the crowd had grown to nearly 200 people.

Speaking into a megaphone, one organizer listed off details of the incident with the crowd repeating it back. The group started chanting “seven times” — the number of times Blake was reportedly shot in the back by police.

At one point, a car crashed into a nearby light post and medics responded to the scene. It’s uncertain whether the incident had anything to do with the protests.

Not long after, protesters took a moment of silence before starting their march headed north on 14th Street chanting “What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now!” and “If we don’t get it, shut it down.”

Elsewhere down the line, people chanted “No Justice, no peace. Take the streets and fuck the police.”

At restaurants like Lyman’s Tavern on 14th Street, protesters continued detailing the incident in front of a small group of outdoor diners. At times, confrontations with people dining outside grew contentious.

Later in the night, protesters headed south toward downtown. By midnight, a smaller group had arrived at Black Lives Matter Plaza, according to social media posts.

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D.C. police made one arrest related to the protest, according to an MPD spokesperson. Police observed a person with a kitchen knife “moving the knife in an erratic manner,” according to the police report. Officers arrested the person in the 1600 block of I Street, NW, adjacent to Black Lives Matter Plaza, for carrying a dangerous weapon.

Twenty-nine-year-old Jacob Blake was shot multiple times by police in the back on Sunday after they responded to an incident of domestic violence. In a viral video posted on social media, Blake is seen walking away from two police officers and toward a grey SUV. When he opens the door and leans in, one of the officers, with his gun pointed at Blake’s back, grabs the man’s shirt and opens fire. The case is currently under investigation and the officers have been placed on leave.

Blake survived the shooting, but is paralyzed from the waist down, according to his father.

Kenosha has born witness to numerous protests since Sunday reminiscent of the days following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, with parts of the city engulfed in flames. The Wisconsin National Guard has been deployed and authorities have issued a city-wide curfew.

Floyd’s death set off weeks of protests against police brutality and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement across the country, including in the District. There have been weeks of demonstrations near Black Lives Matter Plaza, the White House, and all across D.C. leading up to the highly anticipated March on Washington this Friday.

The Associated Press reported that Rachel Noerdlinger, publicist for the National Action Network, said Blake’s father will speak at the March on Washington.

This story was updated to add new details as protests continued through the night and to better reflect the restaurants where protesters confronted outdoor diners. 

Filed Under: 2020 BLM Protests, black lives matter, Jacob Blake,