challenges around race, we also have alignment for justice. it has -- the interesting thing to watch and i pray that we continue to move together as best we can. i said yesterday and i sincerely mean it, i think we are in a fight for the soul of our country. 49%/51%, but we have to keep fighting. amy: presidedent and ceo of f te louisville urban leae,e, sadiqaa reynynolds, a attorney y in ken. i am amy goodman with nermeen shaikh. ononly come back, we go to milwaukee where the investigation of the shooting of jacob blake isis underway. we will spspeak to jacob blake . stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: this is dememocracy n now!, democracynow.org, the e quarante report. i'm amy goodman with nermeen shaikh. as oututrage mounts over the grd jury ruling in the police killing of breonna taylor, we turn to wisconsin n where the investigation into the police

shooting of jacob blake is in its final stages. jake blake's case became a flash point for national protest after the african-american father was shot in the back by kenosha police seven times in august, paralyzing him. wife police officer rusten at pointired the shots blank range into jacob blake's back as blake leaned into his car. inside the car were his three boys a age 3, 5, and eight. prosecutors in wisconsin have tapped former madison police chief noble wray to serve as an independent t voice during the final stages of the investigation into the shooting. wray will review the state department of justice's findings before a report is sent to kenosha county district attorney michael graveley, who will ultimately decide whether charges s should be filed agagat the police officers. well, for more, we go to milwaukee where we are joined by jacob blake, sr., the father of

jake blake, jr. he has been fighting for justice for his son alongside the parents of breonna taylor, george floyd, and others. jacob blake sr., welcome to democracy now! we are so sorry about what happened to your son. if you can respond to the decision that has just come down in louisville and then talk about how is your son jake in the hospital now? >> well, what happened in louisville shows the two systems of justice in the united states, clear and cut. if a young lady is murdered by the police, someone is responsible for that death. if the police were involved. but when it is a brown person, we don't find the quick or swift end of justice. jacob is doing much better.

his spirits are better. it is hard for him because of the pain, but we stand in support of my son as well as george floyd's family and the taylor family. mr. blake, where e is the process with the grand jury in your son's case? >> right now they have wrought olice brought inin an ex-p chief to do some investigation of what the district attorney has come up with at this point. can you talk about that day, which i know is extremely painful for you? you were in kenosha when you're somewhat shot by police

officers. xilk about where you were and how you got the news and then .our response to the video inks i was driving charlotte, north carolina, where i reside and i got a phone call. my phone was connected to my car . all i heard was his mother screaming "he's shot. they shot him." i said, who? who shot who? and she said, the police shot jacob. it is almost like it rewinds in my head every day. i heaear that p phone call in my @@sleep when i am awake. i can't even explain to you the emotion that you have as a parent when that phone call comes to you.

i did not have a starship enterprise. i could not beam up to milwaukee, so i had -- i had been up all day, two days ago before the phone call i had just got back -- a ride back from chicago, so now i knew i had to back tound and head milwaukee. i do not remember driving in the mountains. i do not remember driving through kentuckyky. i i don't remember -- all i remember is walking in the hospital. your sonthat day that was shot was supposed to be such a happy day, isn't that right? brittle grandson -- >> it started out as a happy day. my grandson, two hours before got the call for his mother --

maybe three hours. that day is such a blur, i can't tell you exactly. all i can tell you is how happy he was and he had a list of things that he wanted his father to get, and we were laughing. el, you're going to spend all your day today, baby. he laughed. i said, call me back later when they cut the cake or whatever. -- myd, we are grandchildren, all of them call me papa. he said, poppa, we're going to call you back. i will call you so you can see what i got. i remember hearing his little -- you know, you can't measure the happiness but you can see the happiness. i could see the happiness in his voice. it just came through the phone. i pictured happiness. an eight-year-r-old happy to be

with his dad. i want to go to the first news conference. we did not expect you were going to be speaking. i believe one of the lawyers said he would not be. i can you talk about that day before we go to that clip? i had so many different emotions. you know, you have a father in protective mode, a father worried mode. i was so tired. i had driven all night. the news conference was that day . time i was onular an emotional roller coaster. moment let's go to that where both you speak -- this is you. seven times.my son

seven times. matter.did not but my son matters. how would you feel if your white come as a up to you mother, said, mommy, why did the police shoot my daddy in the backck? you have no clue. amy: and you have repeatedly said, also at the march on your son is human, as if you have to say that. tell us who your son is. and also, your father. your son's grandfather, who was so well known in chicago as a civil rights leader, the reverend jacob blake. excuse me for a moment.

i'm sorry. --son is a happy amy: take as much time as you need, mr. blake. we are so terribly sorry about what has happened to your son and what has happened to your whole family as a result. he was -- he was a jokester as a kid. happy-go-lucky, smililing jokester. he thought everything was funny. i can hear him laughing as a kid. older, me andhim had a

.pecial type of relationship like he was my best little friend at times. , headingng was older toward 30 come as a father, your relationship changes with your children because now t they see the things that you went through is a 30-year-old parent. so they respect you in a different way. and you share moments with each priceless.are

father, being a civil rights meder, taught me and gave to be the man that i am today. confident, unshakable. now, in regards to the emotional me, you some things get guys got me with when i was boyfriendto breonna's . call.at 911 he was scared to death. children scared to

death? -- scared to death of people who are supposed to protect and serve them? 2020, why do have to continuously tell people that my son is a human being? at like we areed animals? it is not a good place to be in. for marchingeat for civil rights. 50 years ago. and we are still trying to get equal rights. at some point in time, you get tired. givenis no avenue that is to you directly to do what you

need to do. whate can explain to you to do. they tell you, it takes time. well, how much time? they tell you to vote -- and we vote and we're going to keep voting. we have to change these laws. amy, we have to do something because we have come up to this point to where the whole world is seeing ththe two systems of justice. norwe are not in the mood in the mindset of taking it anymore. amy: jacob blake -- >> what are we to do? continuere going to this discussion and posted online at democracynow.org. jacob blake sr., father

♪ hello. you're watching nhk "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. japan has come up with some initial plans for how to distribute the coronavirus vaccine once one is ready. the government will present the draft guidelines to its panel of experts in the hope of creating a systetem that's safee and