Jacob Blake, the Black man who was shot seven times in the back by Wisconsin police in August, has a message to share from his hospital bed: “Please, I’m telling you, change your lives out there.”
Benjamin Crump, Blake’s attorney, tweeted the video filmed by “Our Lives Matter NYC” on Saturday night, just a day after the 29-year-old made his first public appearance since the shooting.
“Every 24 hours it’s pain, nothing but pain. It hurts to breathe, it hurts to sleep, it hurts to move from side to side, it hurts to eat,” Blake revealed in the minute-long clip.
His attorney, Patrick Salvi, previously shared with reporters that the bullets left holes in Blake’s stomach, caused damage to his kidney and liver, and required that “nearly his entire colon and small intestine” be removed.
The shooting left Blake paralyzed and on Saturday he shared that he had staples in his stomach and back.
Despite his serious injuries, Blake shared a message of hope. “It’s a lot more life to live,” said the father of six.
“Your life, and not only just your life, your legs, something you need to move around and forward in life, can be taken from you like this. Stick together, make some money, make everything easier for our people out there, man, because there’s so much time that’s been wasted,” he said.
A GoFundMe account set up by family members has surpassed $2.2 million in donations.
On Friday, Blake appeared before the Kenosha County Circuit Court from his hospital bed where he pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal trespass, third-degree sexual assault and disorderly conduct that were filed in July.
Blake’s shooting sparked more nationwide protests against racial inequality and police brutality, with demonstrations in Kenosha and Portland turning deadly.
Blake’s shooting is being investigated by the Wisconsin’s Department of Justice and is the subject of a civil rights probe.
