Jacob Blake from hospital bed: 'We can stick together, make everything easier for our people'

Trigger Warning: Police Brutality, Racism

In a power video message posted to Twitter by attorney Ben Crump, Jacob Blake, one of the most recent Black victims of brutal police violence, reminded all of his supporters just how precious life is. Blake is currently in the hospital, recovering after being shot in the back seven times by a White police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where protests are ongoing. The 29-year-old was left seriously wounded following the incident and underwent multiple surgeries, despite which he may still be left paralyzed from the waist down. Blake claimed he was in tremendous pain, CNN reports. "Every 24 hours it's pain," he said. "It's nothing but pain."

Crump, who is still fighting for justice for his client, posted the video on Sunday. It has already been shared over 17,000 times. The clip features Blake in a green medical gown, lying in his hospital bed. Earlier reports indicated that the young man was handcuffed to his bed, but it appears that the handcuffs have since been removed. "I just wanna say, man, to all the young cats out there and even the older ones, older than me, there's a lot more life to live out here, man," he states in the short video. "Your life, not only just your life, your legs—something that you need to move around and move forward in life—can be taken from you like this, man." He then snaps his fingers.

Blake continues, "I promise you, the type of sh*t that you will go through... I got staples down my back, staples down my damn stomach... You do not want to have to deal with this sh*t, man. Every 24 hours it's pain, it's nothing but pain. It hurts to breathe, it hurts to sleep, it hurts to move from side to side, it hurts to eat." He was evidently exhausted, perhaps because of all the medical procedures he has been through over the past few weeks. "Change your lives out there," he affirms in conclusion. "We can stick together, make some money, make everything easier for our people out here, man. There's so much time that's been wasted."

Reactions to the video have been mixed. Many folks have used the social media platform to spew further hatred, doling out the typical racist responses one would expect when a new case of police brutality is reported. Others, however, appreciated Blake's inspiring words and called for an end to the suffering of other Black victims like him. The 29-year-old is one of the few victims of police brutality to live and receive national media attention. His message, therefore, is a powerful reminder of how police departments across the United States affect unarmed Black men for the rest of their lives within just a few seconds.

Blake is currently being accused of criminal trespass, sexual assault, and disorderly conduct based on statements from his former girlfriend. On Friday, he appeared in court from his hospital bed via Zoom and plead not guilty to the charges. A trial is set to begin later this year as a local commissioner decided that there was enough evidence to send the matter to trial. Meanwhile, protests demanding racial equality continue in Kenosha, Wisconsin.