As violence continues in Kenosha Wisconsin, the family of Jacob Blake, the African-American man who was shot multiple times at the back by a police officer denounced the violence that has erupted in the city.

Blake’s uncle, Justin Blake spoke to CNN’s Sara Sidner following the controversial incident. In his statement, the older Blake asked demonstrators to protest peacefully, despite the fact that a white police officer shot his nephew seven times at the back while he was reaching out under his car seat. Justin vowed that his family would seek justice and accountability against the police officers who had harmed his nephew, in a legal and peaceful way.

Justin claimed that what happened to Jacob is every black parent’’s worst nightmare. “This is like what all the black parents talk about. It’s that phone call you don’t want to get, and we got it.” He continued that the only way they can survive the entire ordeal is to be “‘strong for each other” as he shared the family’s pleas to conduct the protests in a peaceful, non-violent way. “We want justice and we’re going to get justice, we’re going to demand justice, but we’re going to do that without tearing up our own communities,” Jacob added.

The show’s host then went to talk to Jacob’s uncle to ask what he had said when he woke up from the injuries. Justin assured that his nephew told him that everything will be alright. However, his uncle believed that it would be difficult for him to go back to normal, especially when his life had drastically changed. Finally, Justin remained thankful that his nephew was able to survive the shooting and hope that his nephew would be able to continue to live a good life. Currently, doctors assessed that Jacob’s injuries might leave him paralyzed from the waist down.

Indeed, contrary to left-wing activists who rallied that the riots and violence were for the common good, African-American families who had suffered under police custody believed that their search for justice and accountability should be done in a peaceful way. For example the family of slain African-American, George Floyd also denounced the violence in Portland as a result of the growing outrage over his death. On behalf of the family, Terrence Floyd, George’s brother recognized the collective anger against police officers who were responsible for his death. He told ABC News that while he was angry with what had happened, he knew that his brother whom he described as a “‘gentle giant”’ did not like violence.

The family’s decision to denounce violence came after rioters torched down black-owned businesses over the weekend. In a report from Reuters, Kenosha rioters destroyed and burned down the city’s black business district.

Democrat and Wisconsin Governor, Tony Evers also had to activate the National Guard to protect federal buildings from being destroyed, as what had happened in other cities such as Seattle, and Chicago. On Monday, a violent confrontation ensued as troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets as a way to disperse the crowd. The aftermath was equally devastating as small businesses were completely incinerated, while car dealerships were also set ablaze.