Dear MoveOn member,

Breaking news: A jury has just failed to convict Kyle Rittenhouse of all charges in his murder trial.¹ Disgraceful.

On August 25, 2020, Rittenhouse traveled across state lines from Illinois to Kenosha, Wisconsin, and gunned down two Black Lives Matter protesters with an AR-15-style rifle.²

Thousands had gathered on the streets of Kenosha to protest the police shooting of an unarmed Black man, Jacob Blake. The shooting was caught on video and left Blake paralyzed from the waist down.³

Rittenhouse killed two people who were there protesting racial injustice and police brutality—and he killed them in cold blood. Just days later, GOP leaders in Wisconsin and nationwide flocked to his defense and began raising money for Rittenhouse and his family—and shortly after he was released from jail, he was caught partying with members of the Proud Boys and gleefully flashing "white power" signs for photos.⁴ Instead of accountability, he's gotten stardom—and now he has gotten away with killing two people and injuring a third person. This is excruciating.

We're counting on you to channel this righteous rage into action. Will you rush a $3 donation to Black Leaders Organizing Communities (BLOC), a Black-led Wisconsin-based organization that's doing critical racial justice work around housing, policing, health care, and transportation advocacy across the state? 100% of your donation will go directly to BLOC.

Rittenhouse's trial has made a complete mockery of our justice system. The judge presiding over the case hasn't even pretended to be impartial over the last couple of weeks.

He lashed out and screamed at the prosecution during the middle of questioning. He's made racist, anti-Asian comments. He barred the prosecution from referring to the two people killed as "victims," on the grounds that it's too loaded of a word but allowed the defense to refer to them as "rioters."⁵ He even asked the jury to give a round of applause for a Rittenhouse defense witness.⁶

It's no surprise that Rittenhouse is able to walk free, despite having ruthlessly taken the lives of two people.

Can you rush $3 to BLOC, a vital Wisconsin-based organization building power at the local level and fighting for justice for working families and communities of color? 100% of your donation will go straight to BLOC.

In the days and weeks ahead, we'll continue to fight for racial justice—and that means, among many other things, holding violent white supremacists accountable.

White supremacists will continue to resort to hate, division, and violence, but we have the people on our side.

We know that the best way to counter white supremacy is to empower those people, institutions, and ideas that build solidarity and power among marginalized communities and working families.

Groups like BLOC are doing the critical work of building power every single day—and because of the work they do, communities across Wisconsin are more resilient against the threats of far-right, white supremacist violence. Rush a $3 donation now, and every penny of your donation will go straight to BLOC.

Thanks for all you do.

–Arvin, Bekir, Chrissy, Liia, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty of intentional homicide and four other charges." The New York Times, November 19, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/159600?t=5&akid=310966%2E40999114%2E4cgEPh

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4. "Kyle Rittenhouse, out on bail, flashed white power signs at a bar, prosecutors say," NBC News, January 14, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/159601?t=7&akid=310966%2E40999114%2E4cgEPh

5. "As trial approaches, judge may allow the men Kyle Rittenhouse shot to be called 'rioters' or 'looters' -- but 'victim' isn't allowed," CNN, October 27, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/159602?t=9&akid=310966%2E40999114%2E4cgEPh

6. "As nationwide audience turns to Rittenhouse trial, Judge Schroeder's peculiar behavior stands out," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, November 15, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/159603?t=11&akid=310966%2E40999114%2E4cgEPh

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