TRIGGER WARNING: This email contains upsetting contents re: violence, racism, murder.

Today, a jury declared Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty.

Rittenhouse, as we know, murdered three young men protesting in Kenosha, WI after a white police officer shot a young Black man named Jacob Blake in the back in the August of 2020, a summer fraught with police brutality. Jacob Blake is now paralyzed from the waist down.

Today is a shameful day in America— a country built upon systems of racism, patriarchy, imperialism, and capitalism that perpetuate violence.

Today, we remember the lives lost and those who were injured-- Joseph Rosenbaum (36) and Anthony Huber (26).

Huber was a hero who lost his life trying to stop Rittenhouse.

Our thoughts and hearts are with the survivor Gaige Grosskreutz (27) who told his story this past week in court.

Today, we channel our thoughts to all those suffering from pain and trauma caused by a young, dangerous white man with an automatic weapon.

This should not have happened. None of this should have happened.

Kyle Rittenhouse is a murderer. This was no form of self-defense. He traveled illegally across state borders with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and took the lives of two innocent people exercising their right to protest.

And thanks to Judge Shroeder, a geriatric psychopath who kept significant evidence from the jury, Rittenhouse is free.

Today is a day to feel it all— anger, sadness, disgust, disbelief, grief.

Today, we also remember other victims killed while protesting:

Calvin Horton, Jr. was killed in a protest for the murder of George Floyd — Horton was suspected to be one of the first people killed since the protests began in 2020.

Deona M. Knajdek, who was killed in Minneapolis when a car crashed into her in June of 2021 during a Black Lives Matter protest. Deona was 31.

Summer Taylor, a non-binary protestor who was killed when a car drove into them in Seattle in the summer of 2020 during a Black Lives Matter protest. Summer was 24.

Barry Perkins was driven over in June of 2020 in St. Louis during a Black Lives Matter protest. Barry was 29. He left behind two kids, age 9 and 4.

Robert Forbes was struck and killed by a vehicle in June of 2020 in Bakersfield, California during a Black Lives Matter protest.

James Scurlock, a Black Lives Matter protester, was killed in Omaha while walking with his infant daughter.

As activists and protestors ourselves who marched that summer and have continued to march since, we are especially horrified. We won’t lie. We are hurting really bad right now. And we imagine some of you are too.

So today, we just remember. Cry. Grieve. Today, we reflect on the shoulders and sacrifices we stand on. Today, we practice self care and check in with our loved ones. To those reading this email who are hurting, please know that you are in our hearts right now. You are not alone.

Together, we will grieve. And then, we will hold one another up and find strength in community.

Yours in solidarity,
Eden, Megan, Jimena, and Annie
Team Barrier To Entry
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BARRIER TO ENTRY PAC supports candidates and campaign staff from working class backgrounds as they carve their paths in the Democratic political space. We provide direct cash assistance for essential items like phones, cars, laptops, and living stipends -- which often times, these candidates and their campaigns don't have access to. We also serve as a resource for individual mentorship and training to ensure candidates and their staff feel supported and equipped to enter the political space.



Barrier To Entry PAC
PO Box 6623
Cleveland, OH 44101
United States
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