Tell the Justice Department to investigate Kyle Rittenhouse >>
My friend,
Yesterday’s verdict acquitting Kyle Rittenhouse of all charges in the shooting of three people – two of whom he killed – is a travesty.
From the beginning, we knew that the cards were stacked against justice in this case – from the politically charged atmosphere surrounding the case to the shockingly unfair handling by the judge presiding over the case.
Here are the facts: Kyle Rittenhouse crossed state lines and used an illegally purchased assault rifle to confront racial justice protesters who had been demonized and made out to be a threat by far-right politicians, commentators, and media outlets.
The protest that Rittenhouse felt compelled to confront was over the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man shot multiple times by police outside of a family function. The “threat” perceived by Rittenhouse and the other armed white vigilantes who took to the streets of Kenosha – many of whom were associated with the militia movement – was people speaking out against structural white supremacy and the disregard for Black lives.
The verdict in this case further enables that white supremacy and will be seen as tacit encouragement by our criminal justice system for racially-inspired white mob violence – unless we do something about it.
That’s why we’re calling on the Department of Justice to initiate an investigation of Rittenhouse’s actions. There must be accountability for white vigilantism aimed at suppressing peaceful racial justice protests.
Please join us by adding your name now to tell the DOJ to investigate Kyle Rittenhouse's case >>
The facts of this case were clear. But the political climate fostered by the Trump administration and its white supremacist adherents poisoned the justice system’s ability to do its job. And the consequences could be devastating.
We’re an incredibly divided nation, heading into a major national election, and this verdict gives the appearance of condoning political violence. It can’t be the end of the story.
We can’t bring back the people Rittenhouse killed, or undo the harm to the man who was injured, but achieving some measure of justice in this case could prevent the next armed vigilante, motivated by the racist fearmongering that’s now inescapable in the far-right media landscape and in the rhetoric of far-right politicians like Trump and his acolytes, from committing a similar act of devastating violence.
This moment is a test of the deep divisions in our nation. Change is needed and change can happen, but it demands the full commitment of our hearts and souls to rooting out systemic racism in our justice system.
The Department of Justice has an important role in making sure America passes this test.
Please add your name now to join us in calling for a federal investigation into Kyle Rittenhouse >>
Thank you for doing your part in the fight for freedom and justice.
– Ben Jealous, President
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