Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty of the fatal shooting of two – and injury of another – during the protest over the shooting of Jacob Blake by the Kenosha Police Department. Let us not overlook the impact that violence in defense of white supremacy has on Black and brown communities.
When people in Wisconsin, D.C. and across the country exercised their First Amendment right to protest the killing of Black men and women like Jacob Blake, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, they were met by police and military force which resulted in bloodshed, additional loss of lives, and violence.
No one should be targeted, threatened, or attacked for exercising their First Amendment right to protest and demand justice. The ACLU-DC will continue to defend and advance that right to ensure that all protestors’ voices can be heard without fear of violence. And as we reimagine public safety, we also need to focus on reimagining our criminal legal system, encouraging civic action through voting and jury duty, and demanding transparency so the public can hold judicial actors accountable for injustice in the court system.
