(KMOX) - Just after noon local time, Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges Friday for killing two men and wounding a third with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle in the summer of 2020. The decision sparked strong words from people around the country.
Here's what some Missouri politicians said:
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones:
Today’s verdict is not justice.
The system favored someone who eagerly crossed state lines with a deadly weapon. Black and brown people in this country have never and would never be allowed the same leeway or sympathy shown to Kyle Rittenhouse.
U.S. Rep. Cori Bush:
The judge. The jury. The defendant.
It’s white supremacy in action.
This system isn’t built to hold white supremacists accountable. It’s why Black and brown folks are brutalized and put in cages while white supremacist murderers walk free.
I’m hurt. I’m angry. I’m heartbroken.
Bob Onder, State Senator from St. Charles County:
This young man was the would-be victim of what Justice Thomas once called a high-tech lynching. The media exhibited “actual malice” in prejudging an innocent man.
Peter Kinder, Former Lt. Governor of Missouri:
Meet Mr. Rittenhouse, very wealthy man
LaKeySha Bosley, Missouri Representative from St. Louis:
Excuse my language, but this is complete BULLSHIT!
Rasheen Aldridge Jr., Missouri Representative from St. Louis:
Am I shocked that #KyleRittenhouse got off NO! Is it disheartening that this is the reality of most people hell yeah! The truth is some of us are aware that the system is guilty as hell and is designed to work for a select few. That is why we must keep organizing and disrupting.
Sarah Unsicker, Missouri Representative from St. Louis County:
Deeply concerned about the status of justice in our country today.
David Tyson Smith, Missouri Representative in from Columbia:
I’m concerned the Rittenhouse verdict may lead our country further down the dangerous path which encourages vigilante justice to the detriment of us all.
Sara Walsh, running for seat in Missouri's 4th District:
Not guilty on all counts in the Rittenhouse case. All life is precious which is why self-defense and the #2A is every American’s Constitutionally protected right. If you seek to hurt other people, expect them to fight back.
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