Rittenhouse Acquitted: Reactions Pour In To Not Guilty Verdict

KENOSHA, WI — A jury found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty Friday in the shootings that killed two men and injured another on the third night of protests in Kenosha as residents took to the streets in August 2020 to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Rittenhouse was acquitted of first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment and attempted first-degree intentional homicide.

The charges came against Rittenhouse, 18, after the fatal shooting of Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26. The shooting also injured 28-year-old Gaige Grosskreutz on Aug. 25, 2020. Throughout the trial, Rittenhouse's attorneys argued the shootings were done in self-defense.

In response to the verdict, some are praising the system, but others are slamming the verdict as a failure of justice.

Politicians React

President Joe Biden

"While the verdict in Kenosha will leave many Americans feeling angry and concerned, myself included, we must acknowledge the jury has spoken," President Joe Biden, a Democrat, said in a statement Friday.

"I ran on a promise to bring American's together, because I believe what unites us is far greater than what divides us. I know we're not going to heal our country's wounds overnight, but I remain steadfast in my commitment to do everything in my power to ensure that every American is treated equally, with fairness and dignity under the law," the statement said.

Biden urged for peace in the statement, saying "violence and destruction have no place in our democracy," and said he spoke with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers Friday to offer assistance.

Biden also told reporters at the White House Friday "I stand by what the jury has concluded. The jury system works and we have to abide by it."

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers

"No verdict will be able to bring back the lives of Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum, or heal Gaige Grosskreutz’s injuries, just as no verdict can heal the wounds or trauma experienced by Jacob Blake and his family. No ruling today changes our reality in Wisconsin that we have work to do toward equity, accountability, and justice that communities across our state are demanding and deserve," Evers, a Democrat, said in a statement Friday:

"We must move forward, together, more united and more motivated to build the sort of future we want for our state—one that is just, one that is equitable, and one where every person has the resources and opportunity to thrive—and I will not stop working to achieve that vision," Evers said in the statement.

"This case and the resulting national spotlight on the Kenosha community and our state have undoubtedly reopened wounds that have not yet fully healed. I echo the calls of local Kenosha community leaders and join them in asking everyone who might choose to assemble and exercise their First Amendment rights in any community to please only do so safely and peacefully. We must have peace in Kenosha and our communities, and any efforts or actions aimed at sowing division are unwelcome in our state as they will only hinder that healing," Evers said in the statement.

Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes

"Over the last few weeks, many dreaded the outcome we just witnessed," Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, a Democrat, said in a statement. "We have seen so many black and brown youth killed, only to be put on trial posthumously, while the innocence of Kyle Rittenhouse was virtually demanded by the judge."

"This is just another example of the difficult road to justice in America, and while we can easily view this as a setback, we have to turn this into a moment to push even harder by staying engaged, by organizing for justice," Barnes said in the statement. "Across Wisconsin and across the country, countless people are coming together to remember Jacob, Anthony, JoJo, and call for justice."

Candidate For Wisconsin Governor Rebecca Kleefisch

"Our justice system worked today. The prosecution in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial was a complete disgrace, praising the mob who burned our streets as 'heroes,'" Rebecca Kleefisch, a Republican who is running for Governor of Wisconsin, posted in a tweet

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson

"I believe justice has been served in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. I hope everyone can accept the verdict, remain peaceful, and let the community of Kenosha heal and rebuild," U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican representing Wisconsin, posted in a tweet Friday.

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin

"I understand why people believe that justice was not served in this case, because I feel the same way," Baldwin, a Democrat, said in a statement. "This ruling makes clear we have so much work to do to take on gun violence, and reform our broken criminal justice system so that it starts working equally and fairly for everyone."

“In Wisconsin, this judge has now ruled that it’s legal for a minor to walk the streets in Wisconsin with an assault weapon. If that is true, then our state legislature should take action now in a bipartisan way to change the law and make it illegal," Baldwin's statement said.

"The fact that some people are cheering a ruling that has allowed someone to take the law into his own hands and walk free from any accountability after shooting and killing two people is disrespectful to the lives that were lost, and I am deeply concerned that it will encourage more tragic gun violence from those like Kyle Rittenhouse who think they have a license to take the law into their own hands in a violent way," Baldwin's statement said.

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore

"A system that legitimizes vigilante murder is deeply broken," Moore, a Democrat, posted on Twitter after the verdict.

Wisconsin State Representative Robin Vos

"Today's unanimous verdict may be shocking for some, but for many others, it is proof that our justice system works. The right to a trial by a jury of your peers is a fundamental part of the checks and balances in our country," Vos, a Republican, posted on Facebook.

"Let's hope politicians and activists who disagree with the verdict don't use this as an opportunity to sew more division and destruction in our community. For those disappointed in the outcome, I urge peace and unity over violence and destruction," Vos posted.

Former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker

"All of us who knew what actually happened in Kenosha last year assumed this would be the verdict. Thankfully, the jury thought the same. Pray that the kind of violence seen then does not happen again. And pray for the jurors that they too might be safe from violence," Former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, a Republican, posted to Twitter

Walker also posted a photo of an American flag alongside "God bless the U.S.A.!!!"

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib

"Our justice system is broken. It protects white supremacy. The two people who were killed deserved justice and so did our communities who continue be targeted with violence like this," U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat representing Michigan's 13th Congressional District, posted to Twitter Friday.

"This painful verdict sends a horrifying message that bringing violence to a protest for racial justice is acceptable. It's incitement, not justice," Tlaib posted.

ACLU Slams Kenosha Authorities

"Despite Kyle Rittenhouse’s conscious decision to take the lives of two people protesting the shooting of Jacob Blake by police, he was not held responsible for his actions, something that is not surprising. But Kyle Rittenhouse isn’t the only one responsible for the deaths that night. The events in Kenosha stem from the deep roots of white supremacy in our society’s institutions," Shaadie Ali, interim executive director of the ACLU of Wisconsin, said in a statement

"The situation also represents an outrageous failure to protect protesters by the Kenosha Police Department and the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office," Ali said in a statement, "They also created an environment where protesters, many of whom were people of color, were not protected and treated as the enemy. At the same time, white militia members were welcomed with open arms. We need a system of public safety that protects the lives of the entire community."

"In Kenosha, we saw the police shoot a Black man in the back — in front of his children. When the community rose up to exercise their First Amendment right to protest, police enabled white supremacist militia members, which helped to spur rank vigilantism," Brandon Buskey, director of the ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project, said in a statement.

"The result of this failure was bloodshed, the loss of lives, and enduring trauma. It is far too easy to overlook the impact that violence in defense of white supremacy has on all of our communities. As we reimagine public safety, we need to create solutions that extend that safety to everyone — including those that have been systematically neglected and preyed upon," Buskey said.

Spokesperson for Kyle Rittenhouse Reacts

David Hancock, a spokesperson for the Rittenhouse family, told reporters Friday Rittenhouse can now "live his life as a free young man." He said Rittenhouse plans on studying nursing, WISN 12 reported.

Hancock told Fox 6 "There's no spiking a football, there's two people dead losing their lives. There are no winners... ...I believe this is an inflection point for this country, we should try to bridge the divide right now, and we should try to come together."

Family of Anthony Huber Reacts

Karen Bloom and John Huber, parents of Anthony Huber, one of the men killed in 2020, released a statement following the verdict. WISN 12 and other outlets have obtained a copy of the statement.

"We are heartbroken and angry that Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted in his criminal trial for the murder of our son Anthony Huber. There was no justice today for Anthony, or for Mr. Rittenhouse’s other victims, Joseph Rosenbaum and Gaige Grosskreutz," Bloom and Huber's statement read.

"Today's verdict means there is no accountability for the person who murdered our son. It sends the unacceptable message that armed civilians can show up in any town, incite violence, and then use the danger they have created to justify shooting people in the street. We hope that decent people will join us in forcefully rejecting that message and demanding more of our laws, our officials, and our justice system," Bloom and Huber's statement read.

Read the full statement posted on Patch.

Justin Blake, uncle of Jacob Blake

"This is a total mockery of what justice should be," Justin Blake, the uncle of Jacob Blake, told reporters in front of the Kenosha Courthouse after the verdict, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Other Organizations React

The National Rifle Association posted on Twitter: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, posted on Twitter: "This justice system has once again showcased that there is a system within the system that consistently slaps 'other' communities on the wrist and sentences black communities to profiling and despair. Today that system has failed us, right on schedule."

Kenosha And Wisconsin Activists Respond

Jake Spence, State Director of the Wisconsin Working Families Party, who has been an activist in Kenosha, said in a statement obtained by Patch: "If the goal of our criminal justice system is to promote well-being, public safety and justice for all, then today’s verdict is an abject failure. And it’s also a permission slip for future vigilantes."

Tanya McClean, executive director of Leaders of Kenosha and WI WFP activist who has been an activist in Kenosha said in a statement: "We know that even a guilty verdict cannot deliver justice, bring back Anthony Huber and JoJo Rosenbaum, or ensure true safety for our communities. We are coming together to show our leaders in Kenosha, the White House, and everywhere that we won’t stop until they meet this moment, fund our lives, and secure justice and safety for all, no exceptions."

Milwaukee Rapper WebsterX Reacts

"a 'justice system' that serves no true justice. instead we see a well oiled racist machine set out to protect its own, we are not surprised but just know we’ll remember this and every other time a white person got off scot-free. we don’t forget," Milwaukee rapper WebsterX posted in a tweet following the verdict.

WebsterX, as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported, has been a figure in Milwaukee's Black Lives Matter movement. He has hosted the "Black is Beautiful" bike ride around Milwaukee.

Live Feed of Courthouse

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel posted a video of the courthouse in Kenosha following the verdict. The video can be viewed here.

Ethan Duran, Patch Staff, contributed to reporting.