“In a country where we’ve seen white vigilantes and police officers get away with murder of Black and Brown people time and time again, it is unfortunately no surprise that Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted on all charges including for killing Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz.
“This gross miscarriage of justice sends a message: a system designed to uphold white supremacy will never condemn those who act in its favor.
“Dissent and protest are heavily criminalized and policed in this country, and nowhere more than in Black communities. In this country if you protest, as so many did in Kenosha, Wisconsin last August 2020 after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, your life is in danger. If you are violent and dangerous, but happen to be white, the entire system, from police officers, politicians, media, to judges, will protect you. This injustice and every individual upholding it perpetuates and continues to normalize the privilege and double-standards in this country.
“The environmental community must speak out with outrage in the face of white supremacy, systemic injustice, and their fatal consequences. We can’t have racial justice without accountability for this ongoing epidemic of vigilante and police killings. We must act and speak in solidarity with the Black community and the Movement for Black Lives. Fighting for a green and peaceful future includes speaking out against the unjust, racist, and systemic violence facing Black people in the US.”
“Our hearts are with the families and loved ones of those killed and injured, with the Kenosha community, and the many others killed at the hands of racist vigilantes and police across the country.”
