Supervisor Taylor Statement on the Rittenhouse Verdict

MILWAUKEE – Today Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty on counts of intentional, reckless, and attempted homicide and reckless endangerment by a Kenosha County jury.

“Today’s verdict highlights the immense bias our criminal justice system has towards preserving the innocence of white men, even those accused of horrific crimes,” said Supervisor Sequanna Taylor. “While I am disappointed with the verdict in this case, I hope the community of Kenosha can begin to heal and focus on those greatly affected by the actions that took place during the summer of 2020. This case has brought a lot of national attention to Wisconsin and people across the nation are now looking at us to see how we proceed.”

On August 25, 2020 then 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse crossed state lines from his home in Antioch, Ill. with an AR-15 style rifle during protests over the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha Police. That night, Rittenhouse shot and killed Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum. Rittenhouse also shot Gaige Grosskreutz, who survived the shooting.

Despite national protests demanding reforms to policing and the criminal justice system, stark inequities remain, with the State of Wisconsin being a notable example.

A report released in October by The Sentencing Project found that while Black people make up just six percent of Wisconsin’s population, 42% of Wisconsin’s prison population is Black.

Another report, released in February by the Wisconsin Court System, found that in Wisconsin Black men are more than 28 percent more likely to be sentenced to prison than white men.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.