Dozens of protesters marched through Kenosha Sunday afternoon, saying they wanted to retrace the steps Kyle Rittenhouse took the night in August 2020 when he killed two people and injured a third person.
Protesters said injustice was served Friday when a jury found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty on all charges.
“The biggest thing that I want to say is that it feels like that these men that died, their lives do not matter and they do matter,” said Kariann Swart, fiancee of Joseph Rosenbaum. “There are loved ones that are left behind that are grieving them right now and we have no closure to that, none whatsoever.”
Swart fears Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, the other man Rittenhouse was cleared of killing, will be forgotten.
“So I’m just asking that everybody please remember their names,” Swart said. “Please remember their names because Jojo and Anthony meant something to people and they’re gone.”
As the protesters rallied, a few people armed with rifles stood outside the crowd. At least one counter-protester drove by – shouting justice was served.
Among the protesters was the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
This is a sad day and sad moment in American history,” said Bishop Tavis Grant.
Rev. Jesse Jackson was expected to partake but the Chicago-based nonprofit organization said the longtime activists met with congressional leaders to formally appeal to the US Department of Justice to review the Rittenhouse case.
Leaders say they plan to turn their pain into power, taking their protest not only to the streets of Kenosha but to the bank in a national economic boycott.
“Anybody who’s involved with pushing this idiotic mess over on our people, we’re going to find you and we’re going to come to you economically,” said Justin Blake, uncle to Jacob Blake.
Leaders said they plan to announce the details of that boycott in the coming days.
“Because we know in a capitalistic society, capital makes a difference,” Grant said. “There will be basketball games shut down. There will be football games shut down. There will be disruption.”