Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager who shot and killed two men at a racial justice protest in Wisconsin last summer, today was found not guilty on all charges.
Access Living is incredibly disturbed by the process and the outcome of this trial.
When Rittenhouse, a White youth who was then 17, traveled from his home in Antioch, Illinois, to Kenosha, Wisconsin on August 25, 2020, people were gathering to protest the actions of a White police officer who shot Jacob Blake, a Black man.
Blake is now disabled as a result of that gun violence.
People in the disability community in Chicago and nationwide, particularly those who are Black and Brown, are paying the price for gun violence. It must end.
At Access Living, we continue to do work committed to breaking down systems that uphold white supremacy, supporting reforms that are anti-racist, and doing our part to build a better system that brings true justice. Among other efforts, we are currently engaged in a planned project to support people who become disabled through gun violence.
We must not live in fear. Now is the time to invest in communities — a critical step toward true justice and accountability.