As the news crews began leaving Kenosha, Wisconsin over the weekend, so did the protesters who had been passionate about Kyle Rittenhouse last week before the jury decided to absolve the 18-year-old from all charges. The few dozen protesters that remain – most of them from the local community – marched on Sunday with a clear message: There is still a lot to be done before kenosha can heal.
At the head of the demonstration was Justin Blake, the uncle of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, who was shot and killed seven times by a police officer in Kenosha last August, causing unrest for days. It was after Blake’s shooting that Rittenhouse came to Kenosha to answer a call to protect local businesses from the destruction that had shaken the town. Justin Blake has been campaigning for justice ever since.
Chase him on Sunday were several supporters carrying guns in anticipation of retaliation from pro-Rittenhouse activists. Rolling Stone counted at least six people accompanying the march with firearms ranging from semi-automatic rifles to handguns – all permitted under Wisconsin’s open carry laws. Some patrolled the group while others were camouflaged by the crowd. A man who refused to give his name brought both a rifle and his dog Buddy, who was equipped with his own walkie-talkie. Some had no guns, but wore bulletproof vests. Paramedics were on site.
Jade Jordan and her father Erik Jordan provide security for protesters who march in Kenosha, Wisconsin on November 21, 2021. (Madison Muller / Rolling Stone)
(Madison Müller / Rolling Stone)
The march began in Civic Center Park, where Blake pleaded with Kenoshans to deal an “economic devastating blow” by boycotting businesses that supported Rittenhouse’s actions. Blake was assisted by Bishop Tavis Grant II, National Field Director of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. ‘It’s a new day,’ said Grant. “Those who funded this defense: you just woke a giant, you just woke the conscience of people who don’t take no for an answer. And we will not accept this judgment. We have alternatives. And we will use peace, protest and civil disobedience. “
Joseph Rosenbaum’s fiancée, Kariann Swart, and Wisconsin State Representative David Bowen also spoke to those gathered in the park. Swart urged the audience to remember her fiancé, one of the men who were killed by Rittenhouse because the victims’ families have “no closure, none at all”. Rep. Bowen also called with equal fervor on those who support Rittenhouse’s right to self-defense to support Chrystul Kizer, a Black woman and child trafficking victim accused of killing her perpetrator.
After speeches riddled with anger and grief, the group marched through downtown Kenosha, with Blake stopping along the route to point out the businesses he wanted to boycott, including a car park just blocks from the courthouse.
Although business owners testified last week that they did not ask Rittenhouse or the other armed men he was with to protect their businesses, some say they benefited from the actions of armed civilians who came to Kenosha to ” To defend”. [sic] City tonight from the bad thugs ”after a Facebook group of over 4,000 respondents called for it amid the unrest in the city.
The now-removed Facebook post was written by former councilor and controversial local figure Kevin Mathewson, whose group, the Kenosha Guard, was banned from Facebook for violating the website’s “Dangerous Organizations Policy”. Mathewson told Rolling Stone last week that he doesn’t regret it over a year later. “I’ve done what I thought was best for my community,” he said. “It’s sad that people have died. But you know, we have the right to do so. Now we have passed the verdict. Now this community has to move on. “
But for some Kenoshans, moving on is not possible because the problems that brought Rittenhouse to the city in the first place still persist.
“The verdict doesn’t really matter to the work we’re trying to do,” said Anthony Kennedy, who represents Kenosha’s 10th district and is one of only two black aldermen of the city’s 17 Rolling Stone. “There is still work to be done in this community, there are still good people who will continue to devote their energy, time, effort, and talents to solving or discussing some of these serious – very serious – problems.”
One of the signs held by protesters during a march in Kenosha, Wisconsin on November 21, 2021. (Madison Muller / Rolling Stone)
(Madison Müller / Rolling Stone)
Kennedy said the city has made tremendous strides in the last year since Blake’s death in the year Addressing racism and reform of relations with law enforcement agencies, including the additive Kenosha Police Department’s first LGBTQ + association. One of the successes of the position is the provision of officer training courses on how to treat members of the transgender community with respect.
But kenosha is still fraught with tension. The way forward to addressing these lingering issues, Kennedy said, is to minimize the impact of harmful gamers on the community. He says Rolling Stone that the boycott of companies that have supported Rittenhouse is a good start.
The community feared violence following the Rittenhouse ruling. Several of the protesters carried guns on Sunday to ensure a peaceful demonstration. It was evidence of the resilience of a community that fought for justice long before the Rittenhouse trial and long before the Jacob Blake shooting.
Longtime Kenosha resident Gerald Jones understands, like many others who participated in the march, that the struggle must continue now that the media and outside agitators are leaving town. “We don’t want the house to be demolished,” he said on Sunday. “We just can’t have peace yet.”
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