FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, November 19, 2021
Contact: Adam Bingman, adam.bingman@sierraclub.org
Sierra Club Statement on the “Not Guilty” Verdict of Kyle Rittenhouse
Kenosha, WI -- Sierra Club Managing Director Eva Hernandez-Simmons and the Sierra Club - Wisconsin Chapter Director Elizabeth Ward issued the following statement following the announcement of Kyle Rittenhouse’s “not guilty on all counts” verdict. In August of 2020, Sierra Club joined partners in outrage over the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha Police. The organization repeated its call to defund the police and invest in initiatives that ensure the survival of Black people. Kyle Rittenhouse shot three people, killing two, in the protests that followed Blake’s shooting.
“Throughout this trial we have seen the glaring inequity displayed by our legal system. From lengthy rulings that leave an easy framework for appeal, to control of language deemed acceptable to use, to the dismissal of charges initially presented, this trial awarded Rittenhouse leniencies regularly denied Black and Brown defendants, even when innocent.
“Sierra Club stands alongside the victims, their families and our community partners, who are deeply concerned with this verdict. When our courts continue to overwhelmingly ignore and disregard disparities in privilege based on one’s identity, it is an affront to justice that harms us all. Our legal system makes exceptions for the privileged that disproportionately kills people in Black communities, as repeatedly witnessed here in real-time in our collective fight for equity. We cannot fulfill our mission to ‘enlist humanity’ in order to protect the planet, if we do not hold accountable a judicial system that fails to uphold justice against people killing us. Climate justice is not possible without a backbone of justice to hold it up. The victims and families of these heinous acts deserve better - Kenosha and our nation deserve justice.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org. The Wisconsin Chapter is the statewide branch of the Sierra Club.