JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Friday, Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all counts including first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless homicide for the deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and the injuring of Gaige Grosskreutz.
After hearing the verdict, some groups in Jacksonville planned and executed a “No Justice, No Peace” rally at the Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse on 300 Hogan St. on Saturday.
“This is another example of racial injustice. We can all see the criminal justice system in America is broken and in serious need of repair,” Ben Frazier of the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville said.
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The Northside Coalition of Jacksonville was joined by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, Take Em Down Jax, Florida Rising and others.
In a statement, organizers said they are not just protesting the verdict, but also calling for “community control of the police by a civilian elected council to stop police crimes.”
“This gives a green light to all who believe our differences can be solved through violence and killing,” Wells Todd with Take Em Down Jax said.
Dozens of protesters gathered at the steps of the Federal Courthouse for the rally that took place from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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“Regardless of what spectators believe, the people he killed were protesting, not threatening his safety,” said Christina Kittle, assistant director of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee. “If he felt unsafe, he should have stayed home. Our right to protest is a federally protected right and Rittenhouse needs to be federally indicted.”
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