As jury deliberations began in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial on Tuesday, a communist group held a rally outside the Kenosha courthouse. Members of the Revolutionary Communist Party demanded an acquittal while labelling the teenager as a “fascist” and “white supremacist.”
The group chanted “we ready for change” while some loudly banged a drum. Dressed mostly in black with faces covered, the group held signs in support of convicted pedophile Joseph Rosenbaum, who charged Rittenhouse and tried to grab his rifle, according to testimony from multiple witnesses, as well as video evidence.
Signs from the group labelled deceased pedophile Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, who chased the teenager, hit him over the head with a skateboard and then tried to grab his rifle, as “heroes.”
“We ready for change” chants from a group of Revcom (Revolutionary Communist Party) demonstrators outside the courthouse this afternoon #Kenosha pic.twitter.com/5rUcRcYRfE
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) November 16, 2021
Members of the family of Jacob Blake have been continuously protesting outside the courthouse since the trial began. Blake, who was armed with a knife, was shot seven times while attempting a kidnapping last August.
His shooting led to the massive riots that left over 56 buildings destroyed and ultimately led to Rittenhouse being placed in the situation. The teenager worked in Kenosha as a lifeguard and was helping to defend a Car Source lot after another location was completely torched the night before.
“We’re out here to stand by the families to make sure they get justice. Being little Jake’s Uncle shot seven times in the back by a Kenosha police officer, in front of his three children — we know what injustice feels like and we don’t want these two families to go through that,” Blake’s uncle said.
Blake’s supporters said the case highlights the differences between how black and white suspects and took issue with the donations Rittenhouse received for his defense. “We’ve never seen a Black or brown defendant being given the kind of legal disposition this defendant was given,” said Bishop Tavis Grant of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
A GoFundMe page in support of Jacob Blake, who had a rap sheet that included sexual assault prior to the armed kidnapping that led to his shooting, raised over $2 million. A GoFundMe page for the legal defense of Rittenhouse was shut down, however. Blake was left permanently paralyzed as a result of the shooting.