For Immediate Release: November 19, 2021
Rapid City, SD– In response to breaking news that Kyle Rittenhouse – who shot and killed two people and severely injured another last year during protests calling for police accountability – was found not guilty on all charges, NDN Collective shared the following statements:
“This verdict is painful. For too long, defenders and protectors of Black and Indigenous rights are treated as the violent aggressors, and white men like Kyle Rittenhouse are given a license to kill and get off scot-free. This is state sanctioned white supremacy, and many people in our communities are feeling absolutely sickened by this news. Our hearts go out to the victim’s families who are still grieving after their loved ones’ lives were stolen by Rittenhouse.” – Korina Barry, NDN Action Managing Director
“A not guilty verdict in the Rittenhouse trial shows who this country’s judicial system is still prioritizing and protecting – white men. The fact that somebody can show up to protests armed with an AR-15, shoot and kill people, and then get off with a not guilty verdict, is horrific. Meanwhile, states are creating anti-protests laws and over-prosecuting leaders of Black and Indigenous movements. This news is disgusting, and precisely why white supremacy needs to be dismantled – from the police all the way to the judges.”– Nick Tilsen, NDN Collective President and CEO
“This verdict gives further fuel to the violence we’ve seen in the streets of the United States, where right wing militias show up armed to protests, drive vehicles into crowds, and surround the halls of governance with guns. This verdict gives the impression that the state, along with their right wing allies, are insulated by white supremacy and hold a monopoly on violence in the United States. There will be more Kyles who will put themselves in positions to use violent attacks against people who find themselves outraged in the streets after a clear injustice by the very system that let Kyle walk free.” – Lorenzo Serna, NDN Collective Director of Tactical Media
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NDN Collective is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power. Through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grantmaking, capacity-building, and narrative change, we are creating sustainable solutions on Indigenous terms.
