National Faith Leader Condemns Kyle Rittenhouse Verdict
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, November 19, 2021
MEDIA CONTACT
Austin Schuler, aschuler@faithinpubliclife.org, (540) 280-3393
National Faith Leader Condemns Kyle Rittenhouse Verdict
CEO Rev. Butler, “When radicalized vigilantes roam the streets with AR-15s, with societal license to kill, we are not yet the beloved community that God calls us to be.”
Washington, D.C. —The following is a statement from Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO of Faith in Public Life, on the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse:
“The acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse for murdering Anthony Huber, Jojo Rosenbaum, and injuring Gaige Grosskreutz, is the newest face of an old evil — white supremacist bloodshed, sanctioned by the state. It denies the image of God in all of us.
“The court that rendered today’s injustice takes its place alongside the chamber that declared Emmitt Till’s killers ‘not guilty’ in Mississippi in 1955. The Kenosha police who shot Jacob Blake, brutalized protesters and welcomed Rittenhouse as one of their own, are moral descendants of those who unleashed attack dogs on children marching for civil rights.
“I’m praying for everyone who is grieving, angry and afraid. And I’m praying for an end to the right-wing violence we’ve seen from Charlottesville, Virginia, to the Tree of Life synagogue, to El Paso, to Minneapolis, to Kenosha, to the Capitol and beyond. We who reject this violence vastly outnumber those who commit it or condone it. We will hold fast in solidarity until we are all safe.
“When radicalized vigilantes roam the streets with AR-15s, with a societal license to kill, we are not yet the beloved community that God calls us to be. People of every faith must join together to end lawless oppression. And leaders of churches where right-wing radicalism is at home have a responsibility to make clear that the Bible prohibits vigilante violence.
“The Gospel says, ‘blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.’ As we mourn today’s unmistakable injustice in Kenosha, I pray that our comfort comes in the form of an end to the enduring evil of white supremacy in all its presentations. We will work without ceasing until every person lives in safety and dignity.”
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