SALT LAKE CITY — Dozens of people gathered Sunday afternoon in Salt Lake City to protest the not guilty verdict in the murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse.
Rittenhouse shot and killed two people during civil unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin in the summer of 2020.
At his trial, Rittenhouse claimed he acted in self defense.
“We are holding a rally in response to the Kyle Rittenhouse acquittal,” said Cameron Haskins with the Salt Lake Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL). “We are doing this to uphold our right to protest — our rights to have our voice in the streets.”
PSL was one of several activist groups that joined forces to organize the rally that featured several speakers and a brief march.
“It’s clear the us court system will not save us. We have to save ourselves,” said one speaker at the rally.
Those in attendance believe the result in the Rittenhouse trial highlights injustices in the legal system because the men who were killed were protesting in response to the police shooting of a Black man in Wisconsin.
“Anti-Blackness is why we are here. Anti-Blackness is why we lost a little girl like Izzy. Anti-Blackness is why we are in the streets demanding justice for police brutality victims,” said Rae Duckworth with Black Lives Matter Utah. “This is one root we can accomplish together.”
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The rally lasted an hour and remained entirely peaceful.
Duckworth urged the crowd to stay vigilant, organized and unified while remaining active in their cause.
“Organizing is key,” she said. “It’s such a big key. Educating against anti-Blackness is key. It’s killing our kids.”
