MASSACHUSETTS — The Kyle Rittenhouse verdict is reverberating across the country, with elected officials in Massachusetts joining in the very vocal dismay of what they say is a woeful lack of justice.
Rittenhouse was found not guilty Friday afternoon on charges relating to the killing of two men during protests and riots in Kenosha, WI, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
The verdict, which was expected by many pundits who followed the nearly four-day trial play out on national news, was followed by outcries of injustice and a lack of accountability.
"Our country aches for accountability," Boston Mayor Michelle Wu wrote on Twitter. "My heart is with those traumatized by Kenosha & the failure of our justice system."
Some of Massachusetts' representatives in Washington bemoaned what they said was racism's stain on the verdict.
"Racism & white supremacy remain the bedrock of our legal system," Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley tweeted. "My heart breaks for the family & loved ones of those whose lives were stolen, and the trauma our communities face today and every day. The struggle for accountability, for justice, for healing goes on."
"There can be no justice without a justice system that applies the law equally," Congresswoman Katherine Clark tweeted. "That's not what happened today."
Congressman Seth Moulton added: "I'd like to have faith in our criminal justice system, but the immediate question that comes to mind with this news is 'Would he have been acquitted if he were black?'"
On Aug. 25, 2020, Rittenhouse traveled across state lines to nearby Kenosha armed with a semiautomatic rifle and medical equipment with a stated goal of protecting businesses and administering first aid during unrest. Rittenhouse, then 17, shot three people, killing two, in what he claimed was self-defense.
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