As the verdict of Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial pends, scenes from the riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, have reemerged on social media.
Riots against police brutality spread across the nation over the summer of 2020 following the killing of George Floyd in May. Kenosha became the site of one of the most damaging riots after the subsequent police shooting of Jacob Blake in August 2020.
The looting and burning of the Kenosha community after Blake’s death reportedly resulted in damages of over $50 million.
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Videos showed rioters breaking into small businesses, looting, and setting buildings and cars ablaze.
Flashback August 2020: Rioters in #Kenosha went around the streets with bats to smash up cars and businesses. #Rittenhouse pic.twitter.com/4pe01RqExu
— Andy Ngô ?️? (@MrAndyNgo) November 15, 2021
Flashback August 2020: Armed rioters in #Kenosha forced an armored sheriff’s vehicle to stop. The rioters worked to drive law enforcement out & to stop them from responding to emergency calls for help. Video by @DrewHLive: pic.twitter.com/cDhmOBoqxB
— Andy Ngô ?️? (@MrAndyNgo) November 15, 2021
Flashback August 2020 in #Kenosha, Wisc.: BLM-Antifa rioters rampaged throughout the city, destroying property, looting businesses & then setting them on fire. #Rittenhouse pic.twitter.com/7O8tnHFzJP
— Andy Ngô ?️? (@MrAndyNgo) November 15, 2021
Damage from the riots affected some 100 businesses, 40 of which were reportedly put “out-of-business for good,” Kenosha County Supervisor Terry Rose said in a September 2020 statement.
Kenosha County Supervisor Zach Rodriguez said he believed most of the damage was caused by people from outside the community.
“To the people who burned down our city, we won’t allow it ever again,” he said.
Eighteen-year-old Rittenhouse pleaded not guilty to all charges related to the shooting and killing of two men and wounding of a third.
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The state of Wisconsin has reportedly activated its National Guard ahead of the Rittenhouse verdict. Some 500 Wisconsin Army National Guard troops will report for state active duty to “support local partners in ensuring public safety in conjunction with hundreds of officers from volunteering law enforcement agencies,” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said.
“We continue to be in close contact with our partners at the local level to ensure the state provides support and resources to help keep the Kenosha community and greater area safe,” Evers said. “The Kenosha community has been strong, resilient, and has come together through incredibly difficult times these past two years, and that healing is still ongoing. I urge folks who are otherwise not from the area to please respect the community by reconsidering any plans to travel there and encourage those who might choose to assemble and exercise their First Amendment rights to do so safely and peacefully.”
