AOC calls Kyle Rittenhouse's release on $2 million bail 'protection of white supremacy'
By Mark PygasNov. 23 2020, Updated 10:25 a.m. ET
Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, is accused of bringing an AR-15 style rifle to protests condemning the death of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The teenager fired at demonstrators after a video appeared to show him being chased and tripping over. The shooting resulted in two fatalities and one injury. Rittenhouse faces a slew of charges, including two counts of felony homicide.
Despite these serious charges, Rittenhouse was released on a $2 million bond on Friday. The bond was posted with the help of donations from actor Ricky Schroder and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.
Kenosha County Commissioner Loren Keating explained that the bond was set so high because Rittenhouse is considered a "flight risk" because he faces a "mandatory life sentence or at least significant amounts of time, likely decades of time period of incarceration" if convicted.
On Friday, Rittenhouse's attorney, Lin Wood, tweeted: "KYLE RITTENHOUSE IS OUT OF JAIL. God bless ALL who donated to help #FightBack raise the required $2M cash bail. Special thanks to Actor Ricky Schroder & Mike Lindell for putting us over the top. Kyle is SAFE. Thanks to ALL who helped this boy."
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reacted to the news on Saturday, labelling the teenager's release as "protection of white supremacy baked deep into our carceral systems."
"People who argue that dramatic changes to policing, including budgetary ones, will mean 'violent people will be let out of jail to roam free' rarely ever acknowledge that’s actually the current system we have today for the privileged," AOC wrote.
"Does anyone believe Rittenhouse would be released if he were Muslim & did the same thing in a diff context? For people who say “systemic racism doesn’t exist,” this is what it looks like: protection of white supremacy baked deep into our carceral systems. Law and disorder."
Also on Saturday, Republican Rep. Anthony Sabatini of Florida suggested that Rittenhouse should run for office, tweeting: "KYLE RITTENHOUSE FOR CONGRESS."
