SPLC Calls Rittenhouse ‘Armed Vigilante,’ Blames Police For Kenosha Incident After Acquittal

The far-left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) described Kyle Rittenhouse as an “armed vigilante,” and blamed law enforcement for the cause of violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August 2020, following the acquittal of the 18 year old Friday, according to a press release obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“One cannot cast blame upon the irresponsible actions of individuals without acknowledging the catastrophic failure of local law enforcement to uphold the public good,” Eric Ward, a senior fellow at the SPLC and executive director at the Western States Center, said. “Law enforcement unwillingness to uphold its mission of non-politicized policing led to a volatile environment where an armed vigilante was allowed to parade a weapon, engage racial justice protestors and depart the scene freely after having discharged a weapon that took the lives of two individuals and injured a third.”

The far-left SPLC, which tracks anti-government extremist groups, has been criticized for calling mainstream conservative organizations “hate groups.” Some of these groups include the Family Research Council, the Alliance Defending Freedom, and ACT For America.

Ward went on to state that “biased policing”  led to a “lack of accountability,” which served as a signal for tolerance of political violence, according to the release. He also noted that what happened in Kenosha was a failure of public institutions to keep combatants unarmed and separated, and that is was the “political bias of law enforcement” that allowed Rittenhouse to leave the scene without intervention.

Rittenhouse was acquitted of all 5 counts brought against him Friday, including first-degree reckless homicide and first-degree intentional homicide charges. A curfew violation charge and unlawful weapon possession charge were both dismissed by Judge Bruce Schroeder during the trial.