"Today's verdict means there is no accountability for the person who murdered our son. It sends the unacceptable message that armed civilians can show up in any town, incite violence, and then use the danger they have created to justify shooting people in the street. We hope that decent people will join us in forcefully rejecting that message and demanding more of our laws, our officials, and our justice system." --Karen Bloom and John Huber, parents of Anthony Huber.
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"No verdict will be able to bring back the lives of Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum, or heal Gaige Grosskreutz's injuries, just as no verdict can heal the wounds or trauma experienced by Jacob Blake and his family. No ruling today changes our reality in Wisconsin that we have work to do toward equity, accountability, and justice that communities across our state are demanding and deserve." -- Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers.
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"While the verdict in Kenosha will leave many Americans feeling angry and concerned, myself included, we must acknowledge that the jury has spoken. I ran on a promise to bring Americans together, because I believe that what unites us is far greater than what divides us. I know that we're not going to heal our country's wounds overnight, but I remain steadfast in my commitment to do everything in my power to ensure that every American is treated equally, with fairness and dignity, under the law." -- President Biden.
Our own reaction aligns more closely with the family of Mr. Huber, above. Shame on the batshit "judge" who put his finger, hand, and arm on the scales, and shame on the jury for wrestling with the facts for 4 days only to come up with a verdict diametrically opposed to those facts. It's no great leap to predict that there will be more vigilantism and more violence and more killing thanks to this outrageous verdict.
BONUS: Adam Silverman at Balloon Juice explains why Wisconsin's self- defense and stand your ground laws played a key role in the outcome of the trial.
