Rep. Karen Bass, California Democrat, on Sunday compared the men shot by Kyle Rittenhouse to activists who were murdered during the Civil Rights Movement.
Mrs. Bass told CNN’s “State of the Union” the way in which the Rittenhouse trial has unfolded is evocative of racial unrest and injustice.
“A year ago, we were talking about racial reckoning, and it seemed to be an enlightened period, and now we’ve had major setbacks,” she said. “I think that people understand that you can use race politically. It charges people up. It’s a highly emotional issue and I think it’s just really sad.”
CNN’s Jake Tapper attempted to clarify how the Rittenhouse case, in which a White 17-year-old shot and killed two White men during a riot in Wisconsin, was racial.
“Where were the White men killed?” said Mrs. Bass, who is Black. “At a protest, protesting in solidarity for Black folks. So, to me, it was reminiscent of the Civil Rights Movement when you had young White people that participated in the sit-ins and protests, and they were subject to beatings, they were subject to shootings, many of them were killed as well.”
Mr. Rittenhouse is on trial for fatally shooting two White men and wounding a third in August 2020. The shootings occurred during a protest against police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin, that escalated into a riot.
The defendant has claimed self-defense, arguing that the men he shot attempted to attack him during the riot.
Mrs. Bass, who is running for mayor of Los Angeles, was a frontrunner to be President Biden’s running mate last year.
• Haris Alic can be reached at halic@washingtontimes.com.
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