Chants of “no justice, no peace,” and “If Kenosha don’t get it, shut it down,” echoed outside the Kenosha courthouse on Tuesday, the same day the jury of 12 in the Kyle Rittenhouse case was selected and deliberations commenced.
According to a Fox News report from about noon on Tuesday, reporter Jiovanni Lieggi, who’s in Kenosha, said the noise “could be heard inside the courtroom.”
“Protesters have returned outside the Kenosha County Courthouse on Tuesday as jurors are now deliberating the fate of Kyle Rittenhouse,” the Fox report outlined. “Two demonstrators were filmed on video shouting on megaphones on the building’s steps. The noise could be heard inside the courtroom, according to Fox News’ Jiovanni Lieggi.”
Some two hours later, protests escalated outside the courthouse, Fox News posted via Twitter. Protesters chanted “no justice, no peace,” which is often yelled by Black Lives Matters supporters.
'NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE!': Protests escalate outside Kenosha courthouse where Rittenhouse jury is deliberating pic.twitter.com/TeDdL3bKqM
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 16, 2021
Independent reporter Brendan Gutenschwager, too, captured video and photos from the demonstrations, which seem to be mostly from the Left. A minority of the demonstrators have signs that support the Second Amendment and self-defense. One woman carried a sign that said left-wing groups “BLM and Antifa are here to intimidate.”
Scenes from around the Kenosha County Courthouse today. Jury deliberation has been ongoing for the past few hours #Kenosha pic.twitter.com/JNjcNUEsbG
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) November 16, 2021
Here’s a video of the protesting, recorded by Gutenschwager:
“If Kenosha don’t get it, shut it down” chants outside the courthouse, as the Rittenhouse trial nears conclusion here in Wisconsin #Kenosha pic.twitter.com/EhWxuJcVXc
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) November 16, 2021
“We ready for change” chants from a group of Revcom (Revolutionary Communist Party) demonstrators outside the courthouse this afternoon #Kenosha pic.twitter.com/5rUcRcYRfE
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) November 16, 2021
Famed “gun couple” Mark and Patricia McCloskey, of St. Louis, appeared outside the courthouse, too, on Monday and Tuesday. They were there supporting Rittenhouse, The Daily Wire reported.
Mark McCloskey said he is hoping for an acquittal on all counts for the teen, noting that he and his wife support Americans’ Second Amendment right to defend themselves, particularly when the government fails to do so.
“We haven’t been in there to hear all the evidence,” Mark McCloskey said, adding, “From what we understand, from what I’ve seen, I’m hoping for an acquittal on all counts.”
“We’re just here to support people who exercise their Second Amendment rights to defend themselves, particularly when the government abdicates that duty and fail to protect their citizens,” he continued.
“I mean, we’ve got programs to ‘defund the police’ all over the place,” Mark McCloskey explained, “but if you defund the police and the government is not there to protect the citizens, citizens have to protect themselves.”
Rittenhouse on Tuesday morning notably picked his final 12 jurors by pulling assigned numbers out of a raffle-style drum.
With 18 jurors left, the defendant was asked to randomly pull six scraps of paper from all the assigned numbers of the jurors. The six he drew were asked to be alternates, who will likely not be used, the judge said, but could be in theory. The leftover 12 will decide the fate of Rittenhouse, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, citing self-defense.
Related: Missouri Governor Pardons McCloskeys Of Crimes Related To Standoff With BLM Protesters
Related: WATCH: Kyle Rittenhouse Picks His Final 12 Jurors By Pulling Numbers Out Of A Raffle-Style Drum