Arizona State University Students Want School To Kick Out Kyle Rittenhouse

Four student organizations at Arizona State University, where Kyle Rittenhouse is technically a student, are demanding for the school to remove him in the wake of his acquittal in the murders of two men during civil unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin last year.

The Arizona State University Students for Socialism, Students for Justice in Palestine, Multicultural Solidarity Coalition, and MECHA de ASU are all asking the school to remove Rittenhouse, 18, from the institution. The four groups refer to him as a "white supremacist,” a "killer" and a "racist murderer" in a joint statement tweeted out by ASU Students for Socialism.

The teenager is technically a student at Arizona State University online, 12News in Phoenix reported earlier this month. However, the local outlet clarified that he is a non-degree-seeking student who has not gone through the admissions process. 

RIttenhouse had faced multiple charges, including first-degree intentional homicide, stemming from the fatal shootings of two men and the wounding of another during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin last year. During clashes, he killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, survived and testified in the highly politicized trial. The shooting occurred during unrest in Kenosha following the 2020 police shooting of Black man Jacob Blake.

Rittenhouse and his defense never denied that he shot the individuals and much of the trial focused around the idea of self-defense. Rittenhouse testified on his own behalf, breaking down in tears as he told the court, “I didn’t do anything wrong. I defended myself.”

Earlier this month, a jury found him not guilty.

However, the student organizations at ASU have made it clear they don't want Rittenhouse associated with their community.

"Even with a not-guilty verdict from a flawed ‘justice’ system - Kyle Rittenhouse is still guilty to his victims and the families of those victims," their demand letter states. "Join us to demand from ASU that those demands be met to protect students from a violent blood-thirsty murderer."

Amongst their demands, the four groups are asking that the university administration "reaffirm support for the multicultural center on campus as a safe space from White Supremacy."

There will be a rally at the school to protest Rittenhouse’s potential presence on Wednesday.

"The goal of this protest is to let the ASU administration know that we as the ASU community, do not feel safe knowing that a mass shooter, who has expressed violent intentions about 'protecting property' over people, is so carelessly allowed to be admitted to the school at all," a spokesperson for ASU Students for Socialism told Oxygen.com via email on Monday.

Following Rittenhouse’s acquittal, he said he supports the Black Lives Matters movement.