U.S. Rep. Cori Bush believes that white supremacists hid behind a hill and opened fire at protesters in the 2014 Ferguson protests following the police killing of Michael Brown Jr.
“When we marched in Ferguson, white supremacists would hide behind a hill near where Michael Brown Jr. was murdered and shoot at us,” Bush tweeted. “They never faced consequences. “If Kyle Rittenhouse gets acquitted, it tells them that even 7 years later they still can get away with it.”
Rittenhouse’s acquittal has been a divisive topic on social media. Bush’s comment sparked an onslaught of backlash and debate.
Following the pushback, a spokesperson for the Bush campaign issued the following statement:
“While on the frontlines of the Ferguson Uprising, Congresswoman Bush and other activists were shot at by white supremacist vigilantes. The question we need to ask is why white supremacists feel empowered to open-carry rifles, incite violence, and put Black lives at risk across our country.”
Ferguson Police Chief Frank McCall Jr. said he was unaware of any such incidents.
“None that I’m aware of,” he said.
Bush’s claims were backed by activist Ohun Ashe:
“I vividly remember hiding under porches in Canfield as shots were fired at us,” she tweeted. “No one came to help us. Ferguson police would be nearby. We would come from under porches using cars as shields in between gun shots to make it out.”
In January, Bush was sworn in as the representative of Missouri’s 1st Congressional District — making history as the state’s first-ever Black congresswoman.
Bush beat out Republican nominee Anthony Rogers, securing almost 85% of the vote (more than 80,000 votes).
“As the first Black woman and also the first nurse and single mother to have the honor to represent Missouri in the United States Congress, let me say this,” Bush said during her victory speech. “To the Black women, the Black girls, the nurses, the essential workers, the single mothers: This is our moment.”
