A jury in Wisconsin on Tuesday acquitted Kerida O'Reilly of felony substantial battery and misdemeanor disorderly conduct in connection with an attack at the hands of a Black Lives Matter mob on Democratic state Sen. Tim Carpenter last year.
So, the folks who did this ?? were just acquitted...
— Jeryl Bier (@JerylBier) October 20, 2021
“I tried telling them, ‘Why are you doing this? I am an ally of yours,’” he said last year. “I am gay, I have been in the Legislature for 36 years. That is when the beating kind of slowed down a bit.”https://t.co/ARS4Q5oUbM https://t.co/z99mP6zxLW
As the Associated Press reported:
Kerida O’Reilly, 34, of Madison, was found not guilty of felony substantial battery and misdemeanor disorderly conduct. She was accused of rushing toward Democratic Sen. Tim Carpenter in a move that prompted other people to start hitting and kicking him.
The confrontation left Carpenter with a broken nose and concussion along with numerous bruises and cuts, a doctor confirmed on the stand. He said the assault has had lingering effects and continues to give him “a lot of anxiety and depression.”
Carpenter testified he does not believe O’Reilly struck him after others converged on him, but said she knocked him off-balance. O’Reilly and a co-defendant, Samantha Hamer, contended they were merely trying to get Carpenter to stop filming the protests.
Carpenter was at the Capitol on the day of the protest and out of curiosity exited his vehicle to see what was going on. He also began recording and was subsequently attacked as protesters told him to delete his recordings.
This is the picture that got me assaulted and beat up by a mob. Punched & kicked in the head. Might have concussion, left eye a little blurry, cheek shollen, sore neck and ribs. This has to stop before some innocent person get killed. I locked up in the Capitol until it’s safe
— Tim Carpenter (@TimCarpenterMKE) June 24, 2020
When he said it was the first time he had ever been assaulted, a woman responded, “This is the first time I’ve been arrested this year and I’m a fucking veteran. No excuse! Sorry!”
— Patrick Marley (@patrickdmarley) June 24, 2020
At first, one man said he didn’t believe Carpenter was a state senator because he drove a Honda Accord.
— Patrick Marley (@patrickdmarley) June 24, 2020
Another person told him Caprenter was indeed a senator and that lawmakers make about $55,000 a year.
As a result of the protests where Sen. Carpenter was assaulted, which occurred in the middle of the night, the state Capitol building was damaged and two statues were toppled, including one of an abolitionist. A fire was also set outside a local jail, according to reporting from Brakkton Booker for NPR at the time of the protests in late June 2020.
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