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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
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FACT BRIEF

Were bricks found piled in Kenosha, Wisconsin placed by leftists in preparation for rioting?

By Sarah Thompson
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NO

A brief article published online about the bricks carried a headline that included "Leftists at work," but police in Kenosha — site of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial — issued a statement that, "To date, there is no credible threat to public safety."

During the protests following the death of George Floyd in 2020, photos of piles and stacks of bricks in various cities were often cited in online posts as evidence that protestors were planning violence. None of those claims proved to be true; the bricks were usually placed in construction locations in preparation for work.

The photo of bricks in the article about Kenosha first appeared online on June 1, 2020, and it was established then that the bricks were actually at a site in Dallas, Texas, and had been at that location for four months.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
NBC News Viral rumors about bricks meant to encourage protest shown to be false
Facebook: Kenosha Police Department KPD is aware of numerous attempts by malicious actors to spread disinformation on various social media platforms...
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.