Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty on the charges against him after killing two people and wounding one during a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin last year. This has led to strong reactions on social media, including from former San Francisco 49ers and activist Colin Kaepernick, Shortly after the verdict was announced, Kaepernick went to Twitter to say that the “current system” needs to be “abolished.”
“We just witnessed a system built on white supremacy validate the terroristic acts of a white supremacist,” Kaepernick wrote. “This only further validates the need to abolish our current system. White supremacy cannot be reformed.” Kaepernick began his social activism in 2016. Before the start of each NFL game, Kapernick would protest racial injustice and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem. He has not signed with a team since opting out of his contract at end of the 2016 but has been outspoken on racial issues the last five years.
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Rittenhouse attended a protest in Kenosha on Aug. 25, 2020. The protest occurred after a Black man Jacob Blake was shot by a White police officer. Rittenhouse, who is from Illinois, attended the protest with an AR-15 style rifle to protect a car dealership from being vandalized and provide medical aid. He shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber while wounding Gaige Grosskreutz. The jury found him not guilty on all charges, including first-degree reckless intentional homicide. He was facing life in prison if convicted.
“I say that was expected because we know who Kyle is, and we know what was in his heart and what was in his head, and we know the facts of this case. But, of course everybody was really anxious because at the end of the day, you just, you ultimately don’t know what a jury is thinking,” Rittenhouse family spokesperson David Hancock said, per CNN.
The lawyers for Grosskreutz and the estate of Rosenbaum shared their reaction to the verdict. “Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum did not deserve to die that night,” Kimberly Motley and Milo Schwab said in a joint statement, per CNN. ” For now, we ask for peace from everyone hurting and that the public respect the privacy of the victims and their families. That night in Kenosha, Gaige Grosskreutz, Anthony Huber, and many others acted heroically. They did not seek violence, but to end violence. What we need right now is justice, not more violence. While today’s verdict may mean justice delayed, it will not mean justice denied. We are committed to uncovering the truth of that night and holding those responsible to account.”
