Twitter erupted with various racial criticisms about the not guilty verdict announced Friday in Kyle Rittenhouse's landmark self-defense trial.
“We have learned again what is considered legal for *some* people to do in America,” tweeted MSNBC nighttime anchor Joy Reid. “It’s helpful to know where you stand in your country. Be safe out there.”
Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all counts related to the fatal Kenosha, Wisconsin shootings that occurred amidst civil unrest, following roughly three days of jury deliberation. The Illinois teen was ultimately cleared of homicide charges in relation to the deaths of Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum.
“Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum are victims. They should be alive today,” tweeted lame-duck Mayor Bill de Blasio. “The only reason they’re not is because a violent, dangerous man chose to take a gun across state lines and start shooting people. To call this a miscarriage of justice is an understatement.”
Rittenhouse testified during the trial that his actions were done in self-defense. Former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard agreed with that sentiment on Twitter Friday. “The jury got it right—finding Rittenhouse not guilty on all charges,” Gabbard tweeted. “The fact that charges were brought before any serious investigation is evidence that the government was motivated by politics, which itself should be considered criminal.”
Still, more critics of the verdict continued to pile on Rittenhouse via Twitter Friday.
“I knew it,” tweeted progressive commentator Keith Boykin. “Kyle Rittenhouse is proof that white people can still break the law, carry illegal weapons, shoot and kill people, and get away with it in America by shedding tears and claiming self-defense."
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., also added her racial animus with the verdict to Twitter, seemingly calling Rittenhouse a white supremacist.
"It's white supremacy in action," Bush tweeted. "This system isn't built to hold white supremacists accountable. It's why Black and brown folks are brutalized and put in cages while white supremacist murderers walk free."