Protests erupted in multiple cities across the United States after Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges on Friday, November 19. Rittenhouse had shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and injured Gaige Grosskreutz during the protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 25 last year. The defendant had argued self-defense in the homicide trial.
People gathered in large numbers outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and expressed their anger at the verdict on Friday night. Similar demonstrations were carried out across the nation. A protest in Oregon, Portland turned violent and was declared a riot after hundreds of people smashed windows, attacked the police, and threatened to burn down the local Justice Center, late Friday, according to KOIN.
Reports of people marching with flags branding Kyle Rittenhouse a 'racist killer' and other slurs poured in from Chicago, Boston, and Portland, the DailyMail reported. Protestors in Boston marched through the city holding a communist flag and a sign that read 'Death to Fascism' after the verdict. Kenosha, on the other hand, where the deadly shootings took place, remained mostly quiet as the night progressed.
Donald Trump congratulated Kyle Rittenhouse
"If that's not self-defense, nothing is," said Donald Trump while congratulating Kyle Rittenhouse on his acquittal. Trump branded the trial a 'witch hunt' from the radical left in an email. He further said that they [the radical left] just want to punish law-abiding citizens. Calling Rittenhouse an innocent child, Trump further alleged that he was doing nothing but following the law.
Rittenhouse, 18, was found not guilty on all charges, which construed two counts of homicide, one count of attempted homicide for wounding a third man, and two counts of endangering safety in protests by arson, rioting, and looting on August 25, 2020, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
President Joe Biden, on the other hand, reacted to the verdict and stated that he believes in the jury system and stands by their decision. He, however, noted that he and other Americans were 'angry' with the verdict.
Celebrities react to the verdict
Actor Mia Farrow questioned the verdict and asked how could anyone march down the street in the middle of a protest with a gun and kill people. Singer-actor Bette Midler called the decision fundamentally stupid and called it a tragic day for ethical people everywhere. Actor Cary Elwes called the verdict another disappointing win for 'white vigilantism'. Comedian, D.L. Hughley took a dig at the justice system and predicted Kyle Rittenhouse will be a 'cop' in three years.
