Kyle Rittenhouse, the 18-year-old who was responsible for fatally shooting two men and wounding another during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wis., in 2020, has been found not guilty on all five charges pertaining to his case, including first degree intentional homicide with use of a weapon and first-degree reckless endangerment of safety. The highly politicized trial has sparked nationwide discussion about gun laws, parameters for self-defense and vigilantism in America.
The not guilty verdict on all five of Rittenhouse’s charges comes after the jury spent a total of 26 hours across three and a half days deliberating the case, which saw its members believing he arrived on-scene to the August 2020 protest with a rifle in order to protect himself against the civil unrest that occurred in Kenosha after Jacob Blake — a Black man — was killed by a white police officer days after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Though Rittenhouse visibly celebrated his victory at the conclusion of his trial — he was seen falling to his knees and sobbing as he held his lawyer — social media has been left polarized by the verdict, with musicians calling the ruling a miscarriage of justice. Former Destiny’s Child member Michelle Williams weighed in, simply tweeting “Not surprised,” while rapper Lil Yachty wrote that America’s “justice system so twisted.”
See how other musicians reacted to Rittenhouse’s verdict below.
Not surprised 😡
— Michelle Williams (@RealMichelleW) November 19, 2021
Stay Home. Stay Safe.
— B.R.O.theR. ?uestion (@questlove) November 19, 2021
Wow………. https://t.co/z8PkeYeXud
— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) November 19, 2021
Not this bitch found not guilty!!!!!!!!!!!
— City Girl. (@ThegirlJT) November 19, 2021
I weep for this country. For that boy taught hateful things. For the victims and their families. For the system that protects the wrong people. For weapons that spread like the virus they are, infecting, poisoning, killing. For the message this moment sends. No Justice. None.
— Sara Bareilles (@SaraBareilles) November 19, 2021
what the ffffffff
— christina perri (@christinaperri) November 19, 2021
what even are laws anymore?
— christina perri (@christinaperri) November 19, 2021
#kylerittenhouse found not guilty tho we SAW HIM kill two. Fundamentally stupid, I predict he will go on to a big career on #Fox and in #RadicalRightWing circles, which counts as a plus with them. A tragic, tragic day for decent, THINKING, feeling, ethical people everywhere.
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) November 19, 2021
Lol. Consistency is key. This system is consistent. This rage is consistent.
— Punch TDE (@iamstillpunch) November 19, 2021
Justice system so twisted
— concrete boy boat (@lilyachty) November 19, 2021
On the basis of fact level, this shit don’t make sense.
On the basis of Amerikkka’s reverence for protecting and defending white privilege, this is right on brand.
— Melanie Fiona (@MelanieFiona) November 19, 2021
The writing was on the wall in BOLD letters about this trial from the beginning. I don’t think we are surprised… but we are definitely allowed to remain appalled at how the perpetuation of injustice is progressively thriving in Amerikkka.
— Melanie Fiona (@MelanieFiona) November 19, 2021
Here we go. https://t.co/DbmVT9ZlZ7
— lalah hathaway (@lalahhathaway) November 19, 2021
Tell me again there are not two kinds justice in America!
— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) November 19, 2021
And even with everything I just tweeted, know this:
There isn’t ONE Black person in America that is surprised.
Not👏🏾A👏🏾One👏🏾!
We’re annoyed as hell and so very tired, but not surprised. #ThisIsAmeriKKKa
— yvette nicole brown (@YNB) November 19, 2021
I hope Kyle Rittnehouse car crashes on his way home . I hope the car flips and he can’t get out while it’s on fire and dies in it . This is a genuine wish
— GUAPDAD 4000 (@guapdad4000) November 19, 2021