NAACP and BLM Are ‘Disgusted’ With ‘Disappointing’ Kyle Rittenhouse Not Guilty Verdict

On Friday, November 19, teenager Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty of all charges.

Rittenhouse, now 18, had been accused of killing two people and shooting another person in Kenosha, Wisconsin last summer.

Although he was charged with five felonies, the 12-person jury deliberated for more than 25 hours before they finally returned to the courtroom to acquit Rittenhouse of all charges. After the verdict was announced, reports from inside the courtroom say that Rittenhouse hugged attorney Corey Chirafisi and his mother let out an audible sigh of relief.

However, many were not relieved and took to Twitter to express their disgust, quite literally, getting the hashtag #Disgust trending in a matter of minutes. #WhiteSupremacy and even #ThePurge started trending soon after.

“Every decent person should be #Disgusted at Rittenhouse verdict,” one user wrote.

“so I guess in America all you have to do if want to gun down someone is say it was SELF-DEFENSE even if you've shot someone as they run away from you,” another user said along with the hashtags #Disgusted and #NoJusticeInAmerica.

Another tweeted, “So, 17-yr-olds crossing state lines w/AR-15-style semiautomatic rifles & roaming the streets during volatile situations 2 "protect" people but murdering 2 & injuring a 3rd has no consequences. I'd laugh if it weren't so pathetic. #Disgusted in WI #RittenhouseVerdict #Vigilantism”

“I can’t understand how it’s even possible…to come to that conclusion,” another tweeted. “This so-called “America” that we live in… #disgusted #disappointed”

“Had #KyleRittenhouse been a black man, IF he would’ve made it to trial and through that without the police killing him, he would’ve been sentenced to life,” another user said. “And if you don’t see the problem w/ todays verdict, you’re a part of the problem. #Disgusted”

“I have no words for the disappointment I have in the judge and jury for the #KyleRittenhouse trial today,” another wrote. “It is beyond comprehension that someone on that jury did not find KR responsible for his actions. #disappointed #disgusted”

“White privilege is driving from another state with your AR-15 to oppose a Black Lives Matter protest, kill two people and then walk free. #WhiteSupremacy,” one user tweeted.

Black Lives Matter was one of the first to get the white supremacy hashtag going.

“#KyleRittenhouse found not guilty on all counts,” they tweeted. “This is how the systems conspire to entrench #WhiteSupremacy.” A few minutes earlier, they had tweeted, “Reminder: the system is working exactly as it is meant to. The system was always meant to protect and uphold white supremacy.”

The NAACP also weighed in on the verdict, tweeting, “The verdict in the #KyleRittenhouse case is a travesty and fails to deliver justice on behalf of those who lost their lives as they peacefully assembled to protest against police brutality and violence.”

The organization also retweeted several tweets from 19th President, CEO, and activist Derrick Johnson, who tweeted, “The verdict in the #KyleRittenhouseTrial is a reminder of the treacherous role that white supremacy and privilege play within our justice system.”

He later added that “This justice system has once again showcased that there is a system within the system that consistently slaps ‘other’ communities on the wrist and sentences black communities to profiling and despair. Today that system has failed us, right on schedule. #RittenhouseVerdict”

One user commented on the post, writing, “The verdict that absolves a teen of any consequences after shooting and killing two people who were not similarly armed makes this world a lot less safe.”