Ava DuVernay, Questlove, George Takei, and More React to Kyle Rittenhouse Verdict

Abby Jones and Eddie Fu
·4 min read
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The post Ava DuVernay, Questlove, George Takei, and More React to Kyle Rittenhouse Verdict appeared first on Consequence.

Today (November 19th), Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of first-degree intentional homicide and four other felony charges after killing two people and shooting another during Black Lives Matter protests that arose in Kenosha, Wisconsin last August after police shot and killed Jacob Blake. Following the verdict, actors, musicians, writers, and comedians responded on social media by expressing outrage but not surprise.

Actor George Takei had pointed words about the judicial system. “Justice denied is a body blow to our national psyche. On trial was not only a killer, but a system that continues to kill,” he wrote. “Today that system defeated true justice, once again. But mark these words: We will never stop fighting for what is right and just.”

Meanwhile, LeVar Burton got straight to the point. He exclaimed, “Tell me again there are not two kinds [of] justice in America!”

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay let the words of the parents of murder victim Anthony Huber do the talking, quoting them as saying the verdict “sends the unacceptable message that armed civilians can show up in any town, incite violence, and then use the danger they have created to justify shooting people in the street.”

Having crossed state lines from his Antioch, Illinois hometown, the then-17-year-old Rittenhouse was armed with an AR-15, with the alleged intention to protect a car dealership from being vandalized.

He was charged with five felonies: first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety. His acquittal means he narrowly dodged a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Ava DuVernay, Questlove, George Takei, and More React to Kyle Rittenhouse Verdict
Abby Jones and Eddie Fu

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