Politics

Colin Kaepernick says Rittenhouse verdict ‘validates the terrorist acts of a white supremacist’

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On Friday, Colin Kaepernick tweeted in response to the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict, saying that it “only further validates the need to abolish our current system.”

Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all charges against him related to the August 25, 2020 shooting.

“We just witnessed a system built on white supremacy validate the terroristic acts of a white supremacist,” the civil rights activist and former San Francisco 49ers quarterback stated. “This only further validates the need to abolish our current system. White supremacy cannot be reformed.”

Kaepernick has been at the forefront of athlete activism since 2016 when he famously began kneeling during the national anthem before NFL games in protest of racism and police brutality. He has been a free agent since March of 2017, which sparked accusations that the NFL blackballed Kaepernick.

Other athletes also slammed the verdict on social media. Robert Griffin III, another free agent quarterback, made a reference to the case of Julius Jones. Jones, a black inmate, was scheduled to be put to death on Thursday for the 1999 fatal shooting of Paul Howell. While his sentence was commuted to life in prison, many still say he was falsely accused.

“Kyle Rittennhouse [sic] can kill without a sliver of doubt & walk free but Julius Jones is in jail for life without the chance for parole after being on death row for 20 years with all types of doubt in his case,” Griffin wrote. “What is Justice? God help us.”

The jury returned the verdict after a little more than three days of deliberation, finding Rittenhouse, who was charged with homicide, attempted homicide, and reckless endangering, not guilty on all charges. Rittenhouse was 17-years-old at the time of the shooting, and said he went to Kenosha to protect property from rioters. 

ARTICLE: ELIZABETH HERTZBERG

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE

PHOTO CREDITS: NEWSWEEK

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