Rittenhouse Acquittal: Hundreds March Through Brooklyn To Protest Verdict

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — There were protests in New York City on Friday in response to the not guilty verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial.

The 18-year-old was found not guilty in the deaths of two men during a night of violent protests in Wisconsin in 2020.

Hundreds of people marched through Brooklyn in demonstrations that have been largely peaceful.

Watch Chopper 2 over the protests —

Many told CBS2’s Ali Bauman they were disappointed but not surprised by the verdict.

Crowd outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn protesting Kyle Rittenhouse verdict. @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/JVldqPFc1I

— Ali Bauman (@AliBaumanTV) November 20, 2021

Protesters started gathering outside the Barclays Center around 7 p.m., listening to speeches before beginning to march through Downtown Brooklyn.

They say they are standing in solidarity with Kenosha, angered by the Rittenhouse verdict and calling his acquittal a double standard and a failure of the justice system.

Crowds begin marching through Downtown Brooklyn protesting the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/ka6CCc4Gna

— Ali Bauman (@AliBaumanTV) November 20, 2021

“The message, basically, is that when you stand up for Black liberation, when you stand up for Black lives, no matter who you are, you automatically become a target of the system,” protester Na-Lakan Masego said.

“The issue of what constitutes self-defense and what doesn’t, but it also depends who has a gun and it also depends what they’re actually fighting for, and it seems that if you’re trying to say something about Black Lives Matter or something about justice and equity, it doesn’t have the same weight,” Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said.

One protester said they hope people who see the protest use it as an opportunity for self-reflection.

from CBS New York https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/11/19/kyle-rittenhouse-verdict-protest-new-york-city/
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