Kerry Washington, 44, became the latest prominent person to speak out on the Kyle Rittenhouse court ruling.
Just recently, the actress called for a fairer system after the judge presiding over Rittenhouse’s case faced backlash for his conduct during the trial.
Kyle Rittenhouse was 17 at the time when he went to a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He was armed with an AR-15 style rifle.
His lawyers successfully argued that Rittenhouse had acted in self-defense when he shot and killed Rosenbaum and Huber, and injured a third man during the incident.
He was then found not guilty of all charges on November 19, 2021.
Some commentators have claimed that Judge Bruce Schroeder’s conduct showed a lack of professionalism and double standards.
Now, a lot of public figures reacted to the verdict, including actress Kerry Washington.
Washington recently quoted a tweet by voter registration organization When We All Vote, which pointed out that Judge Schroeder – a Republican – has been elected to his role unopposed since 1984.
“Elections matter,” the actress tweeted. “The lives of Joseph Rosenbaum & Anthony Huber mattered.”
“They should be alive today,” she continued. “Our 1st amendment right to free speech should not cost any of us our lives. And regardless of anybody’s verdict anywhere and at any time, Black Lives Do Matter. Today & always.”
She concluded her tweet with a message of support to the Black community.
In a follow-up tweet, Washington shared links to resources in helping to support the racing justice movement in Kenosha and beyond.
After the controversial verdict, Wisconsin’s Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes said in a statement that Judge Schroeder, who is the state’s longest-serving judge, ‘virtually demanded’ that Rittenhouse be found not guilty, The Independent reported.
“The presumption of innocence until proven guilty is what we should expect from our judicial system, but that standard is not always applied equally.”