Twitter users are comparing the fatal shooting of Tamir Rice, who was killed by an Ohio police officer for holding a toy gun, to the recent acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two people and injured a third during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin last year.
On Friday (Nov. 19), Rittenhouse was found not guilty on several charges, including first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree reckless endangerment, first-degree intentional homicide and attempted first-degree attempted homicide. He will now live his life as a free man after claiming self-defense for using his AR-15 to kill two men.
Rice, on the other hand, wasn’t given the same grace that was offered to Rittenhouse, who was able to walk around Kenosha with his weapon in plain sight. In 2014, former Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann shot and killed the 12-year-old boy within seconds after arriving at a local park. Loehmann claimed Rice reached for a weapon in his waistband. It was a toy gun. The shooting was later ruled justified and he was not charged for the young boy’s death.
As Rittenhouse walks free, many people are taking to Twitter to remember Rice and call out the inequities in this country’s justice system. Broadcaster Erica Ayala tweeted, “Tamir Rice is dead for playing in a park with a toy. No trial. No arrest. Shot dead on the spot at 12 years old.”
“The fact that no one said this about Tamir Rice, who was younger than Rittenhouse, and didn’t actually murder people,” wrote @AmayaEKelly in response to a tweet that referred to Rittenhouse as “just a kid.”
Twitter user @thaiafloyd wrote, “Just thinking about little Tamir Rice who was playing with a toy gun and got shot within seconds of police intervention. This justice system is beyond broken and systemically racist in many ways. I don’t even get sad anymore, I feel ENRAGED.”
“Stark reminder of inequity,” wrote CNN correspondent Ana Navarro-Cárdenas. “Rittenhouse killed two men w/an AR-15. Found not guilty. Tamir Rice was shot by police for having a toy gun. Christopher Belter raped 4 girls. Given no jail time. Two men were exonerated after serving decades for Malcolm X murder they did not commit.”
Actress Lexi Underwood tweeted, “Privilege. Tamir Rice got his life taken over A TOY GUN yet Kyle Rittenhouse can kill 3 people & walk away a free man…”