Sunday, November 21, 2021

A measure of how close we are to a fascist state

Virginia Police Officer Fired After Donating to Rittenhouse’s Defense Fund Wants His Job Back

Lieutenant William Kelly wants his job back after the Norfolk Police Department fired him following a $25 anonymous donation made to Kyle Rittenhouse’s legal defense fund in April 2021.

Rittenhouse’s two-week trial for the shooting of three men during the 2020 Kenosha riots concluded on Friday with a not guilty jury verdict.

Kelly, a 42-year-old, 19-year police veteran and father of three, was ten months away from his pension vesting when the Norfolk Police Department fired him. Kelly told the DailyMail:

Everything I’m saying is just my personal opinion. I’ve been a homicide detective, a violent crimes investigator for years. I have a background. I watched the video of the shooting. I’d seen the video of the journalists of Mr. Rittenhouse before the shooting and the protesters before the shooting and I thought it painted a pretty clear picture that Mr. Rittenhouse had a very strong claim for self-defense.

Kelly noticed that GoFundMe canceled the fundraiser for Rittenhouse’s defense but saw a new page set up for his legal defense on the Give Send Go platform.

Kelly sent his donation anonymously with a note that read, “God Bless. Thank you for your courage. Keep your head up. You’ve done nothing wrong. Every rank-and-file police officer supports you.”

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