As the “not guilty” verdict came in for Kyle Rittenhouse on Friday, many were so quick to rush to react that they ignored key facts of the case. This included an Instagram video, filmed by Deaquan Nichols, at James Madison University, during which he claimed Rittenhouse was charged “with murdering and taking away two beautiful Black lives.” The video appeared on the Instagram account of James Madison University (JMU), though it was ultimately taken down.
The video was shared to Twitter on Friday night by Tina Ramirez, who is running for Congress in a Republican primary field for the 7th district of Virginia to challenge Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat.
Townhall contacted JMU about the video and received a statement from Mary-Hope Vass, the director of communications and university spokesperson.
Vass explained that “James Madison University offers ‘student takeovers’ on social media platforms as an opportunity for our audiences to learn about student activities and research. One of yesterday’s takeovers went into the personal opinion and viewpoints of a student, which are not necessarily reflective of the university. The video expressing this opinion was removed from the university’s social media account.”
At the start of the video, Nichols is promoting his documentary for a film fest coming out on December 16, “A Day in the Life of Deaquan Nichols.”
It quickly takes on a somber tone as he addresses the Rittenhouse trial.