Womp-Womp: Virginia Cop Fired for Donating to Kyle Rittenhouse’s Defense Fund

You know how I know cops don’t actually give a shit about law and order? A 17-year-old who (allegedly) shot and killed two people has become a cause célèbre for law enforcement and assholes nationwide. Common sense would tell you that supporting an alleged homicide suspect is probably something a cop shouldn’t do, right? Well, a Virginia cop—oh wait, excuse me—a former Virginia cop learned that lesson the hard way after losing his job for donating money to Kyle Rittenhouse’s defense fund.

According to NBC News, Lt. William Kelly of the Norfolk Police Department was terminated from his job in internal affairs after it was discovered he donated $25 to Rittenhouse’s defense fund with the message, “God bless. Thank you for your courage. Keep your head up. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“You’ve done nothing wrong.” Glad to know that the guy who was responsible for holding police responsible for misconduct sees nothing wrong with allegedly committing homicide. I’m sure he probably had very strong feelings about Black Lives Matter and property damage, though.

Kelly was placed on administrative leave last Friday while an investigation was conducted by city officials, before ultimately being fired on Tuesday.

“Chief Larry Boone and I have concluded Lt. Kelly’s actions are in violation of City and departmental policies,” Chip Filer, the city manager of Norfolk, said in a statement. “His egregious comments erode the trust between the Norfolk Police Department and those they are sworn to serve. The City of Norfolk has a standard of behavior for all employees, and we will hold staff accountable.”

Norfolk Police Chief Larry Boone also issued a statement regarding Kelly’s firing. “A police department cannot do its job when the public loses trust with those whose duty is to serve and protect them. We do not want perceptions of any individual officer to undermine the relations between the Norfolk Police Department and the community,” Boone’s statement read.

Kelly’s message really gets at the heart of how they—they being cops and white folks—see us. “You’ve done nothing wrong,” says it all. They truly believe that protesting against a broken system, demanding that cops stop acting like scared little shits when they see a Black person, is an offense that should be punishable by death.

Kelly can file a grievance and appeal his termination, and given how much this country loves shitty cops, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was back on the force by the end of the year.