Kyle Rittenhouse was the 17-year old who fatally shot and killed two Kenosha residents last summer during riots. He was exonerated on Friday. He was charged with first degree reckless homicide. first-degree intentional murder, attempted first–degree intentional killing, and two counts for first-degree recklessly endinga safety. But the jury was convinced by Rittenhouse’s claim that he acted in defense of himself.
This outcome was not surprising to anyone who has closely followed the trial. This was because the prosecution failed to meet its burden of evidence. Rittenhouse’s defense presented substantial evidence that Rittenhouse reasonably feared his own life every time he pulled the trigger. One witness said that Joseph Rosenbaum was the second man Rittenhouse shot and had tried to take control of Rittenhouse’s AR-15. Anthony Huber struck Rittenhouse’s second victim with a skateboard. And the third man—Gaige Grosskreutz, who survived—admitted on the stand that he had first pointed his own gun at Rittenhouse; Rittenhouse shot him in response to this perceived threat. As former Rep. Justin Amash (L–Mich.) put it“The Rittenhouse Case was clearly a case of self defense based upon the evidence. It was false to present the initial media narrative. Justice won.”
People who did so were rewarded. Not Follow the trial closely and instead rely on secondhand punditry by liberal media figures. probably missed some very basic facts about the caseThis included that there was little to no race in the matter: Rittenhouse and three of Rittenhouse’s victims were white. It is important to note that mainstream media has not covered this issue. Continue reading to miss. MSNBC’s Jahan Jones (a blogger for Joy Reid) reacted strongly to the verdict and stated that Rittenhouse was white.
The case had the makings of an acquittal before the trial even began. The outcome seemed clear even before an almost exclusively white jury pool was selected, even before Judge Bruce Schroeder created an uproar by ruling that the slain protesters could be referred to as “rioters” and “looters” but not “victims,” even before Schroeder refused to punish Rittenhouse for what prosecutors said amounted to a violation of his bond conditions. Rittenhouse is white and follows white rules. White people who sympathize with those rules seem to be poised to shield him from any consequences.
Rep. Cori Bush (D–Mo.) The verdict was described by Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) as “white supremacy at work”
The judge. The jury. The defendant.
It is white supremacy at work.
The system was not designed to hold white supremacists responsible. This is why Black and Brown people are brutalized, and then put in prison while white supremacist killers walk free.
I’m hurt. I’m angry. I’m heartbroken.
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) November 19, 2021
These are the accounts of ex-quarterbacks Colin KaepernickThe Black Lives Matter movementSimilar statements were made. All of these remarks scream ignorance. A jury convicting a white defendant in the murder of three white men, is not an instance of white supremacy.
Maybe it is not surprising that Democratic politicians and activists would identify white supremacy as the reason Team Blue was disappointed by the trial result. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which responded to the verdict, is more concerning. ACLU Wisconsin Interim Executive director Shaadie Ali, lamented in a statement that Rittenhouse was not held responsible due to “deep roots” of white supremacy in Kenosha.
“Kyle Rittenhouse, a minor who crossed state boundaries on a vigilante mission was permitted by police to roam Kenosha streets with an assault rifle. In the end, he shot and killed three people,” stated Chandra. Brandon Buskey is the director of ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project.These are tragic, simple facts. An ACLU investigation revealed that Kenosha’s law enforcement had used violence against protesters, driving them to white militia groups. This escalated tensions which almost certainly resulted in his arrest.
Twitter threadACLU said Rittenhouse wasn’t held responsible for his “conscious choice to travel across states and injure 1 person, and take two lives protesting Jacob Blake being shot by police.”
Although it’s not illegal for someone to travel between states, Rittenhouse did so outside of the confines of his residence and into another municipality. The jury did not agree with—and the facts of the case did not support—the claim that his decision to shoot three people was “conscious” in the sense that it was premeditated. His argument was that he had rationally thought his life in danger. The testimony of the victim, who is still alive from the incident, supports this assertion.
It would have been reasonable to expect that an organization dedicated preserving civil liberties wouldn’t so vehemently support the prosecution against self-defense. In the past, the ACLU has done terrific work shining a light on prosecutorial misconduct—the tremendous power the state has to stack the deck against defendants. According to the ACLU, all persons, including those who are guilty, should be afforded due process rights. Evidently, the ACLU is outraged at the verdict. Did the prosecutor try to claim that Rittenhouse’s Miranda rights exercise was proof of Rittenhouse’s guilt?
Rittenhouse isn’t a hero. It doesn’t make sense to support his decision to get involved in the Kenosha protests. Rittenhouse is now a free man—not because of white supremacy, or because the criminal justice system failed. Politicians, activists, and media personalities who claim to be concerned about civil liberties need to work towards empowering others defendants to use due process.