Where to begin? I watched long portions of the jury trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, and then followed-up with segments on various partisan media (Fox News, MSNBC, etc.). I don’t know whether to confess these sins or demand your appreciation. Either way, we’ll start with the facts of the case.
Back in August, 2020, Kenosha (Wisconsin) erupted in two nights of violence after the arrest and shooting of Jacob Blake. Blake, who is black, was arrested and shot (seven times, in the side and back) as he wielded a knife and attempted to enter a car with his girlfriend’s children in the backseat. His girlfriend called the police when he entered her home, as he was already charged with sexual assault, trespassing, and domestic abuse. Instant video analysis and widespread media coverage claimed (incorrectly) that Blake was unarmed and shot in the back while presenting no threat. Subsequent coverage debunked these claims, but not till long after protests against police brutality erupted in Kenosha.
While daytime protests were initially peaceful, at night violent groups seized on the police’ reluctance to intervene, engaging in looting, property destruction, and general mayhem. It was on this second such night that seventeen year-old Kyle Rittenhouse decided to go to Kenosha (he lived just across the State line in Illinois) to “protect (this) business.”‘ He took a medic bag (although he was not a trained EMT) and borrowed an AR-15 for self-defense from a friend who was keeping it for him in Wisconsin.
After standing watch with other people at a car dealership, Rittenhouse walked over to a nearby crowd where a group had gathered to destroy vehicles and light fires. Joseph Rosenbaum, who had just that morning been released from State mental care, had spent most of the evening threatening those you had arrived (like Rittenhouse) to ‘protect against the looters.’ Rosenbaum seemed to take special interest in Rittenhouse, and began following and harassing him. At one point–immediately after someone else discharged a firearm in the area–Rosenbaum charged Rittenhouse and reached for his rifle, whereupon Rittenhouse shot him in the chest, killing him.
The gunshots initiated a chase sequence with Rittenhouse calling a friend to admit he shot someone and needed help, and a crowd forming and following Rittenhouse as he attempts to run away. Different people in the crowd shout “he’s the shooter” “get the m*therf*cker” as they follow him. One man runs up behind Rittenhouse and hits him in the back of the head before running off. Rittenhouse trips and falls to the ground, as he rises, another man does a running drop kick, glancing off his head. Rittenhouse shoots and misses him. Anthony Huber takes his skateboard and hits Rittenhouse in the shoulder; they struggle for the rifle, and Rittenhouse shoots and kills him. Finally, Gaige Grosskreutz, who was armed with a handgun, approaches Rittenhouse; he stops and backs away, then raises the pistol toward Rittenhouse, who shoots him in the arm, gets up, and heads towards the police vehicles two blocks away.
What we have here is immaturity, stupidity, and rage–multiplied by weapons–resulting in unnecessary deaths. Rittenhouse as a teenage boy is automatically guilty of immaturity. His impulse to go “do something” is misplaced, and where is the parent/guardian saying “no!”? This parental stupidity is trumped by the friend who gave him his weapon: yes, he had a Second Amendment right to carry it, and the laws in Wisconsin permitted public carry of a long-rifle. But as a conservative, I believe rights come with responsibilities, and Rittenhouse was not trained to defend a property. His friend should have told him “no.” If Rittenhouse insisted on doing something, he should have been armed with nothing more than a medic bag and a phone-camera. More properly, he should NOT have gone to the site of previous violence; what did he have to offer?
More stupidity! Rosenbaum had a long history of mental illness, as did Huber. Who among their friends thought either would be a useful, stabilizing addition to the volatile nightly mix in Kenosha? Where were their now-grieving families when they needed to keep them home? And all these people were not just at the afternoon protest; they attended the subsequent evening arson and property destruction, for reasons that remain unclear. Grosskreutz also brought a pistol to the scene, but at least he had the sense to back off. For that momentary sanity, he saved his own life.
Finally, it all goes back to, and ends up in, rage. Why did so many people need to fan the flames when Blake was shot? This was just after the police brutality case of George Floyd in Minnesota, so activists started building a narrative, but it was false in this case. That narrative led to the protests, and the violence, and the shootings. Listen to the mob after Rittenhouse shoots and kills Rosenbaum, if you want to hear vigilante justice in action. It is pure, unadulterated hatred. If they could have torn Rittenhouse limb-from-limb, they would have on the spot. The only thing that stopped them was the AR15.
So what’s the verdict? Well, the jury had little choice. Wisconsin’s self-defense laws (which are mirrored across the United States, and have nothing to do with “stand your ground” laws) draw from hundreds of years of English common law. The defense can assert self-defense, and must provide reasonable facts. These could (and did) include a statement by the defendant that he feared for his life, as well as video evidence he was chased by people with intent to do him serious bodily harm. The prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt he did NOT fear or the others did NOT present a serious threat. This was an impossible task given the video evidence. The only chance for conviction lay in the initial shooting of Rosenbaum (who was unarmed), but that went out the window when other witnesses testified to his erratic, confrontational, and threatening behavior. No sane person–armed or not–would have been unafraid when confronted by the mob, and the mob’s intent to do deadly violence was evident in the video.
Kyle Rittenhouse is not a hero. We can only hope he learned from this experience and isn’t permanently damaged. He was guilty of extreme immaturity and was let down by several adults who either failed to prevent–or actively supported–his immature actions. Several other adults on the scene were guilty of gross stupidity. Two paid with their lives, and one was injured (shot in the arm). Several others (if you watched the trial, drop-kick man, or the guy who hit Rittenhouse in the back of the head) sneaked back into the shadows, but they participated in the mayhem and deserve our disgust. The activists and media who poured gas on the flames have blood on their hands, but of course they walked away scot free.
Make no mistake: Rittenhouse should have stayed home, or should have left his weapon with his friend. You don’t go to a riot looking for trouble, because it will find you. How overmatched and unprepared Rittenhouse was for what unfolded on the dark streets of Kenosha is evident in the video.
Your rights (to weapons or assembly) come with responsibilities. Ignoring that can be detrimental to society, and deadly to the individual.
I have to agree that his actions were well intentioned but immature–If there had been an organized properly led “defense” group to do the job the police would not, and he was part of that group, then OK –But doing a lone wolf action is stupid from several angles. He killed in self defense but he never should put himself in that position to begin with. I have no sympathy for the child molesting pervert that he killed but the whole situation was avoidable if the appropriate government employees had done their job. The legal authorities of the state should be looking at putting the responsibility on the elected officials that failed their constituents and those officials should be removed for mal and non feasance as well as maybe prosecuted themselves.
Agree totally Pat. I’d actually like to know where the parents were and why they don’t bear responsibility. A 17 year old is still a minor.
Well said, Pat. He should have stayed home.