Verdict: Rittenhouse Not Guilty on All Charges

Reaction to the verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse case broke along partisan lines. The left is making a case, in which a white person shot three white men in self-defense, about race.

Summary

Illinois teen Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty of all charges Friday, including homicide, attempted homicide, and reckless endangering.

• The jury agreed with the defense’s argument that Rittenhouse acted in self-defense when shooting three people who were harassing, verbally assaulting him, and pointed a firearm at him. 
• The trial became a litmus test and divided those following the trial along partisan lines, with liberals and people of color decrying the verdict and conservatives celebrating it as “an act of courage.” 
• Aside from racial tensions, Reuters reports on the questions the trial raises on Second Amendment rights, saying gun control advocates fear it could “inspire a new wave of armed vigilantism.” 
• Unrest, protests, and violence popped up in cities across the United States while “calls for calm” were offered by local officials and the families of those who attacked Rittenhouse.

• Esquire’s Charles Pierce said the ruling doesn’t make him feel “safer” and that the justice system didn’t “advocate for the dead and wounded” or the families of those who were killed attacking Rittenhouse. 
• The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer offered no shock or surprise over the verdict, saying firearms advocates have created a legal system that protects “anyone who goes looking for a fight” and compares the Rittenhouse case to the George Zimmerman case over the death of black teen Trayvon Martin. 
• At MSNBC.com, Ja’han Jones suggested acquittal was baked in the cake before the trial began, saying the jury pool was “almost exclusively white” and that on the night in question, members of the Kenosha police department lauded Rittenhouse. For Jones, the verdict is vindication that “white conservatives” are protected by the law to become vigilantes.

• The Daily Wire reported on Nicholas Sandmann’s appearance on Fox News who offered advice to Rittenhouse on how to navigate false accusations thrown at him by the media. 
• Hot Air’s John Sexton took apart former MSNBC host Toure’s reaction to the verdict, plainly showing how Toure had limited-to-no understanding of the case and Toure essentially argued “none of the facts of the case matter or are remotely relevant.” 
• Newsmax highlighted reactions from members of Congress, with New York Democrat Jerry Nadler urging the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate a “miscarriage of justice” while Florida Rep Matt Gaetz criticized Nadler for “tormenting” Rittenhouse.

Author’s Take

The number of Blue Check Mark Twitter accounts spouting off about the Rittenhouse case with zero knowledge of the actual facts is astounding. A white person shot three white people, killing two (one of whom was a convicted child molester) after they harassed, threatened, chased, and attempted to harm Rittenhouse. But the left-wing Twitter world doesn’t seem to understand that, as their prominent verified accounts say things like “so basically its cool to just have an AR-15 and go out and hunt black people-as long as you’re white.” Zero understanding of the basic facts of the case. Attention Blue Check Marks: Do yourself a favor and shut the hell up if you don’t know you’re talking about.

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© Dallas Gerber, 2021