To the dismay of the general public, Kyle Rittenhouse, the Kenosha shooter who killed two people and injured a third, has been released on 2 million dollar bail. During the BLM rally for police brutality victim Jacob Blake, the 17-year-old was seen carrying an AR-15 and threatening protestors. After the shooting, he continued to walk past several law enforcement vehicles, gun in hand, without being questioned or stopped.
The next day, the teenager surrendered himself to Kenosha authorities, claiming he acted in self-defence and that he was protecting small businesses from rioters. He also stated that he did not regret the incident. Rittenhouse now faces multiple charges, including intentional homicide, which carries a potential life sentence, intentionally attempted homicide, and reckless endangerment, and being a minor in possession of a firearm, which is only allowed for hunting according to Wisconsin law.
The shooting has only added to the political unrest in America. Supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement have declared Rittenhouse as a terrorist, white supremacist, and cold-blooded murderer. To their horror, Rittenhouse has amassed a rabid fan base, being considered a patriot and a hero by alt-right militia, white supremacists, and many other right-wing parties.
President Donald Trump stated that "He was trying to get away from them, I guess it looks like, and he fell. And then they (protestors) very violently attacked him. And it is something that we're looking at right now, and it's under investigation. I guess he was in very big trouble. He probably would have been killed. But it's under investigation."
The president is yet to acknowledge the shooting and paralyzing of Jacob Blake by Kenosha police, which is the reason the BLM rally happened in the first place. The support for Rittenhouse led to his bail money being raised through donations and campaigns. Following his release, a picture was posted of Rittenhouse standing next to actor Ricky Shroder, who pitched 150 000 dollars of his own money for the bail.
After protesting for months due to the many victims of racism and police brutality, BLM supporters along with many other political figures and activists have all expressed their anger and outrage towards the release of Kyle Rittenhouse, especially after the request for his bail to be set between 4-10 million dollars was denied.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded on social media calling it a “protection of white supremacy”. She, along with many others argued that if the shooter were a different race the outcome would be entirely different. It has been noted as a prime example of the systemic racism and inequality that is rooted in all the vast systems of our society, and a slap in the face to the families of all the innocent Black people who were killed by police this year, and who have been fighting tirelessly for justice to be served upon those who have shown no regard for human life. Kyle Rittenhouse has been added to the list of murderers who sit protected in their homes by the same police that continue to kill innocent Black people in the streets.
Sources:
• https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/kyle-rittenhouse-kenosha-wisconsin-shooting-suspect-bail-1.5810474
• https://www.insider.com/aoc-responds-to-kyle-rittenhouse-release-on-social-media-2020-11
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