Today I saw Kyle Rittenhouse was trending on Twitter again, so I had to look. I was immediately furious, so there was nothing else for it. In fact, this might be less of a podcast episode and more of a rant. I realized when I started reading, that I haven’t been looking at Twitter much lately, and I only check FB a few times a week now (kicking that habit was way easier than I thought it would be)! No wonder I’ve felt so peaceful this past week! I’m still trying to find that balance between being informed and protecting myself from getting overwhelmed and so stressed out. With C-PTSD, too much stress can be dangerous. 

Moving on…

Fox News showed the grainy video, apparently a longer one than we’ve seen before that was put together by Kyle’s attorneys. Part of the voice over says that Kyle was clearly attacked, and then he shot, so it was in self-defense; however, at the point when the protester hit him upside the head, it was after he had already shot someone. The protester was clearly trying to stop him from shooting someone else. Trying to disable him enough to disarm him. The protester who hit him wasn’t armed, so how can that level of retaliation (with an automatic weapon) be an appropriate defense to being hit in the head? 

I get that it was chaos and the kid was scared. I get that one can act quickly without thinking when scared. I get all that, but he came to a non-violent protest armed with an AR-15 to “protect his community” and protect a building/business. (Reminder: property damage is not “violence,” it’s vandalism, and I’m not condoning or defending it. Still, it’ doesn’t justify murder.) Then he KILLED TWO PEOPLE, and that can’t go unpunished. It’s ludicrous that they’re calling him a national hero. 

A few Kenosha community members, including one of Rittenhouse’s victim’s partner are suing Facebook because they didn’t delete pages inciting hate and calling for violence:

ABC NEWS REPORTS: “Facebook failed to delete two pages on its platform that the lawsuit says encouraged violence against protesters. It claims this may have ultimately led 17-year-old Rittenhouse to allegedly kill two people and injure a third.

The complaint argues the “militia” groups the Kenosha Guard and the Boogaloo Bois broadcast a “call to arms” using Facebook, urging counter-protesters to fight those protesting the Blake shooting. Rittenhouse “answered the Call to Arms by driving across state lines from Antioch, Illinois with an assault rifle,” the complaint states.

The plaintiffs said they were “terrorized, assaulted, harassed, and placed in so much fear when facing the business end of military grade assault rifles that they determined it was too dangerous to continue to protest,” according to the complaint.”

Apparently this alt-right vigilante group called the Kenosha Guard, an armed militia movement, put out a “call to arms,” which Kyle might have seen. There were several armed militia men in Kenosha that night, and other armed militia groups have been popping up in other parts of the country, even around Portland, which I mentioned in Episode 3 of this podcast. 

This heavily narrated video aired on Fox News unabashedly leads the viewer by the nose, telling them what to believe and what is happening. They are excusing and outright defending cold-blooded murder in American streets by a radicalized white vigilante. 

Scary times. Watching the number of people defending the actions of Kyle is disheartening to say the least. I can’t make sense of it. These same people justify the murders of Trayvon Martin, Geroge Floyd, and so many others, but they glorify Kyle Rittenhouse. They denounce the left and antifa and the Portland Shooter Michael Reinoehl, but they champion Kyle Rittenhouse. The hypocrisy makes my head spin. 

As far as I’ve seen, the left has not glorified the actions of Michael Reinoehl, but rather condemned them as much as they’ve condemned Kyle Rittenhouse. They’re both murderers. The only thing I’ve seen IRT Reinoehl is that it was unjust and criminal for the cops to gun him down in cold blood when he was unarmed, not arrested, charged, or convicted of a crime. How can the political right defend a murderer and condemn victims? 

Trayvon Martin, a Black boy age 17, considered an adult when he was fatally shot by 28-yr-old George Zimmerman. Kyle Rittenhouse, a White boy age 17, is just a boy defending his community when he murdered two people and severely injured a third. 

Uh-huh. 

Also today—Brett Hankinson, the officer who killed Breonna Taylor (you know, barging into her house and not announcing themselves as Police) was not charged with murder. In fact, he was the only of the three that were indicted at all. 

US News Live reported: “Six months after police fatally shot Breonna Taylor in Louisville, the Jefferson County grand jury voted to indict officer Brett Hankison for “wanton endangerment” for blindly shooting 10 rounds from outside of Taylor’s apartment. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said the use of force by two other officers in the case was “justified” to protect themselves.”

Wanton Endangerment. Class D Felony. Maximum 5 years in prison;  minimum 1 year. 

For MURDER. 

Hmmm. Trayvon Martin=Black boy bad. 
Kyle Rittenhouse=White boy good. 
Breonna Taylor=Black woman shot by white men, so justified

But no… there’s not inherent racism in this country.

Nope. It’s not happening….

***See original podcast post for screenshots of Twitter commentary***

SOURCES
ABC News: Facebook Sued by Rittenhouse’s Victim’s partner
Fox News: Tucker Carlson Tonight Airs Never-Before-Seen Footage from Deadly Kenosha Shooting
The Hill: Fox News Host Says Kyle Rittenhouse was ‘innocent’ and ‘demonized’
The Daily Beast: Fox News Defends ‘All-American’ Kenosha Shooter: ‘Little Boy’ Just Protecting ‘His State’

CNN: Reporting on Breonna’s Murder
CNN: Protests follow after decision not to charge Louisville officers with killing Breonna Taylor

Twitter Trend for the discussion around Kyle Rittenhouse
Twitter Trend on no justice for Breonna Taylor
Twitter Trend on Louisville protests in the aftermath of today’s ruling with two officers shot.

First podcast about Kyle: The Daily Rose, Episode 2