Local officials stated that Kyle Rittenhouse's acquittal is a clear indication that there are two distinct legal systems, which creates a double standard and is harmful.
The Verdict
A jury found Rittenhouse, 18, not guilty of all charges in the case of the Kenosha police brutality protests, in which he used a semi-automatic handgun he illegally took from his home in Antioch, Illinois, to shoot and kill two men and wound another during a protest against police brutality.
Rittenhouse, like the victims, is white. On the other hand, the trial involved questions of racism, gun rights, and vigilantism. They were protesting the shooting murder of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a white police officer in the summer of 2020, as well as other incidents, such as the police shooting killing of George Floyd, another Black man, in Minneapolis.
Rittenhouse faced the risk of life in jail if convicted of homicide, attempted homicide, and reckless endangerment. He asserted that he was defending himself. The jury, mainly composed of white individuals, deliberated for nearly 312 days.
Opinions
Rev. William B. Moore, the pastor of Tenth Memorial Church in North Philadelphia, stated that the suspect would have been captured immediately if he had been a Black man carrying a weapon of that caliber. "My heart goes out to the families," he continued. This is a common occurrence when we seek justice through the system. It appears to be lopsided in favor of African Americans."
Rittenhouse, according to Moore, should never have been permitted to cross state lines with a semi-automatic weapon or interact with peaceful demonstrators.
According to witnesses, Rittenhouse strolled past police officers with a weapon slung over his shoulder both before and after he fired and killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26. Gaige Grosskreutz, who is now 28 years old, sustained an injury.
According to Linn Washington, a journalism professor at Temple University, "the Rittenhouse verdict demonstrates that neither the judge nor the jury followed Wisconsin's self-defense law." In these circumstances, someone who is breaching the law or instigating others cannot claim self-defense. He was brandishing his gun and encouraging people to act aggressively toward him."
On the other hand, Judge Bruce Schroeder dismissed a charge of dangerous weapon possession by a person under the age of 18, a misdemeanor for which Rittenhouse was virtually likely convicted.
Additionally, the court empowered Rittenhouse to select the final 12 jurors by drawing their numbers from a raffle drum. Rittenhouse raised more than $2 million for his defense.
Curtis Jones Jr., D-4th District Councilmember, expressed surprise at the conclusion of the trial.
According to Jones, "What this demonstrates to me is that there are two distinct legal systems in America, each of which is extremely tightly split along ideological lines." He also stated that it is risky and runs parallel to the verdict, implying that they are in danger of losing the middle.
