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The Trail of Kyle Rittenhouse
The shooting of Mr. Jacob Blake, a black man, by a white officer is what ignited the protests in Kenosha on the night of Kyle Rittenhouse’s multiple shootings. The officer’s name was Rusten Sheskey. He shot Blake seven times in his back leaving him wounded and paralyzed. The event came barely six months after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, an issue that sparked countrywide and global protests against police brutality, racial profiling and the killing of black people. On that fateful day, police officers were responding to a distress call involving domestic issues in the area. The officers arrived at the home and tried to arrest Mr. Blake. Mr, Blake seemed to be resisting arrest but that does not mean the police officer was justified to shoot him. Mr. Blake walked away and was heading to his car holding a knife. Officer Sheskey, a white police officer shot him as he was holding his knife as he was climbing into his S.U.V. The seven bullets fired left him crumpled upon the ground. It was this shooting that led to the protests that took place later that night and the days that followed in Kenosha. The demonstrations led to the destruction of property in the cities uptown and downtown neighborhoods. Worth noting, various businesses were affected as protesters and armed militia partook in looting, arson, and destruction of property.
Kyle Rittenhouse’s motivation for coming to Kenosha in the middle of protests of Jacob Blake’s police shooting was to assist in maintaining order and protecting businesses. Kyle is only 17 years old and he lived in Antioch, a small town near Wisconsin border in Illinois with his mother. Despite living in another state, Kyle Rittenhouse’s father lived in the city of Kenosha and had once held a position as a lifeguard there. According to his social media posts, Kyle Rittenhouse was an advocate of the blue lives matter movement. In essence, Kyle pushed for the agendas for police and supported their cause to maintain order during racial protests which mostly attracted a black crowd. Additionally, Kyle had held a cadet position in a program for young individuals aspiring to be police officers. He owned a military-style semi-automatic rifle purchased by his friend. This is the same rifle he was just doing his job. He mentioned that part of his job was to keep the people safe and protect them. He said that he would not hesitate to put himself in harm’s way to come to the aid of people that were in danger during the shooting. Kyle Rittenhouse, in an interview he had with The Daily Caller, said that the only reason he had his gun on that night was to protect himself and that he also carried a medical kit with him. However on the contrary, by the end of the night, Kyle Rittenhouse ended up doing the opposite of what he said he would; he killed two people and injured one person. In essence, Kyle Rittenhouse was in Kenosha that night in response to a Facebook movement that was calling upon armed militants to help protect the city. Kyle Rittenhouse was part of the group of people that showed up on that night to lend a helping hand to the National Guard members and police who seemed to be outnumbered by the protesters. From where I stand, Kyle Rittenhouse’s motivation for being at the protest had everything to do with the perception of crime in society. Without a doubt, there is a perception in society that black people are troublesome and that they tend to result to violence than their white counterparts. Systemic racism, unequal treatment, and a biased justice system are at the center of problems that black people face in the United States. Black people always find themselves at odds with the law because of the perception that society has formed against them; that black people are criminals. This perception is invalid because, at the end of the day, that is all it is; a perception. Society has led us to believe that black people are criminals; if they are not dealing drugs, they are thieves or involved in illegal and shady dealings. The truth of the matter is that the only reason that Kyle Rittenhouse went to Kenosha on that night is to incite more violence against protesters who were primarily black.
The culture conflict theory, also known as the cultural deviance theory holds that crime results from a clash of values between diverse social groups who hold conflicting ideas of acceptable behavior (Väyrynen, 23). In essence, social groupings tend to have different ideas and beliefs which conflict with one another, and at times the conflict results to crime. Without a doubt, I believe that cultural conflict theory applies to the choices and actions made by Kyle Rittenhouse on the night of the fatal shooting in Kenosha. This is because two social groups namely white and black people are involved in the conflict. The white people uphold white supremacy and they view themselves to be superior. They look down on and discriminate against their colored counterparts because they think they are better than them. On the other hand, black people feel oppressed by white people and the white policies. This is what leads them to protest when their kind are shot for no reason as they believe in equality for all. This leads to a clash of cultures insiting violence against the two groups.
I disagree with Ryan Balch’s statement that the militia and protesters were individuals stuck in a situation and trying to do the best they can with it. I cannot fathom the basis of his argument at all. I believe there that the protesters were justified in protest as it is their constitutional right. I do not support protestors destroying property and injuring people. The only violation they made that night was defying curfew and destroying property. On the other hand, I do not support the actions of armed militia. I believe they were mere opportunists who saw a chance to cause trouble and took it because they were being backed by the police officers.
Works Cited
Väyrynen, Tarja. Culture and international conflict resolution: A critical analysis of the work of John Burton. Manchester University Press, 2018.
