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Posts tagged ‘Kenosha’

Kyle Rittenhouse Acquitted On All Charges


Reported by BRIANNA LYMAN | REPORTER | November 19, 2021

Read more at https://dailycaller.com/2021/11/19/kyle-rittenhouse-acquitted-all-charges/

Kyle Rittenhouse Trial Continues In Kenosha, WI
(Photo by Mark Hertzberg-Pool/Getty Images)

Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted Friday of all charges in relation to the deaths Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber.

Rittenhouse was acquitted on the following charges:

CHARGE: First-Degree Reckless Homicide, Use Of A Dangerous Weapon

VERDICT: Acquitted

The charge alleged Rittenhouse was responsible for Rosenbaum’s death under circumstances that showed an utter disregard for human life. The decision by prosecutors to charge reckless homicide rather than intentional homicide indicated the prosecution was unsure what Rittenhouse’s intent was. The charge carried up to 60 years in prison.

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CHARGE: First-Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety, Use Of A Dangerous Weapon 

VERDICT: Acquitted

This charge relates to Rittenhouse’s alleged reckless endangerment of individuals on scene at the time of the incident, including Daily Caller Video Director Richie McGinniss, who testified he was in the line of fire when Rittenhouse shot Rosenbaum. This charge carried a maximum 12 1/2 year sentence.

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CHARGE: First-Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety, Use Of A Dangerous Weapon

VERDICT: Acquitted

Video footage of the fatal night showed an unidentified individual, known as “Jump kick man” appearing to try and kick Rittenhouse as Rittenhouse laid on the floor just before Huber moved toward Rittenhouse with his skateboard. Rittenhouse appeared to fire two rounds at the unidentified individual but missed as the man ran away. This charge carried a 12 1/2 year sentence.

—-

CHARGE: First-Degree Intentional Homicide, Use Of A Dangerous Weapon

VERDICT: Acquitted

Prosecutors alleged Rittenhouse intentionally killed Huber, who had been seen on video attempting to hit Rittenhouse in the head with a skateboard and trying to grab Rittenhouse’s gun before Rittenhouse fatally shot him. Prosecutors argued Rittenhouse pointing the gun at Huber and firing was intentional, though Rittenhouse’s right to self-defense trumped the intentional charge.  A guilty verdict for first-degree intentional homicide carried a life in prison sentence.

—-

CHARGE: Attempted First-Degree Intentional Homicide, Use Of A Dangerous Weapon

VERDICT: Acquitted

Rittenhouse wounded Gaige Grosskreutz in the arm just after fatally shooting Huber. Grosskreutz was seen in video footage approaching Rittenhouse with a pistol drawn before Rittenhouse fired a single round at Grosskreutz, injuring his arm. The charge carried a maximum sentence of 60 years.

Judge Bruce Schroeder dismissed the charge of possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor Monday. Rittenhouse was 17-years-old at the time of the shooting. The charge only applied if the individual possessed, or was armed with a rifle or shotgun that was a short-barreled rifle or short-barreled shotgun, or if the person was not in compliance with certain hunting restrictions. Schroeder dismissed the charge on the grounds of an exception within the law relating to the gun’s barrel.

Schroeder had previously dismissed a curfew violation charge against Rittenhouse, with the judge agreeing with the defense that the prosecution had not provided sufficient evidenced that a curfew had been in effect.

This is a breaking story and will be updated as information becomes available. 

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Rittenhouse Prosecutors Close With Story Backed Up By Neither Evidence Nor Eyewitness Testimony


NOVEMBER 16, 2021 By Eddie Scarry

Read more at https://thefederalist.com/2021/11/16/rittenhouse-prosecutors-close-with-story-backed-up-by-neither-evidence-nor-eyewitness-testimony/

Rittenhouse Prosecutors Close With Story Backed Up By Neither Evidence Nor Eyewitness Testimony

Closing arguments of Wisconsin state prosecutors against Kyle Rittenhouse can best be summed up for the jury as, “Never mind! Don’t believe the video evidence or independent witnesses introduced in this trial; believe this alternate version of events that we’re telling you right now instead.”

Deliberations start Tuesday, and the jury has two options. It can acquit Rittenhouse based on scores of video evidence and testimony that show and say Rittenhouse shot three men who were chasing him and trying to get his gun. Or it can convict him based on a weird story that contradicts the state’s own witnesses and that requires a belief that 18-year-old Rittenhouse, for no obvious reason, felt like shooting some random people, all white men, that night last August.

During summations on Monday, Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger claimed that Rittenhouse was in Kenosha, Wis., at the time because, “We all know someone like the defendant,” who “enjoys the thrill of telling people what to do without the courage or honor to back it up.”

This is the baby-faced, then-17-year-old jurors saw on video walking around that night with a medic kit calling out “medical” to protestors on the scene who might need assistance and “friendly, friendly, friendly” so rioters would know he posed no threat.

Binger then described Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, as having done no wrong that evening of rioting before he was hunted down by a bloodthirsty Rittenhouse. By contrast, jurors had seen Rosenbaum on video antagonizing others, lighting a dumpster on fire, and repeatedly yelling at someone, “Shoot me, n——!”

It was Rosenbaum whom witnesses said was yelling at bystanders that he would kill them. It was Rosenbaum who someone described as a “babbling idiot.” And it was ultimately Rosenbaum who then chased Rittenhouse into a dark parking lot before finding himself at the wrong end of an AR-15, and who, again, according to a witness, tried grabbing the barrel before being shot.

The overwhelming evidence showed that Rittenhouse shot someone who was pursuing him. After that, he headed in the direction of police as a mindless mob of rioters gathered to take him down. Two more men made attempts at taking Rittenhouse’s gun, with one of them striking him over the head with a skateboard while he was on the ground. The other one pointed his own gun at Rittenhouse.

Binger, however, is insisting to jurors that they disregard the video evidence and his own witnesses. They should instead trust in his personal assessment that Rittenhouse is a person who “enjoys the thrill of telling people what to do without the courage or honor to back it up.” Whatever that means.

If you told me Binger was given this case as part of a humiliating hazing ritual, I’d believe it. I’d even be relieved to know that he followed through with the case against his will and isn’t actually this stupid.

It’s possible that the jury, nervous about more rioting that an acquittal could bring, will choose Binger’s storyline. If they do, it will mean they followed the prosecutor’s suggestion to set aside what they saw on video and heard from Binger’s own witnesses.

Eddie Scarry is the D.C. columnist at The Federalist and author of “Privileged Victims: How America’s Culture Fascists Hijacked the Country and Elevated Its Worst People.”

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Wisconsin Parent Goes After Kenosha School District For Illegally Barring Her From Observing Son’s Class


Reported By Kylee Zempel | NOVEMBER 4, 2021

Read more at https://www.conservativereview.com/wisconsin-parent-goes-after-kenosha-school-district-for-illegally-barring-her-from-observing-sons-class-2655493252.html/

Photo Alexroberson/Wikimedia Commons

If there’s one lesson to be learned from the red sweep in Virginia this week, it’s that politicians, schools boards, and education administrators shouldn’t mess with parents, especially on the well-being of their children. Many more school districts across other states still have to learn this lesson, and to that end, one Wisconsin parent is enlisting the help of attorneys to go after her son’s public school.

On Wednesday, counsel for the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) sent a letter to the school district of Kenosha, the scene of violent riots last summer and the site of the ongoing trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, threatening legal action if the Kenosha Unified School District does not allow a concerned parent to observe her son’s class as required by federal law.

It started when the mother of a student at the Kenosha School of Technology Enhanced Curriculum, a public charter school, became concerned about her son’s dropping grades. According to WILL, the student had reported a bevy of classroom disruptions that contributed to his struggle, including fighting, profanities, racial epithets, and property damage, as well as a new math curriculum that does not involve homework nor a textbook.

In September, the mom decided to take action, figuring the best way to help her son succeed would be to observe and understand his learning environment. She requested access to see his classroom for herself, but both the school district and the school reportedly denied her requests multiple times, giving her inconsistent rationale as to why she couldn’t enter.

For instance, Bill Haithcock, the chief of school leadership for the district, allegedly told the mother that an in-person observation by her would serve “no educational program,” ignoring the school’s charter contract, which says, “Parents are important partners in the educational program at KTEC.” Haithcock reportedly further noted that he didn’t think it was the “best idea right now” to “expos[e] the class to an outside visitor.”

However, as the WILL letter notes, the district’s policies and social media pages indicate that many other types of visitors such as mentors, chaperones, and nonprofits are welcomed.

Other times, the school district allegedly told the mother that as a parent, she was “not connected to the educational curriculum” and that allowing her to visit the classroom would open the floodgates of other parents wanting to observe. WILL hopes Kenosha schools change course and “view parents as partners in the education of children.”

According to federal law signed by the Obama administration in 2015, these denials are illegal, as WILL argues in its letter. Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, public schools must have systems in place that involve parents in educational settings, meaning the Kenosha district must have a policy that grants parents the “observation of classroom activities.”

This is just the tip of the iceberg of parents’ rights in their children’s education. They also have a right to access curriculum, see progress reports, engage in communication with staff, schedule yearly parent-teacher conferences, and participate in their kid’s classes.

The Kenosha school district does have policies in place for parent involvement and “classroom visits,” yet it has so far stonewalled this concerned parent.

In response to The Federalist’s request for comment, the Kenosha Unified School District’s Chief Communications Officer Tanya Ruder said, “KUSD is aware of the WILL letter and is working with legal counsel to review the matter at hand.” The Kenosha School of Technology Enhanced Curriculum did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

WILL said it hopes Kenosha schools change course and “view parents as partners in the education of children.”

“Public school classrooms should not be a ‘black box.’ Parents have the right to know what is being taught in classrooms,” said WILL Deputy Counsel Dan Lennington.

This controversy over whether parents are partners in their children’s education or whether they should be staying out of schools has shown to have remarkable electoral significance this week, especially in the Virginia gubernatorial race. After candidate and former governor Terry McAuliffe said, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach” and doubled down on keeping parental involvement out of public schools, Republican candidate and parent advocate Glenn Youngkin won the race in the same state President Joe Biden won by 10+ points just one year ago.

“Federal and state laws impose simple and straightforward transparency requirements on public schools such as allowing parents to sit in on classes and the right to view curriculum,” Lennington told The Federalist. “But if public schools continue to treat parents as adversaries by concealing what’s going on inside school buildings, they face the real risk of an electoral backlash, like we just saw in Virginia.”

Kylee Zempel is an assistant editor at The Federalist. Follow her on Twitter @kyleezempel.

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Kyle Rittenhouse judge slams ‘vast amount’ of ‘irresponsible and sloppy journalism’ surrounding case


Reported by PHIL SHIVER | November 02, 2021

Read more at https://www.theblaze.com/news/rittenhouse-judge-slams-irresponsible-sloppy-journalism/

The judge presiding over the highly anticipated Kyle Rittenhouse homicide trial recently criticized what he called a “vast amount” of “irresponsible and sloppy journalism” covering the events surrounding the case.

While speaking with potential jurors during the jury selection process on Monday, Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder said that those selected for the task may need to disregard much of what they have heard in the media about the case.

“This case has become very political. It was involved in the politics of the last election year,” Schroeder said in the court session, adding, “To this day, you can go out and read things from all across the political spectrum about this case, most of which is written by people who know nothing.”

“The price we pay for having a free press is a lot of irresponsible and sloppy journalism,” he continued, adding that his charge “is not an attack on the media” but a reality check for potential jurors about the need for a fair and impartial trial.

Schroeder said that he has read some things about the case that have been “perfect,” but noted that most of the reporting has either been “sloppy” or “deliberately biased.”

“It can be frightening,” he added while urging jury candidates to abandon their presuppositions and focus solely on the evidence presented at trial. He reminded them that the right to a fair trial is an important right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

What’s the background?

The news comes only days after Schroeder ruled that the men Rittenhouse, 18, fatally shot or wounded on Aug. 25, 2020, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, can’t be referred to as “victims” by prosecutors — but can be called “rioters” and “looters.”

Rittenhouse — then 17 — allegedly took a gun to riots in the city in order to defend local businesses against looting and ransacking in the wake of a white police officer’s shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man. During the mayhem, Rittenhouse shot three men, killing two. Rittenhouse was charged with multiple felonies, including first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree reckless homicide, and first-degree reckless endangering safety. If convicted, he could serve a mandatory life sentence in prison.

Rittenhouse’s defense team has insisted he was acting in self-defense, and videos of the shootings from that night appear to back up his claims. He later told reporters he doesn’t regret taking a gun to protests on the night of the shootings, saying he “would’ve died” if he hadn’t.

By Monday evening, 20 jurors had been selected, and now the trial is set to be heard.

(H/T: Townhall)

Potential Jurors In The Kyle Rittenhouse Trial Are Scared, And They Have Every Reason To Be

NOVEMBER 2, 2021 | By Eddie Scarry

Read more at https://thefederalist.com/2021/11/02/potential-jurors-in-the-kyle-rittenhouse-trial-are-scared-and-they-have-every-reason-to-be/

Kenosha County, Wis., Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder has a fanciful idea: That the trial he’s overseeing that includes murder charges against 18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse can be removed from politics. He said so on Monday during jury selection. “We don’t want to fall into the trap,” he said, “that many in the media have, a large percentage of the media, and discuss this as a political trial or that there are bigger factors at stake in this trial.”

How naive. Of course this is a trial of political consequence and of course there are bigger factors at stake. The potential jurors know it, and that’s why during selection several of them expressed concern that their city or they personally might be the targets of rioting or harassment, regardless of the verdict the jury renders. All of the potential jurors are kept anonymous until after the trial is over but here’s a sample of what some of them said during selection:

—One said that no matter the verdict, “half the country will be up in arms about it.”

— Another said, “I’m more afraid of our community and the outsiders of our community that are coming in… It just brings us back to August (2020).” She also said she was “potentially” afraid of reliving riots depending on the verdict.

— A third said it was “scary” to be on a case like this one, specifically citing “riots” and wondering aloud, “Am I gonna get home safe?”

Those are legitimate concerns. We saw what happened earlier this year in Minneapolis, when businesses and restaurants boarded up their storefronts in anticipation of a possible acquittal of former police officer Derek Chauvin, who ultimately was convicted of killing George Floyd. If things don’t go a certain way in politically charged trials like that, despite evidence leading a deliberate jury to the opposite conclusion, well, that might very well mean more rioting, looting, arson, and violence. Potential jurors in the Rittenhouse trial received the message loud and clear that this isn’t just a murder trial. This is about the broader question of whether some types of political violence are acceptable, even necessary.

Rittenhouse is charged with the murder of two men and the attempted murder of a third. All relevant parties are white (sadly robbing the media of a beloved racially charged narrative) and it isn’t disputed that each of them had been chasing the teen and attempting to apprehend his weapon. All of it was in the context of several nights of destructive rioting in Kenosha, which resulted in a total of $50 million in damages to the city. The mayhem was sparked by the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man who was wanted for violating a restraining order stemming from claims he had sexually assaulted a woman. Blake is on video resisting his arrest and defying police orders by moving to enter his vehicle as they tried to apprehend him.

The city went up in flames and the national media to this day characterize the chaos as a “Black Lives Matter march” because they, along with leaders in the Democratic Party, believe all of it was justified.

Rittenhouse may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, but that’s not a crime and it’s not what he’s on trial for. He’s on trial for shooting men who pursued him and made moves to grab his gun, something that is seen on video, testified by at least one witness, and written out in the state’s own complaint against Rittenhouse.

A jury will inevitably render its verdict, but contrary to what the judge says, there’s no way around it— this is a political trial and that should scare the jurors.

Eddie Scarry is the D.C. columnist at The Federalist and author of “Privileged Victims: How America’s Culture Fascists Hijacked the Country and Elevated Its Worst People.”

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Video — Family Business Destroyed in Kenosha Protests: ‘Why Did We Deserve It?’


Reported by HANNAH BLEAU | 

URL of the originating web site: https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/08/25/video-family-business-destroyed-kenosha-protests-why-did-we-deserve-it/

Kenosha store owner ? Twitter/@ElijahSchaffer

A Kenosha-area store owner surveyed the damage to his family’s business following the violent night of lawlessness in the city, telling reporters that he was “not prepared” for the “disaster” before him.

“What I see, I was not prepared for. I knew it was going to be a disaster but I didn’t know what a disaster looked like until I saw it,” he told reporters, gesturing to the severely damaged building behind him.

“It’s tough You know, this is a business that my parents started 40 years ago. Small out of their garage. It was a small business. [They] did it just to make a few extra dollars and eventually, it grew,” he said.

His parents, who purchased the building 31 years ago, are “very upset,” he continued, describing the emotionally draining situation.

“It’s emotionally hurtful, but we didn’t do anything to anybody. Why did we deserve it?” he asked:

 

Criminal activity unfolded Monday night, following the county imposing a state of emergency curfew and the deployment of 125 members of the National Guard.

Even so, arsonists torched businesses and destroyed buildings, leaving behind nothing but destruction:

 

“This is sickening. This is disgraceful, and this is not going to solve any problems,” one frustrated business owner told reporters:

“I just don’t understand why something like this would happen,” another business owner said, describing the scene as “carnage.”

“I don’t understand why people do these things. Our society is just really disappointing. What about just being kind to people?” he asked.

“And why don’t you just show everybody respect. I don’t care who you are — what color, race, creed. Everybody deserves that,” he continued. “So obviously we’ll clean up the damage and move forward.”

He called on leaders to “take a hard look at what’s happening here” because “innocent people are getting their things destroyed, wrecked, for no reason at all”:

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Watch: Armed Citizens Move to Defend Kenosha Businesses as Rioters Torch the City


Reported by HANNAH BLEAU | 

URL of the originating web site: https://www.breitbart.com/law-and-order/2020/08/25/watch-armed-citizens-move-defend-kenosha-businesses-rioters-torch-city/

armed protesters Wisconsin / Twitter/@VenturaReport

Armed citizens moved to defend businesses in Kenosha Monday night as rioters torched the city, targeting businesses for the second night in a row.

Protests swept the city as arsonists brazenly targeted businesses. Jorge Ventura, a field reporter for the Daily Caller, was on the scene and caught up with armed citizens attempting to stop the angry rioters from destroying businesses:

 

“Nobody f–k with the business owners,” one man said in a video showing two armed men walking beside a building.

“They’re probably with you. F–k with the government,” another shouted.

“These guys [business powers] are probably out here with the BLM protesters,”  one of the men, hailing from Milwaukee, told Ventura. “They don’t want the government to shoot people. They’re against the government too, probably. The government f–ks them every day. Taxes, shit like that.”

He made it clear that he believes the officer-involved Kenosha shooting incident is “bulls–t” but drew the line at protesters destroying businesses:

 

Several videos from reporters on the ground show protesters vandalizing businesses and buildings completely engulfed by flames:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) appeared to stand in solidarity with protesters, referring to the officer-involved incident, which is still being investigated, as “another attack against a Black man” and declaring racism a “public health crisis.”

“As folks across our state are making their voices heard, they should be able to assemble and report on these issues without any fear of being unsafe. If you are exercising that right, please do so peacefully, wear your masks, and keep physical distance as best as you can,” he said on Monday, prior to the second night of lawlessness:

Pete Deates, president of the Kenosha Professional Police Association, blasted Evers for his initial response to the incident, calling it “wholly irresponsible and not reflective of the hardworking members of the law enforcement community, not to mention the citizens of the City of Kenosha.”

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Watch: Kenosha Rioters Attack Man Defending Charitable Association


Reported by ALANA MASTRANGELO | 

URL of the originating web site: https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/08/25/watch-kenosha-rioters-attack-man-defending-charitable-association/

Kenosha riots flag (Scott Olson / Getty)

A video published to social media on Tuesday appears to show Black Lives Matter (BLM) rioters attacking a man in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as he tried to defend a charitable association with a fire extinguisher.

“Looters assault an older business owner trying to defend his business in Kenosha, Wisconsin on August 24, 2020,” read the caption of the video posted to Twitter on Tuesday.

In the video, the man can be seen at the entrance to Danish Brotherhood Lodge 14 — a charitable society that was set on fire by rioters on Monday — with a fire extinguisher, which he then uses to spray at rioters in an attempt to drive them away from the building.

Watch below:

The Danish Brotherhood Lodge can be identified by the archway of the building in the video, which matches photos of the lodge on Google.

“Dude I’m gonna help this guy, I don’t give a fuck if I get beat up,” says the individual who is records the incident.

As the man sprays rioters — who are actively looting — with the fire extinguisher, he is then punched in the head from behind from another individual, causing him to fall to the ground, bleeding from the head. In the next clip, it appears that Good Samaritans have arrived on the scene to assist the man while a crowd has formed around them.

“We are trying to protect ourselves,” argues one apparent Black Lives Matter protester in the video, as the Good Samaritans assists the injured man.

“You don’t understand what terrifies these black men out here, they not making it home to their families,” the protester adds. “Understand, respect, how about that? It’s called respect.”

During the last few days, rioters have taken to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where they looted the city’s businesses as gunshots rang out across the city. Rioters also shot industrial-strength fireworks and hurled dozens of bottles and other objects at National Guard troops who were stationed in front of a courthouse.

The violence that ensued across Kenosha was triggered by an incident on Sunday in which police officers shot a black man seven times from behind as he allegedly refused a lawful order to stop and allegedly attempted to gain entry to a vehicle.

Breitbart News has reached out to the Danish Brotherhood Lodge 14 for comment.

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, on Parler at @alana, and on Instagram.

Photo: Arson in Kenosha (Getty, file)

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