Trial by Proxy

Artwork by Michael DiMIlo

By Geoff Carter

The trial of Kyle Rittenhouse is underway. He is charged with killing two men and wounding another during the violent protests that began in Kenosha after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man. Sound familiar? Where else have we seen this? Minneapolis, Philadelphia, New York City, and Memphis—and more than a few other places. The cycle never seems to end. The trial is being covered extensively by dozens of local and national media outlets. Merchants and residents of Kenosha are girding for a possible violent reaction after a verdict because race is—of course—the nine-hundred-pound gorilla in the room. 

Rittenhouse has been hailed as a hero by some conservative pundits and politicians—including Donald Trump—for taking up arms to defend his city from BLM protestors and his mythical army of antifa revolutionaries. Ann Coulter has said Rittenhouse should run for president.

This is not only a trial of a young man accused of murder, but also—by proxy—an examination of our own willingness to ignore the influence of extremist white supremacy groups in this country.

The defense has argued that Rittenhouse acted in self-defense after being attacked by rioters. The prosecution, in turn, has maintained that the defendant is guilty of first-degree murder during continuing confrontations with Joseph Rosenbaum and the other two victims.

Rittenhouse stated he came to Kenosha to protect property from rioters along with—according to the New York Times, dozens of other self-proclaimed militia or paramilitary volunteers. Police tolerated—and in some cases—even welcomed the armed citizens. They reportedly chatted with Rittenhouse and other militia, and even, at one point, offered them water bottles. Apparently, they did not feel it necessary to investigate a teenager who was walking the streets with a semi-automatic weapon—during a riot. He was, after all, white. After the murders, even though Rittenhouse tried to give himself up, the police did not detain him. And then, a few weeks after posting bail, Rittenhouse was seen in a local tavern exchanging white supremacist signs with other patrons. His allegiances seem clear.

These murders are not just the result of one individual’s actions. They are also the product of the political polarization fueled by a pernicious racist ideology. In the aftermath of the George Floyd murder, peaceful protests in Minneapolis became a magnet for political extremists. (MPR News)  In Minneapolis—and in Kenosha—right-wing extremist groups, along with Fox News and other conservative media outlets, used these protests as an opportunity to feed racist fears by creating an atmosphere of violence and terror. Because of the influx of these inflammatory extremist groups, what started as a peaceful protest in Minneapolis soon turned into a riot—and also resulted in three deaths in Kenosha.

The protests became a microcosm—perhaps a prediction—of where the radical polarization of our country’s politics is leading us. Right-wing extremists are using the protests as a platform—and as an excuse—to fan racist fears and foment violence. Evidence of police complicity with these groups is not just disturbing but disgusting. The supremacist protests in Charlottesville, disruptors crashing the BLM protests, and finally—most disturbingly—the January 6^th storming of the Capitol are examples of extremist groups demonstrating a willingness and a capability to take the law into their own hands, attack authority, and cripple our government. 

Kyle Rittenhouse killed two men and seriously wounded another. He stated he was in Kenosha to protect property, but last week, the owner of the car lot that Rittenhouse was “protecting” testified he never asked him for help. 

This trial isn’t only about self-defense or justifiable homicide. It’s about a fanatical ideological fringe that—with the support of powerful elements in the Republican Party—is targeting minorities and attempting to undermine our democracy by taking the law into its own hands. This, in fact, is a trial by proxy of the extremist groups who have been instigating this violence, and, by proxy once removed, an indictment of our society’s tolerance for white supremacists.

Rittenhouse is allied with white supremacists. He was in Kenosha because of them. He was armed because of them. He hung out with them. It could be argued they are partially responsible for Rittenhouse’s actions, but this trial will not unearth the reasons why he and other extremists came to Kenosha. It’s not designed to do that. It will determine whether he is guilty of murder. 

Unfortunately, it seems doubtful that Rittenhouse, a naïve pawn of these groups, will be found guilty. If he is, the extremists will hold him up as a martyr, but if he is found innocent, they will loudly crow about the righteousness of their cause. And protestors will descend upon city again—and restart the cycle of violence and hate.

We’re in the most vicious of cycles: a downward spiral with no bottom in sight.