The jury in the trial of murderous, baby-faced right-wing vigilante Kyle Rittenhouse hears closing arguments and may begin deliberations today in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The then-17- year- old punk traveled to Wisconsin from his home in Illinois to join right-wing street thugs confronting Black Lives Matter protesters last year (following the police shooting of Jacob Blake), ultimately shooting and killing two people and wounding a third. The defense has been focused on "self defense" as a strategy, and the Kenosha judge, an elected hack named Bruce Schroeder, has been ruling and leaning in the defense's favor throughout the trial. He excluded evidence that Rittenhouse embraces the right-wing views of the racist / misogynist Proud Boys street gang, among other pro-defense decisions. The question now is on what lesser charges Schroeder, if any, will allow the jury to consider, thus making conviction more likely. Another factor is the jury composition: out of 20 jurors, only one is a person of color.
Governor Tony Evers has ordered 500 Wisconsin National Guard troops to stand by this week should a verdict in the trial provoke civil unrest. If the jury does it's job -- and that's far from certain -- it will look beyond the theatrics of Rittenhouse's tearless emoting on the stand, and put him behind bars for a very long time.
(photo: Rittenhouse flashes the white power sign, wearing a "Free As Fuck" t-shirt after being bailed out. via TMZ)
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