Acquitted

I’m a writer on a talk show called The Open Mic that airs in the DC market. Early yesterday afternoon, as I was preparing to write a fun filled piece about the approval of casino sports gambling in Maryland, the Rittenhouse verdict dropped. I watched and listened to the announcement on the news room monitors. As I was listening to “Not Guilty” being repeated I received a text message saying, “We’re closing the show with this now”. So I stood up and went outside the building for a few moments to clear my head. As I was walking out I heard a voice say, “Unbelievable. I can’t believe it”.

That person who said this was White.

Anyway, I came back in, sat down, and wrote this for our host Reece Waters,

I could stand here and tell you that I was surprised by the acquittal. I could say that I was shocked that the jury came back with the verdict it did. Stunned that a defendant who killed people after traveling to another state to hand out vigilant justice would see no jail time. I could, but I would be lying. I knew Kyle Rittenhouse would be found not guilty. I knew the moment I learned about the case. I knew when I saw the picture of him walking the streets of Kenosha dressed like a child soldier carrying a weapon of war. I knew when it was reported that police officers gave him water and thanked him for being there.

I knew when he was embraced by the Right Wing of our political establishment. When the case became a political exercise. When he was lionized as a hero by the Right. Like George Zimmerman before him. I knew when the jury of his peers was seated. I knew when the judge declared that the people he killed couldn’t be called victims. No victim, no crime. I knew when he cried on the stand. Tearlessly. I knew all of this because I know this country. I know the outcomes to expect from our justice system. And you know it too. You know what the outcome would be if that had been me, sitting in that court, under the exact same circumstances. If I even made it to the court.

The truth is, we all know all of this, because we all know that we live in two America’s. In one of them, a 17-year-old boy can pick up weapon, end lives, and be offered a job on capitol hill. In another a 16-year-old boy can be sent to a maximum-security penitentiary for 3 years for a crime he didn’t commit. No trial. No conviction. Just jail.  

So no, I wasn’t surprised. But a lack of surprise doesn’t mean a lack of anger or worry. You see, a door was opened in the courtroom today and more of these so-called “civic-minded patriots” are going to come out. They’ve been given permission to arm and insert themselves into whatever situation they wish. How many more victims of self-defense are to come? What ever that number ends up being, I won’t be surprised. And neither should you.

Here’s Reese,

Our producer Adem did a great job with visuals. That’s all I have to say.