One of the concerns of the racial justice movement has become the commandeering of protest spaces by white radicalized youth and white anarchists. The Kenosha protest appears to fall into that category.  Rittenhouse and his buddies who were with him were looking for the chance to show their white bravado. The immature reason for purchasing his choice of weapon was because it “looked cool.”

Rittenhouse knowingly purchased his weapon illegally, knowingly took it across state lines illegally, knowingly drove without a valid driver’s license, knowingly lied that he was an EMT. This is not a choir boy who took the stand in his own defense, forcing tears through his testimony, to gain the sympathy of his white jury minus one Black man.

Looking at the trial could only make one shake their head, starting with the judge. Judge Bruce Schroeder often made the headlines with his judicial behavior from what evidence he allowed in the courtroom to disallowing the word “victim” be used to describe Rittenhouse’s human targets. The longest serving judge in Wisconsin should’ve been astute enough not to insert his bias by making a joke about why Asian food delivery might be late for lunch.

The latest on this case is that the judge may allow the jury to convict on lesser sentences. And there’s still struggle around jury instructions. Meanwhile Governor Tony Evans has already authorized the National Guard troops to report to Kenosha in anticipation of public reaction to a verdict in the Rittenhouse trial.

As the jury deliberations end, will there be other Kyle Rittenhouses planning to come to Kenosha to perform their self-proclaimed citizen duties? There are more radicalized white youth out there who truly believe they are the purveyors of justice. Law enforcement is still looking for all those who participated in the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Armed with semiautomatics and racist ideology, these mainly white men will demand our attention as they define what justice should look like in this country.