Provocators stirred things up Kenosha, WI and in Minneapolis, MN, distorting the facts about the shooting of Jacob Blake and the suicide of Eddie F. Sole Jr., respectively.
The Kenosha Riots
Burning State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections in Kenosha
Burning cars at Kenosha car dealership
Destroyed car dealership and cars
Associated Press photo of burned out, collapsed building in Kenosha
The Kenosha riot, which started on August 23rd after misleading reports about the shooting of Jacob Blake, have left the city reeling, and the only people who have benefited are the looters and those with secret agendas to destabilize the US. What happened shouldn't have happened - not with Kyle, and not the riot.
Jacob Blake
Source: the Seaton Post
This is the second video released of the scuffle and shooting of Jacob.
Jacob's ex-girlfriend had called in to the police because he was at her property and wasn't supposed to be due to a restraining order related to his sexual assault of her (as well as B&E, trespassing and theft) earlier this year. He apparently resisted and fought the police, even after being tasered, and told them that he had a knife on him (it was found in the car) but wouldn't drop it despite the police repeatedly telling him to. I don't think 7 shots were warranted, though. He is alive but with parts of his small intestine and colon missing, along with part of his spine, liver and kidneys. Despite his status as a criminal, the handcuffs have been removed - probably because he's a paraplegic now so he'd need help to flee the hospital, if he was foolish enough to try. Kenosha doesn't have body-cams, so we may not ever have more to go on unless a police car camera or other bystanders caught something.
Not all Blacks are united behind Jacob and BLM. Christian Walker, son of famed athlete Herschel, loudly denounced both Jacob (as a crazy, violent criminal) and the Black Lives Matter group (as a terrorist organization), for example. I have spoken to other Blacks who also oppose BLM specifically.
On another front, Jacob's parents have condemned the rioting and his mother has made statements that are very positive.
Jacob Blake Sr (center) and Julia Jackson (to his right), with other family members in Kenosha.
Jacob's Criminal Charges
- Sexual assault (active warrant at time of shooting)
- Trespassing
- Violation of a restraining order
- Disorderly conduct in connection with domestic abuse
- Possible B&E and theft
Jacob's prior criminal activities were directly related to his presence there and the call from the woman to the police and, whether or not the police were aware of those charges, his violent behavior, refusal to disarm, resisting the police and reaching into a car all added up to very, very bad results for him, and Kenosha.
Source: GlobIntel, which makes a false statement about why Jacob was there.
Note: Police have revealed that the car that his kids were in, that he entered, was not his. The officers were aware of the warrant for his assault of the mother of his kids and theft of her car, debit card and money.
Look, let's set aside his warrants, his criminal past, breaking the restraining order and just focusing on what happened. If you refuse to comply with officers, tasering doesn't work, you have a weapon you won't drop and you fight with officers and then reach into a vehicle, the chances are high you're going to get hurt or killed. ADD IN his criminal record, and violating the order, and it was guaranteed. Were 7 bullets necessary? I don't think so, but he was an IDIOT for fighting them and refusing to comply. I have absolute sympathy for his kids, whom he kept from their mom by refusing to divulge his address to her, and I hope she gets custody if she's fit.
Kyle Rittenhouse
The riots were eventually attended by a self-declared "militia," with Kyle among them on the 25th, purportedly to prevent further property damage because of requests for help on social media. There were apparently at least two self-declared militias there: the Kenosha Guard Militia and "Boogaloo". It is unclear if he was a member of the KGM, but a member of the latter declared he's not a member of theirs. I'm sure that the riots shouldn't have happened, he should NOT have been there, and that the police should've detained him when they first found him, instead of sending him away from the dealership (supposedly, someone in WI gave it to him).
WI law 175.60 (1)(g) requires that he be 21 for concealed-carry and 18 for open-carry; however, the former doesn't apply as this was open-carry - open carry of a long gun is allowed in Wisconsin, the latter stems from WI statute 948.60(2)(a) which prohibits open carry for those under 18.
It is possible that WI Statute 948.60(3)(c) exempts Kyle from prosecution for carrying the AR-15. This clause invalidates 948.60(2)(a) because the conditions for inclusion don't apply:
- 941.28 is about short-barreled rifles and shotguns, which he didn't have;
- [29.304] is for ages 16 & under; and
- [29.593] is specific to hunting.
- The clause also applies to adults who give a gun to a minor but since Kyle didn't violate the 3 laws listed, it doesn't apply either if an adult gave it to him.
Illinois law (430 ILCS 66/25): Section 25 would also not have allowed him to have carried a firearm, either. However, since he supposedly didn't bring the gun from there (it was supposedly supplied by a friend in WI), this doesn't apply.
Finally, "Disorderly Conduct statute (947.01 [13]) reading 'Unless other facts and circumstances that indicate a criminal or malicious intent on the part of the person apply, a person is not in violation of, and may not be charged with a violation of, this section for loading, carrying, or going armed with a firearm, without regard to whether the firearm is loaded or is concealed or openly carried.'" This does not justify a 17-year-old carrying a long gun (his AR-15 was not a short-barreled rifle aka SBR).
The failure of the police in this regards should be looked into, as should their failure to send him home due to curfew, but there were many people open-carrying that night and the police were undoubtedly unable to check everyone. It should also be checked with the officer(s) in the squad car whom he tried to speak to (when he seemed to have tried to surrender himself with hands up to a group of police vehicles after the shootings); he backpedaled rapidly from that car. Some people were yelling that he'd shot someone. 3 vehicles pass Kyle by before he got to the squad car.
Kyle lives in Antioch, IL, and is a lifeguard at the YMCA, gun enthusiast, and a fan of first responders, judging by photos of him in police and firefighter uniforms. During daylight, Kyle was photographed with other people removing graffiti from a school near the courthouse.
Granted, there were a LOT of people open-carrying guns, and the police may not have been instructed to stop or detain anyone doing so. The fact that they didn't detain him when he approached is likely because they were leaving to respond to a call of an injured person, and they couldn't hear people yelling that he was the shooter due to the noise level inside and outside of their vehicles. In addition, a lot of shots were fired that night that they had to investigate, so they may have already been focused on the call they were clearly going to.
Charges Against Kyle Rittenhouse
- Count no. Statute Description Severity Disposition
940.02(1) 1st-Degree Reckless Homicide Felony B - Modifier: 939.63(1)(b) Use of a Dangerous Weapon
941.30(1) 1st-Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety Felony F - Modifier: 939.63(1)(b) Use of a Dangerous Weapon
940.01(1)(a) 1st-Degree Intentional Homicide Felony A - Modifier: 939.63(1)(b) Use of a Dangerous Weapon
940.01(1)(a) Attempt 1st-Degree Intentional Homicide Felony A - Modifier: 939.63(1)(b) Use of a Dangerous Weapon
941.30(1) 1st-Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety Felony F - Modifier: 939.63(1)(b) Use of a Dangerous Weapon
948.60(2)(a) Possess Dangerous Weapon-Person CCAP
He was arrested in Antioch, IL, and I'm sure he'll be found guilty of something, although he will not get 1st-degree murder - my guess is 2nd-degree or manslaughter - because it'll be hard to prove premeditated, etc. If he doesn't get convicted with something sufficiently serious, there will likely be more riots. His time in juvie will undoubtedly be horrible as a police supporter who has now been falsely labeled a "white supremacist" by those seeking to vilify him and cause more racial discord. That he administered first aid to protesters, put out fires and ONLY shot white people really makes that libel and slander pretty laughable. Kenosha will possibly charge him with "fled the State of Wisconsin with the intent to avoid prosecution in that offense." I doubt that'll stick since there is video footage of him apparently trying to surrender.
His lawyer plans to use his Constitutional right to bear arms in a militia (which is what he and others identified themselves as), which I suspect will probably succeed. Again, as I noted at the start of this section, he was apparently not illegally carrying that AR-15.
Who Kyle Shot
The shootings he committed may have been fueled by an agenda or simply fear - we have no way to know at this time - but it certainly wasn't racism. In a stroke of irony that shows the claims of "white supremacy" are false, the 3 men (Huber, Rosenbaum, and Grosskreutz) he shot were all white.
"Before being filmed shooting protesters during the tense confrontation, Rittenhouse was spotted along with other volunteers cleaning graffiti from a high school near the Kenosha County Courthouse." That night, Kyle reportedly left the property he was guarding to give aid to a wounded protester. Police apparently turned him away, at which time he engaged himself by putting out fires. I haven't found a reputable source, but on Mark Dice's Twitter account is a short clip of Kyle running by with a fire extinguisher.. Again, I cannot find evidence, but supposedly Joseph was chasing Kyle because he put out a fire. As they raced through an auto repair lot, Joseph threw a plastic bag at him. From the way the bag flew, it appears something small and not too heavy was in it, but certainly not a brick as some have speculated. Richie McGinniss, a video editor, can be seen following close behind them both. A single, smaller caliber shot is heard being fired by someone (a muzzle flash is visible to one side), followed by 4 shots fired by Kyle and Joseph drops. After that, another unknown person shot a gun 3 times. As Kyle called in the shooting (to friend Dominic Black), Richie tried to give first aid, even taking off his t-shirt to help Joseph. Someone then calls out to get Kyle, so he ran back in the direction from which he came - apparently back in the direction of the police line.
Honestly, given the situation, I think that Kyle feared that the mob would descend on him and tear him up, and he probably wanted to avoid that and the possibility of more killing. He left that scene pursued by several people intent on stopping him as a shooter. A man in a white t-shirt appears to hit him on the head. Kyle fell to the ground about 20' away for some reason and was accosted by multiple people, including an unidentified man who appears to jump on him with both feet before avoiding 2 shots, and then Huber and Gaige. Actually, if you watch the video, it does NOT appear that Huber hit him with the skateboard, but it is likely that he grabbed the barrel of the AR-15, which would snap it up in the direction of his chest, meaning that the gun was aimed at his heart area when Kyle pulled the trigger. Anthony is seen dropping his skateboard after being shot in the heart and lung, and then falls to the ground.
He also shot Gaige Grosskreutz. Gaige had approached him twice with a pistol aimed downwards (not at Kyle, according to a video from the side). During the second attempt, Kyle's shot hit Gaige in the right elbow, and Gaige ran off calling for medical help. Another pursuer had stopped behind them and had his hands partially raised. During this entire event, he fired 4 times. After he gets up and starts walking, several gunshots are heard in the background. Gaige's friend, Marshall, claims that Gaige regrets not emptying his clip into Kyle. Then again, Marshall also claims that Gaige was taking out his weapon at the time Kyle shot him, which videos show is not true. Was Marshall misled by Gaige, lying for Gaige, or Gaige misremembered?
These are fairly complete montages of videos of the shootings.
All three of these men have criminal records, although this is not relevant to the 25th. Kyle doesn't appear to have a record and was a police supporter and gun enthusiast. Anyone who paints these men as innocent outside of the situation are being disingenuous, although their attempts to stop Kyle were both heroic and foolish in the moment.
- Joseph was a convicted sex offender with a minor, and also bail jumping, battery, two counts of domestic abuse and disorderly conduct. Court records can be accessed here. He had one on bail jumping and another on battery, two counts of domestic abuse and disorderly conduct.
- Anthony was convicted of felonious strangulation, two counts of domestic abuse, false imprisonment, use of a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse and repeat offender charges. Court records. Hannah Gittings' (his girlfriend) claim that he "took down" Kyle is not correct.
- Gaige Grosskreutz was convicted of carrying a firearm while intoxicated. Court records.
The Stupidity
Never approached an armed person in a dangerous situation like a protest or riot.
Putting a teen in such a situation was stupid and reckless. Whatever adults allowed, aided and/or abetted his presence should be charged appropriately. He is neither a hero nor a white supremacist as far as I can tell - merely a boy allowed to participate in something that he shouldn't have. I doubt most untrained people would've fared better when confronted by angry protesters or, worse yet, chased and assaulted. How would YOU feel if a mob was chasing you, some armed, and screaming "Get him!"?
Gaige, right before his second attempt to disarm Kyle and consequent shooting
Gaige being treated by an armed volunteer medic
Minneapolis Riot
The riot about Eddie Frank Sole, Jr. - who sadly committed suicide in front of several civilians and police rather than surrender to police - also shouldn't have happened. This occurred hours after allegedly murdering Eddie George Gordon earlier that day. The massive destruction by the "protesters" also should not have happened. Tearing down your own city isn't going to resolve anything and will just land people in jail, cause loss of property and employment, and generally undermine everyone's lives. If you watch the video in the linked article, you can see his reflection in the door glass he stands next to, including the pistol he pulls before he apparently turns it upside down and shoots into his brainpan. His head flies up, his hat flies off, and he falls to the ground right next to a woman sitting there who doesn't know why everyone else ran away. As she flees, you can see the blood seeping onto the sidewalk.
No racism, no police execution, just lies that led to a riot. The people who sent out the news of "another black man killed by a white cop" are responsible for the riots and should be prosecuted for, if nothing else, disseminating false information with the intent of causing civil unrest. Apparently, some people at the protest tried to tell the Minneapolis mob that it had been a suicide but people who are emotionally charged aren't usually going to listen.
The Destruction of the US
The cost of hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, plus lost jobs, imprisonment, injuries and death are going to really hurt Minneapolis. The rioters, arsonists and looters have done nothing to forward their cause and have done a great deal to harm it.
I personally believe that something extraordinary needs to be done to stop the triggering of these riots. I'm deeply concerned about what's going on in areas where there is legitimately systemic (and also isolated) racism, but I'm also concerned about how the pot's being stirred nationally and globally, by politicians, self-serving activists, the media and organizations like BLM and CoC, as well as ANTIFA, alt-right and others, because many are distorting facts, speculating, and even lying. I used to subscribe to both BLM and CoC but, after receiving multiple messages from them that were not just biased but sometimes contained lies to incite anger, I wanted nothing further to do with them. Yes, #BlackLivesMatterToo, but when organizations are lying to us and causing riots, the death and imprisonment of people, major property destruction and economic woes for people, I cannot condone that. I also do not condone any actions taken by any governmental agency or private group that seeks to destabilize the situation - with words and/or actions, separately or at the time of a protest - because those people are not serving the greater good or even that of people of color. I want equality and justice. This is not just because my wife was a dark-skinned woman, or that my children are ethnically mixed, but because I have always believed in this. My parents taught me that. My friends and teachers at RKHS further sowed the seeds of unity and equality in my heart.
People who know me know that I'm on the side of justice, honesty and equality. They also know I'm outspoken and prone to making statements that aren't necessarily popular. I realize that saying this is probably not going to be viewed well by some people, but the fact of the matter is that properties and vehicles were destroyed and people died because of Jacob's actions (and Officer Rusten Sheskey for excessive force and reckless endangerment of Blake's 3 sons who were in the car) and the provocators - including the Governor and Lt. Governor of Wisconsin who made official statements that fanned the fire - who have stirred things up are directly and indirectly responsible for almost everything. If he hadn't resisted the officers, he wouldn't have been shot, which would've denied the provocators their material, and thus the riot, burning and looting on August 23-24 (and beyond) wouldn't have happened, which means that Kyle and his friends, as well as other armed citizens, wouldn't have arrived. If that hadn't happened, then Anthony and Joseph would still be alive, and Gaige wouldn't have a shot-up elbow. This is called the ripple effect - the bad actions of ONE person have cost lives, liberty, loss of property and a whole host of other problems. Jacob is not innocent, neither is Officer Sheskey, and definitely not the people who lied about the situation and fanned (and continue to) the flames of the ongoing rioting, burning and looting of Kenosha, including by outside agents arriving in Kenosha. And, yes, Kyle is also guilty, as are Joseph, Anthony and Gaige (of gross stupidity). I also cite saboteurs, anarchists and the members of Kyle's "militia" who were stupid enough to bring a child along.
Are They Terrorists?
I've seen people posting on both sides of the "political fence" making claims of terrorism and calling for legal punishments based on this, including throwing the perpetrator in Guantanamo Bay. One side calls all the looters, arsonists and rioters terrorists, along with the instigators of criminal activities (be they activists, politicians, provocators, anarchists, spies or active rioters, looters and arsonists) while the others have declared Kyle and Officer Sheskey terrorists, as well as white supremacists despite a total lack of evidence of either.
In fact, when a White officer kills a non-compliant Person of Color (PoC), they are almost invariably characterized as racists who've committed police brutality, but when a PoC office kills a non-compliant PoC, it's "only" police brutality. This flies in the face of reason since there is intra-racism, which is where a person of a specific race discriminates against another person of the same race, most often because of physical features, but sometimes ancestry (known through genealogy and/or genetic test results). Somewhat ironically, some PoC apparently view all Whites as being united to the point that, aside from Kyle's shooting of 3 Whites, a White-on-White crime is not described as being racist. I have read and heard 1st-, 2nd- and 3rd-hand testimonials by (primarily) Black people about racism directed against them by other Blacks, and it was always because of skin color and other physical attributes. I worked with a young woman who had lighter skin and told me about this. Another young woman, who was Black, White, Latino and Native American said that no group accepts her and so she has felt excluded. This has been historically documented and aggressors tend to call such people "Uncle Tom," "coon," "whitie," and similar. It was depicted early in the movie "The 24th" when an aggressive Black man, Private Walker, denigrated, threatened and assaulted another, lighter-skinned and well-educated Black, Private Boston, and harassed him at other times in the movie. Why do the people waving the "race card" refuse to do so when racial discrimination exists between members within a particular race? If you're going to claim, without real proof, that a white cop is automatically a racist for killing a black person, you should do the same for same-race killings. But I digress from the topic of terrorism.
If we deign to declare people like Kyle and Officer Sheskey or any other person, agent, organization, company or group, including governmental agencies, are terrorists then all of them are open to being labeled terrorists. Taking the label of "terrorist" and applying it indiscriminately is going to lead to a lot of problems. If we start down that road, many, many people will end up regretting it. If we apply it to Kyle, or rioters, then we are faced with the threat that it will be applied to many who commit a crime that doesn't fall under the definition of "terrorism." In my understanding, especially given the broad civil liberties that we (in most situations) have, the laws eliminate a lot of crimes from such a label. However, if a group or individual, domestic or foreign, civilian, military, corporate, private, public or governmental engages in activities (words and/or actions) with the intent of destabilization, then that should be reviewed for the possibility of terrorist activity (as well as treason, if warranted).
The possibility of labeling an American a domestic terrorist was expanded upon by the heinous "Patriot Act," Sections 801-817, specifically Section 802, p.106, that was passed during George W. Bush's term in office after the 9/11 attacks. It amended Title 18 USC Section 2331 and others. In addition, - Title 26 U.S.C.A. Sec. 6103(i)(3)(C) regarding Taxpayer Information, and Title 42 U.S.C.A. Sec. 262a and Title 7 U.S.C.A. Sec. 8401 regarding Regulation of biological agents and toxins further expanded on the definition.
Let's take a closer look at the people who are being referenced by asking questions based on the definition from Section 802. You can look at the ACLU, Cornell University, section 5 and US Legal for reference. The ACLU link, in particular, includes examples. The full text of these Titles and sections need to be reviewed for an exacting determination.
The term “domestic terrorism” means activities that—
- A. involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State;
- B. appear to be intended—
- (i)to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
- (ii)to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
- (iii)to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and
- C. occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States (if this is not true, then it is international terrorism).
Although we may be inclined to assume guilt (or innocence), it is not an obvious answer if there is a lack of objective facts. As you can see, any charge of domestic or foreign terrorism must be substantiated by more than circumstantial proof and personal feelings. If officials try to slide a case through that is not based on solid data and it succeeds, then it can set a precedent that can be abused in the future if/until it is brought to light as being illegal and, as we've seen in the past, sometimes not even then when the politicians resist (e.g. McCarthyism, incarceration of Asians after Pearl Harbor, racial profiling after 9/11).
Let's look at this from a different perspective. Say you are at a protest that turns violent. Although you didn't intend to commit any crimes, you get in a violent altercation with a counter-protester. During the fight, you yell things in anger such as insults and threats, and then grievously injure that person. You never intended to do more than protest, yet you have said and done things that qualify you under A & C, and someone could potentially accuse you of Bi and/or Bii, especially if you're in a group that is perceived as being dominant, your insults could be interpreted as discriminatory, and your victim is from a minority group. Unfortunately, you've made comments online, to reporters or neighbors, or you have or had membership in an organization that some consider questionable, and those facts come to light during the investigation and tend to support the belief that you fall under Bi and/or Bii, you could be charged with domestic terrorism. It does not legally matter what people accuse you of when upset but, when there is enough evidence that the prosecutors are concerned (or are hot to close the case due to pressure), you may find yourself in Gitmo.
That is not a path we want to take as a nation, right?
The Only Good Thing
The events of the past years involving wrongful killings of minorities have sparked awareness of discrimination around the world, particularly towards Blacks, and people around the world have joined to protest this long-lasting problem. Sadly, some protesters in other countries have also resorted to violence and destruction of property.
A world of intolerance is a world that breeds violence, including war. Look at what Hitler's Germany, Stalin's USSR and many other examples did.
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