![riot civil unrest riot civil unrest](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2BWCWF6/street-riot-civil-unrest-2BWCWF6.jpg)
Rittenhouse’s trial has become “The Rittenhouse Trial,” a front in the nation’s forever war over culture and politics. David Wright said law enforcement’s strategy during the trial has been to “reduce tension and create an atmosphere of peace.” After dueling protesters quelled tensions with hot slices of Domino’s pizza on Wednesday, Sheriff David Beth continued the act of goodwill the following day by bringing dozens of cookies and cups of coffee to media and protesters alike.
#RIOT CIVIL UNREST WINDOWS#
Protesters set fire to businesses and smashed windows law enforcement lined the courthouse perimeter in riot gear, sending plumes of pepper spray into the air when someone dared get too close. Law enforcement’s hands-off approach to the trial is a stark change from their response to protests that besieged the city a year prior, when Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot in the back seven times by a white police officer outside of his home. The squabble swiftly turned to a full-blown physical altercation when the two wrestled over a sign and a journalist tried to intervene. Two other arrests were made when a 20-year-old man and 34-year-old woman exchanged fiery insults on the courthouse steps.
#RIOT CIVIL UNREST FREE#
Another unidentified man was arrested by the Kenosha Police Department Thursday for carrying a handgun, which violated the state’s “Gun Free School Zone” law. Sheriff’s deputies kept watch nearby, but refrained from interfering unless absolutely necessary, as was the case with Kline. “People want to chat about it, but they’re scared because they don’t know what side you’re on.”Īhead of the verdict, scuffles on the courthouse steps were, for the most part, quickly de-escalated by mediators tasked with maintaining the calm. “It comes up often in conversation ,” she says. She says she’s barely been able to talk to her six older brothers this past year because they support Rittenhouse’s actions - and she doesn’t. “My hands are shaking like they did last year during the protests. “This trial has been a huge weight on Kenosha the last year,” she tells Rolling Stone. Lifelong Kenoshan Mary Beth Mogensen just hoped tensions outside the courthouse wouldn’t culminate in a tragedy similar to the one that brought them there. Some were there to support the 18-year-old from Antioch, Illinois, who they considered a hero others hoped the jury would find Rittenhouse guilty of at least one of the five charges he was facing. Kline was among the hodgepodge group of protesters who occupied the marble steps outside the courthouse in Kenosha as jurors reached day three of deliberations over whether Rittenhouse had acted in self-defense.
![riot civil unrest riot civil unrest](https://images.gog-statics.com/f40627a209e1b1240a576ac9c67bf9bbdbf6b56eb36fe138f2b10d1f0e3be4fe_product_card_v2_mobile_slider_639.jpg)
More than a year later, the environment outside the courthouse - filled with political and racial tension, angry and opposing protests, throngs of reporters and the provocateurs they attract - is perilously similar to that violent, terrifying stretch that left a city in flames and two people dead. Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum are dead. Gaige Grosskreutz, who Rittenhouse shot in a conflict during the ensuing protests, is permanently injured as well. Jacob Blake is still suffering from injuries he sustained after being shot by police. The city is still haunted by what happened in the summer of 2020.
![riot civil unrest riot civil unrest](https://miketendo64.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/riot.jpg)
The trial is over, the aftermath has begun.Īs Kenosha knows, any one of these conflicts can escalate, and all it takes is one for lives to be lost. On Friday, a jury acquitted Rittenhouse of all the counts he was facing. It’s ugly and it’s trolling, but it’s not deadly - yet. “Fuck you guys! Fuck Black Lives Matter!” he screamed.
![riot civil unrest riot civil unrest](https://culturedvultures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/rIOT-cIVIL-uNREST.jpg)
The case wasn’t empty, but it didn’t hold a firearm: Kline pulled out a black rubber dildo.