Photo: Sean Krajacic/The Kenosha News via AP, Pool

Kyle Rittenhouse Testifies

November 10, 2021
What else is each side focusing on?
  •  Rittenhouse traveled across state lines with an AR-15 style rifle.
  • Rittenhouse’s victim pointing a gun at him doesn’t automatically make this self-defense.
  • The judge is not allowing the prosecution to do its job.
  • Society and the justice system assume black people are guilty and white people are innocent.
  •  Rittenhouse testified that the men he shot threatened his life and touched his gun.
  • The prosecutor is trying to use Rittenhouse’s right to remain silent against him.
  • The prosecutor is trying to claim that Rittenhouse’s participation in violent video games in his argument.
  • Facebook is blocking search results for “Kyle Rittenhouse.”
The Narrative

It’s absurd to say that Rittenhouse was there to provide first aid — he traveled to another community with a highly destructive gun.

If Rittenhouse threatened others, it was the others who were acting in self-defense.

The judge continues to side with the defense and coddle Rittenhouse. If Rittenhouse were black, the justice system and the public wouldn’t be so quick to assume innocence. 

If you’re being chased by people with guns and you shoot, that’s clearly self-defense.

Just like many in the public, tech companies like Facebook and GoFundMe have presumed Rittenhouse’s guilt and don’t think he deserves a fair trial.

Rittenhouse wouldn’t even go to trial if it was a Trump supporter that was killed.

How could a reasonable person come to think this?
  • Bringing such a powerful gun to protect property shows a disregard for human life.
  • There are many examples of times when the justice system was biased in favor of white people. Many black people haven’t had the luxury of a fair trial.
  • The ability to defend yourself with firearms is a fundamental right. Carrying a gun is not a crime.
  • There are many examples of times when a person’s guilt is determined not in the courtroom but in the court of public opinion. Every person deserves a fair trial.

What else is the left focusing on?

  • Rittenhouse traveled across state lines with an AR-15 style rifle.
  • Rittenhouse’s victim pointing a gun at him doesn’t automatically make this self-defense.
  • The judge is not allowing the prosecution to do its job.
  • Society and the justice system assume black people are guilty and white people are innocent.

The narrative: It’s absurd to say that Rittenhouse was there to provide first aid — he traveled to another community with a highly destructive gun.

If Rittenhouse threatened others, it was the others who were acting in self-defense.

The judge continues to side with the defense and coddle Rittenhouse. If Rittenhouse were black, the justice system and the public wouldn’t be so quick to assume innocence.  

 

How could a reasonable person come to think this?

  • Bringing such a powerful gun to protect property shows a disregard for human life.
  • There are many examples of times when the justice system was biased in favor of white people. Many black people haven’t had the luxury of a fair trial.

What else is the right focusing on?

  • Rittenhouse testified that the men he shot threatened his life and touched his gun.
  • The prosecutor is trying to use Rittenhouse’s right to remain silent against him.
  • The prosecutor is trying to claim that Rittenhouse’s participation in violent video games in his argument.
  • Facebook is blocking search results for “Kyle Rittenhouse.”

The narrative: If you’re being chased by people with guns and you shoot, that’s clearly self-defense.

Just like many in the public, tech companies like Facebook and GoFundMe have presumed Rittenhouse’s guilt and don’t think he deserves a fair trial.

Rittenhouse wouldn’t even go to trial if it was a Trump supporter that was killed.

 

How could a reasonable person come to think this?

  • The ability to defend yourself with firearms is a fundamental right. Carrying a gun is not a crime.
  • There are many examples of times when a person’s guilt is determined not in the courtroom but in the court of public opinion. Every person deserves a fair trial.

So long after the initial incident, our opinions about what happened are likely solidified in our brain as truth. When talking to others, it’s important to remember that their perspective feels as obvious to them as ours does to us.

No one knows the reality of those moments except the people involved, who will, inevitably, also interpret the situation differently based on their own views and values.

 

What do you think? Do you agree with one side, or do you fall somewhere in between? Give us feedback on TwitterInstagram, and Facebook, or by emailing info@narrativesproject.com.