Democratic California Rep. Karen Bass appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union with Jake Tapper” Sunday morning to express concerns that the Kyle Rittenhouse trial is based in racism despite the fact that those shot were all white men.
Bass insisted that those shot were “protesting in solidarity for black folks. So to me,” she continued, “it was reminiscent of the civil rights movement when you had young white people that participated in the sit-ins and protests and they were subject to beatings, they were subject to shootings, many of them were killed as well, and it’s as though the judge is taking that very lightly.”
Bass seemed to take particular issue with Judge Bruce Schroeder’s decision to allow those shot by Rittenhouse to be called “rioters” but not “victims.”
Schroeder did rule that the term “victim” was to be disallowed in court when referencing the men shot by Rittenhouse, calling it a “loaded word.” Other words, he ruled, could be used, including “rioters,” “looters” or “arsonists,” if Rittenhouse’s defense attorneys could provide the evidence that they had engaged in those acts.
“The majority of the people protesting were African-American,” Bass continued, “but the white men that were killed were protesting in solidarity with the black people so it reminded me of the civil rights movement.”(RELATED: Alleged Kenosha Shooter Told The Daily Caller He Was There To ‘Help People,’ Protect Property Before Shooting)
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The protests in Kenosha in August 2020 were overshadowed by violent riots which saw three people allegedly shot by Rittenhouse, two of whom later died. The chaos that ensued resulted in $2 million worth of damage to city-owned property.
Joseph Rosenbaum, one of the men shot by Rittenhouse that night, was convicted of having sex with a minor in Arizona in 2002 and was therefore prohibited from possessing firearms. Mark Richards, Rittenhouse’s defense attorney, wrote in court filings that Rosenbaum started the altercation with Rittenhouse in hopes of making off with his assault-style rifle, causing his client to act in self-defense.
Jason Lacowski, a former Marine among the armed men with Rittenhouse the night of the shooting, testified Rosenbaum was using “the n-word” while asking people to shoot him. A Daily Caller reporter who witnessed the shooting also testified that Rosenbaum shouted an expletive and lunged for Rittenhouse’s gun before he was killed. (RELATED: Man Who Rittenhouse Killed Taunted Armed Group In Lead Up To Incident, Was Bi-Polar, According To Witnesses)
Gaige Grosskreutz, who Rittenhouse shot and wounded, testified that he believed Rittenhouse was in physical danger just before the shooting of Anthony Huber. In video footage from the incident, Huber can be seen running toward Rittenhouse with a skateboard in his hand while Rittenhouse is on the ground. Huber appears to lunge at Rittenhouse before he is fatally shot.