“It’s All in How We Paint Pictures and Tell Stories”

A verdict in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse (pictured above, right) will be announced some time this week. Last Friday, my friend Cree shared via Facebook his thoughts on how this trial reflects a number of deeper issues relating to “how we paint pictures and tell stories” in a country where racism is “sewn into the fabric of [its] DNA.”

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Most white people probably don’t remember how and why the Black Lives Matter mantra started. It started because Trayvon Martin was murdered, and his murderer got off scot-free because of stand-your-ground laws in Florida. Trayvon’s crime was being a young Black man in a hoodie walking down the street with some candy and a sweet tea.

A young white man is currently on trial [for unlawfully possessing an AR-15 and killing two white people and injuring a third at a Black Lives Matter rally/protest in Kenosha, WI last summer.] He will get off like Trayvon’s killer, and it’s all in how we paint pictures and tell stories.

Trayvon must have been a thug up to no good because he was a Black boy in a hoodie vs the white kid must have had good intentions in killing those people because he aspired to be a cop and “wanted to help.” For you see it has always been a crime to be Black or even support Black people in America. It’s sewn into the fabric of our country’s DNA, its systems and culture, and it will not change until we decide to change that. But for that to happen, a majority of those with race privilege must join us in the fight and commit to the change. For when we chant “Black Lives Matter!” we are saying Black lives matter too. Trayvon’s life mattered, the lives of the countless number of Black people killed before and after him for simply being Black in the United States mattered.

Mentally, I cannot invest fully in following the trial. My heart goes out to the family and friends of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber for they may never have justice for their murdered love ones and to Gaige Grosskreutz who will have to live knowing the person who tried to kill him too may never be punished via our judicial system. Joseph, Anthony, and Gaige stood with us in believing Black lives mattered too, and apparently that’s enough to justify their deaths and injuries. We truly live in the sunken place. . . . This is America.

– Cree Gordon
via Facebook
November 12, 2021

Related Off-site Links:
A Tale of Two Teens: When White Killers Are Treated Better Than Black Victims – Hana Kiros (The Progressive, August 27, 2020).
I Hope Everyone Is Prepared for Kyle Rittenhouse to Go Free – Elie Mystal (The Nation, October 27, 2021).
White Tears Over Kenosha – Tony Norman (Common Dreams (November 12, 2019).
Making a Martyr Out of a Murderer – Mason Muerhoff (The Progressive, January 29, 2021).
Kyle Rittenhouse Trial: Yelling, Tears and Surprises Reflect Divided America – Nathan Layne (The Guardian, November 13, 2021).
U.S. Judge in Rittenhouse Trial Says Jury Can Consider Teen Provoked Attack – Nathan Layne (Reuters, November 12, 2021).
Authorities Prepare for Verdict in Murder Trial of Kyle Rittenhouse – Meredith Deliso (CBS News, November 13, 2021).


UPDATES: Judge Dismisses Weapons Charge in Kyle Rittenhouse Homicide Trial – David K. Li (NBC News, November 15, 2021).
Rittenhouse Case and Arbery Death Trial Reflect Deepening Political and Racial Divides – Bill Keveney (USA Today, November 16, 2021).
The Jury Has Begun Deliberations in the Kyle Rittenhouse Homicide Trial – Becky Sullivan (NPR News, November 16, 2021).
Kyle Rittenhouse Trial: “Self-defence” Vs “Provoked Everything” – Aljazeera (November 16, 2021).
Rittenhouse Case Raises Question: What Makes a Fair Trial? – Amy Forliti, Gene Johnson and Todd Richmond (AP News, November 17, 2021).
Judge at Rittenhouse Trial Blasts Media Coverage of Him – Michael Tarm, Scott Bouer and Amy Forliti (AP News, November 17, 2021).
U.S. Teenager Rittenhouse’s Murder Trial Jury Ends Second Day Without Verdict – Nathan Layne and Brendan Mcdermid (Reuters, November 17, 2021).
Kyle Rittenhouse Trial: Jury Still Deliberating Verdict as Judge Considers Mistrial Over Drone Video – Ryan W. Miller and Bruce Vielmetti (USA Today, November 18, 2021).
Kyle Rittenhouse Found Not Guilty of All Charges in Wisconsin Murder Rrial – Nathan Layne (Reuters, November 19, 2021).


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Cathy Heying: Quote of the Day – August 27, 2020
• Two Comments on Racism in America . . . and a Perspective on White Solidarity
• “Of Course America Is Racist”
• The Problem Is Ultimately Bigger Than Individuals. It’s Systemic
• Refuting Surface Level Comparisons Between the Insurrection at the Capitol and Black Lives Matter Protests
• Deconstructing Childish Gambino’s “This Is America”
• “And Still and All, It Continues”

Image: Photographer unknown.