Residents Brace for Trouble Ahead of Rittenhouse Verdict

Zachary Stieber
By Zachary Stieber
November 18, 2021US News
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Residents Brace for Trouble Ahead of Rittenhouse Verdict
Kyle Rittenhouse (C) enters the courtroom with his attorneys Mark Richards (L) and Corey Chirafisi for a meeting called by Judge Bruce Schroeder at the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wis., on Nov. 18, 2021. (Sean Krajacic/The Kenosha News via AP, Pool)

KENOSHA, Wisconsin—While jurors debate behind closed doors for the third day over whether to acquit or convict Kyle Rittenhouse, residents in the mid-sized city are bracing for trouble.

“I think a lot of it, just like last year, is people from out of town,” Stacy Grulich, a local, told The Epoch Times. “I think there’s gonna be trouble.”

Grulich’s daughter attends Reuther Central High School, which moved classes online as preparation for potential unrest.

If the school had not, Grulich would have pulled her daughter out.

She still recalls what happened last year after Jacob Blake was shot by a police officer after resisting arrest and refusing to drop a knife he was holding. Buildings near Grulich’s home were among those burned down during the rioting that took place.

“Stay home and lock the doors,” another resident, who declined to be named, told The Epoch Times. “There were fights down there yesterday,” the resident added, referring to outside the Kenosha County Courthouse.

As jurors deliberated inside, fights broke out among those gathered near the doors on Wednesday. Kenosha law enforcement officials said two people were arrested; a 20-year-old man was accused of battery, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest while a 34-year-old woman was taken into custody after allegedly engaging in disorderly conduct.

Thursday was relatively quiet, and cold, near freezing. By 9:40 a.m., only 11 protesters were outside the courthouse, two of whom appeared to support Rittenhouse.

One of them, David Graham, has a knife. He said he often goes to events like these. He came from Ohio.

“I’ve been here for a few days. It doesn’t have to burn and people don’t have to be trampled over by the judicial system,” Graham told The Epoch Times outside the courthouse.

He held a banner with “Unity not Fracture” and “Truth” written on it.

Graham hoped for peace but said “there’s a chance for the town to be smoke tonight no matter what the verdict is.”

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David Graham holds a sign in Kenosha, Wis., on Nov. 18, 2021. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Brandon Lesco, from Los Angeles, said he flew to Kenosha to support Rittenhouse.

Lesco said Rittenhouse “didn’t go there for a fight, he went there to defend Kenosha.”

Opposing groups have descended upon the courthouse. Some support the teen, who shot three men near a car dealership on Aug. 25, 2020. Rittenhouse and his lawyers say he acted in self-defense; video footage and photographs indicate that all three men were attacking the teenager, with one pointing a gun at him.

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The car dealership where Kyle Rittenhouse shot Joseph Rosenbaum is seen in Kenosha, Wis., on Nov. 18, 2021. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)
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A camera shop that was burned to the ground in 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Nov. 18, 2021. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Others have shown support for the men, alleging they did nothing wrong.

“The jury has to make a decision guilty or not guilty. The man’s guilty,” Charles Fonder, a local who described himself as a friend of Joseph Rosenbaum, one of the men shot, told The Epoch Times. “My cousin’s in prison right now for killing somebody,” he added.

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Charles Fonder outside the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wis., on Nov. 18, 2021. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Some people who clustered near the building proved unfamiliar with all the facts of the case. Bishop Grant Tavis with the Rainbow Push Coalition, founded by Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., falsely claimed that Rittenhouse was the only one on the streets last year with a gun.

Rittenhouse was charged with first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide, and first-degree recklessly endangering safety. Jurors have no set timeline to decide on the charges.

The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department and Kenosha Police Department have said they are in touch with local, state, and federal partners to make sure Kenosha is safe after the verdict is announced.

“At this time, we have no reason to facilitate road closures, enact curfews or ask our communities to modify their daily routines,” the agencies said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

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Businesses are boarded up in Kenosha, Wis., on Nov. 18, 2021. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers authorized the deployment of 500 National Guard troops earlier in the week. However, they’re not in Kenosha.

“We stand ready to support our communities during times of need,” Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp, Wisconsin’s adjutant general, said in a statement. “In close coordination with the governor, we have assembled approximately 500 Soldiers to help keep the Kenosha community safe, should a request from our local partners come in.”

Evers, a first-term Democrat, urged people not from the area to consider not traveling there, adding that those who do should remain peaceful.

Kristine Rowley, who lives in Kenosha and drives for Lyft, told The Epoch Times that she was encouraged by the National Guard being ready, but felt that 60 miles away from Kenosha seemed too far.

From The Epoch Times

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