The big takeaway of MSNBC’s Chris Hayes from the Kyle Rittenhouse trial is that we should not have a society where “political conflict is settled on the streets between people with guns.” Good idea — and fortunately, there’s a simple way to get that: Do not tolerate riots.
The forgotten point in the Rittenhouse trial is that he is not the only person who was in Kenosha that night and should not have been. Rioters were also there, burning down buildings, looting from stores, and lighting cars on fire. The second night of riots saw 37 arsons in a city with a population less than 100,000. Local businesses saw an estimated $50 million in damages.
This all happened because Jacob Blake, an accused sexual assailant in violation of a restraining order, had defied police instructions and armed himself with a knife. Just as happened in Ferguson, Mo., and Minneapolis, the city devolved into riots. City and state leaders stood by and allowed it to happen.
Of course, Hayes doesn’t care about any of that. He mocks the “boogeyman of Black Lives Matter and Antifa” that he claims is pushed by a “pro-gun, law and order culture.” He laments that Rittenhouse was bailed out of jail by these activists, which is only acceptable when left-wing celebrities and then-Sen. Kamala Harris help to bail out rioters and even violent criminals.
If you’re able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota. https://t.co/t8LXowKIbw
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 1, 2020
But Hayes doesn’t care about any of that. The Left’s infatuation with fabricating racial narratives and fueling violent riots led to the Rittenhouse incident, and all Hayes can talk about is “gun culture.” As Hayes would have it, Rittenhouse is basically just an extension of the Columbine shooters. The NRA — not the arsonists, looters, and rioters — was the real problem in Kenosha that night.
Yes, Rittenhouse shouldn’t have been in “the fray” in Kenosha, as Hayes describes it. That will still be true if he is acquitted of all charges. But there should not have been a fray at all. Rittenhouse thought he had to help protect his community precisely because city and state leaders abandoned it to a violent mob while national Democrats and left-wing activists either ignored the violence or encouraged it.
This has nothing to do with the NRA or Columbine. This is a direct result of the Black Lives Matter movement. The riots just happen to follow it to every major city where protesters demonstrate, and the left-wing pundits and politicians do everything they can to excuse the damage.
The best way to prevent more cases like Rittenhouse’s is to let police officers do their jobs and keep public order. Hayes’s support in that endeavor would certainly be welcome.
