2020. A depressing start of new times. With a pandemic flaring nationwide, sweeping riots in many countries, and an overall negative outlook, it couldn’t get worse. Riots, not a good look for a country. Riots means there’s something still wrong, something dire enough to want their words listened too now. Riots are formed by people whose voices aren’t heard well. Ignored, battered, and beaten in spirit. For that is when rage forms a new message, one that will be heard. One way or another.

August 25, 2020. Kenosha, Wisconsin. A protest turned riot over the shooting of a black man named Jacob Blake by police. Sparking an outrage that had flared in different states before. First was a peaceful protest in his name, before law enforcement had arrived and set themselves up. From there the anger rose. Shouting, arguing, fighting. Cars being set on fire, trash being thrown around, garbage cans kicked and destroyed. Graffiti spread through the sea like a plague.  A situation turned so dire, so quickly, that a state emergency had been declared. There seemed to be no end in sight, just as before in states such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, and even Washington D.C. With unrest comes anger, with anger, violence, with violence, there comes problems. Problems that would lead to more problems, and more unrest.

August 25th, 2020. Kenosha, Washington. Called by a friend before the start of the riots, a 17 year old boy from Antioch, Illinois. One Kyle Rittenhouse, armed with an Semi-Automatic AR-15.

Why did his friend worry and ask for his help? He was afraid. Two days before, a riot had broken out. Some businesses were broken into, cars had been set alight, and chaos had strewn the town before quelled. He had been called to help his friend keep his business safe from rioters, afraid of the damages they might have caused had it been left on its own.

During the night of the riot, Kyle Rittenhouse shot 3 men, killing 2.

The first was a man named Joseph Rosenbaum. There had been clashing of protesting rioters with the police force. Objects had been thrown, one being a plastic bag. Rosenbaum had approached Rittenhouse, when a shot had rang out. Rosenbaum had taken to the ground, a reporter had run over to supply aid to the shot man. According to witnesses, Rittenhouse had taken out his phone, called a number, and said, “I just killed someone,” before running away. Rosenbaum had just been out of hospital from a suicide attempt, though he had also been in prison for over 10 years because of sexual misconduct with a minor.

The 2nd man shot was Anthony Hubar, a protestor who came with his girlfriend. As he was protesting, an armed Kyle Rittenhouse walking with a group of armed people had been spotted. Hubar took to them, walking to them with his skateboard in hand. Different witnesses account that Hubar had attempted to take the firearm from Rittenhouse, some say he tried taking it while also bashing at Rittenhouse with his skateboard. Whatever the case was, he was shot once by Rittenhouse, stumbling away and dying from his wound. His family and friends filed a lawsuit to Kenosha state and officials, stating they were a main reason as they blame them for “arming said individual,” according to CNN.

The 3rd man who was shot, and luckily survived, was Gaige Grosskreutz, a protestor that was shot in the arm by Rittenhouse. Just after the shooting and death of Hubar, Grosskreutz had started to approach the group, Rittenhouse specifically. Having his hands up in the air when approaching, he still had a gun in his hand, a Handgun. When he came closer, he pointed his gun at Rittenhouse. The one rule of gun safety is to never point your gun at something or someone you’re not willing to shoot. Rittenhouse fired quickly at him, fearful as the man stumbled and fell. Grosskreutz survived this encounter, though he needed immediate surgery for his wound. Rittenhouse had been arrested the day later. As of publication, the court case is still pending.