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In August 2020, Kyle Rittenhouse showed up to a police conduct protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle. Although he was only 17 years old at the time, Rittenhouse used his weapon to kill Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, also wounding Gaige Grosskreutz. On November 19, 2021, Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges.

Among the charges were first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree recklessly endangering safety. The jury accepted Rittenhouse’s explanation of self-defense. Now, Rittenhouse will walk free without any legal consequences for his actions.

The Rittenhouse verdict is negatively affecting many Syracuse University students. Many students, including myself, now fear the fact that someone with a gun, even someone who cannot legally possess a gun, can use the “self-defense” excuse to fall back on when choosing to harm others.

This case is yet another example of a divided America. The case fueled a national discourse on gun rights, vigilantism and how self-defense should be defined, and it further demonstrated that America is deeply flawed. Self-defense laws in many states make it possible for people to get away with harming or killing people. Although Rittenhouse consciously put himself in danger by attending a violent protest, visibly armed with a rifle, the self-defense law in Wisconsin protected him.

Likewise, self-defense laws in New York can protect people with bad intentions. If a protest were to happen in the future on SU’s campus, as they have in the past, SU students must be mindful of potential consequences.

If Rittenhouse can murder people and be aquitted, what’s stopping a person who “reasonably believes” it necessary to defend themselves to harm SU students in Syracuse? Additionally, SU students could reasonably fear that police at the protest would welcome someone in with a gun, instead of protecting the protestors.

Some SU students had strong feelings upon hearing the Rittenhouse verdict. Social media has made it possible for this case to be easily followed by many people. Camilla Monsef-Sagatelyan, a freshman at SU, said she felt dismayed after learning that Rittenhouse would walk free.

“I have lost any trust I once had for our justice system and police force. If I went to a protest, I would feel it become more violent and hostile once the police showed up, not before. I feel my safety is threatened more than anything,” Monsef-Sagatelyan said.

Another SU freshman, Emma Johnson, explained her lack of surprise when learning Rittenhouse was acquitted.

“Unfortunately, I am not surprised. It is proven time and time again that privilege serves a huge factor in our justice system. If Kyle Rittenhouse had been any other race, he would have been proven guilty,” Johnson said. “This verdict clearly displays the need for change in the United States, especially in terms of white privilege and the police system.”

Vigilantes have also been acquitted in New York in the past, which shows that there is potential for similar events to happen in Syracuse. In 1984, Bernard Goetz shot four men on a New York City subway train, claiming that they were trying to rob him.

Even though Goetz paralyzed one of the men, he was only charged for counts of illegal weapon possession, not attempted murder and assault. This case goes to show that self-defense laws have been a nationwide issue for a long time now. We cannot honestly say that we have progressed as a country if the same thing is happening in 2021 as it did in 1984.

In Wisconsin, it is illegal to form a militia group, acting like a law enforcement officer when they are not qualified to do so. These laws must be protected at all costs and enforced by police officers so that a fatal situation like this never happens again.

“Kyle Rittenhouse used an assault weapon to kill two people,” Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York said. “This is not justice. If there was any question of why we need strong gun safety laws, this is your answer. We have a lot of work to do.”

As Americans, The First Amendment protects our right to assemble and express our views through protest. SU students should be able to exercise their First Amendment rights without fear of being killed by armed vigilantes supported by the police. The Rittenhouse verdict showed students and the rest of the SU community that their safety when expressing the First Amendment is not guaranteed.

Julia Kahen is a freshmen political science and news, magazine and digital journalism dual major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at jskahen@syr.edu.

Published on November 30, 2021 at 10:11 pm