Presumably, millions across the country watched and waited as the jury in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial formally entered deliberations on Tuesday morning, hoping to soon learn of the Illinois teenager’s fate.
However, according to the Daily Caller, much of the focus shifted to what was happening outside of the Kenosha, Wisconsin courthouse where the trial is taking place, as protesters on both sides of the issue gathered in large numbers, eventually leading to several intense and physical clashes with one another.
A large number of protesters who gathered included supporters or members of Black Lives Matter (BLM), which many believe is bizarre given that the people shot and killed by Rittenhouse were both white males.
What happened?
On the other side of the protest, as far as those who expressed support for Rittenhouse and his self-defense case, included a man with a megaphone who shouted “Black Lives Matter for pedophiles,” which was likely a reference to one of Rittenhouse’s victims, who was previously charged with sex crimes against a minor.
The unnamed person chanting the message through his megaphone quickly drew the ire of several BLM supporters, and the scene ultimately ended up in a violent clash as BLM supporters accosted him and knocked the megaphone out of his hands.
Unsurprisingly in this day and age, most of the action was caught on video.
Some tension is growing with a few counter protesters who have arrived outside the courthouse, one chanting earlier “Black Lives Matter for pedophiles” and almost gets kicked.#Kenosha pic.twitter.com/cGblvC4X3l
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) November 16, 2021
The BLM supporter who attacked the megaphone-wielding man quickly retreated after his attack.
Counter-protesters swarm
While BLM was originally front-and-center outside of the Kenosha courthouse as far as protesters are concerned, a large number of counter-protesters began to arrive on scene, with many challenging BLM supporters on why they were even present in this particular case.
Man shouts that Kyle Rittenhouse is a hero and asks protesters, “how many cars are you gonna’ fuck up tonight?”#Kenosha pic.twitter.com/PYsr22zi5y
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) November 16, 2021
Protesters claiming to be with a group known as “patriots counter protesters” arrived on the scene in significant numbers to express support for Rittenhouse and presumably to counter the BLM activists.
As of this writing, the jury in the Rittenhouse case has entered day two of its deliberation process, with many expecting that a verdict could come down by the end of the day.