Kyle Rittenhouse is White. Is That Why He Was Acquitted?

The rage was predictable. Rep. Cori Bush (D-Race Hate) tweeted: “The judge. The jury. The defendant. It’s white supremacy in action. This system isn’t built to hold white supremacists accountable. It’s why Black and brown folks are brutalized and put in cages while white supremacist murderers walk free. I’m hurt. I’m angry. I’m heartbroken.” At least one tweeter tried to inject a bit of sanity into the proceedings, responding: “Every single person involved in this shooting is/was White. Even the attorneys and judge are White. Where is racism involved? It’s an honest question.”

Bush wasn’t alone. NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, who was widely reported as being the victim of a hate crime last year when a noose was discovered in his garage (the FBI determined that it was a garage-door puller), tweeted: “Ha, let the boy be black and it would’ve been life…hell he would’ve had his life taken before the bullshit trial.. sad.” Ohio congressional candidate Nina Turner agreed: “If Kyle Rittenhouse were Black, he would’ve been killed for holding that weapon. What’s a justice system without justice?!?!”

Keith Boykin, author of Race Against Time: The Politics of a Darkening America, added: “I knew it. Kyle Rittenhouse is proof that white people can still break the law, carry illegal weapons, shoot and kill people, and get away with it in America by shedding tears and claiming self-defense.” Fox News’ featured Leftist Juan Williams had the same point of view: “If this had been a black teenager who had done this, wow, I think the laws might have treated him a little differently.”

White actress Sophia Bush was also enraged: “The miscarriage of justice today is enraging. This is white supremacy in action. This is hideous. He murdered people, bragged about it while throwing white power signs in a bar, and then manufactured tears to claim that despite his AR-15 HE was in danger. And he got off. Unreal.” Creepy storyteller Stephen King asked: “So…the white guy goes free. Is that the message?”

Actually, no. Proof of that came Thursday in the verdict in the case of Andrew Coffee IV in Vero Beach, Florida. According to WPBF, Coffee, a black man, “was found not guilty on all counts of murder and attempted first degree murder Friday.” Not only was Coffee acquitted, but the circumstances of his case made it a much less clear-cut case of self-defense than the Rittenhouse case was. Coffee was accused of shooting at deputies from the Indian River County Sheriff’s department as they were carrying out a drug raid at his home. Coffee’s girlfriend, Alteria Woods, was caught in the crossfire and killed. After a grand jury cleared two officers of responsibility for her death, Coffee was charged with her murder.

Coffee disputed the grand jury’s findings, taking the stand during his trial to blame the deputies for Woods’ death. His defense attorneys argued that he had been asleep, was startled awake by the raid, and fired at the officers because “he thought he was under attack.” Coffee explained: “I was trying to protect me and Alteria and I thought I was doing that, but I feel I didn’t protect her. I can’t sleep with that … they killed her.”

Coffee was found not guilty for the murder of Alteria Woods. If the Left’s version of reality remotely corresponded to the real thing, Andrew Coffee IV would not have been acquitted, simply because he is black. In fact, he would likely have been killed by Indian River County Sheriff’s deputies during the drug raid in which Woods was killed. His acquittal is proof that the paranoid race-baiting fantasies of Bubba Wallace, Stephen King and the rest are not just false, but are irresponsible and incendiary attempts to make a volatile situation even more explosive. If the Left riots over the Rittenhouse verdict and innocent people are killed, the blood will be on the hands of those who are claiming that the verdict in the Rittenhouse case represents a great injustice. But as usual, they will not be called to account. They enjoy the real privilege in America today: Leftist privilege.

That privilege, however, remains unacknowledged. Watch now for numerous new initiatives from Leftists in power to curb “white supremacy” in our justice system, which means to make it more difficult for people to defend themselves from violent Leftists. Kyle Rittenhouse had the effrontery to fight back and win; this must never be allowed to happen again. As always when faced with a loss, Leftists will overplay their hand. In the coming months, lovers of freedom will need to stand stronger than ever.

Robert Spencer is the director of Jihad Watch and a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. He is author of 23 books including many bestsellers, such as The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades), The Truth About Muhammad and The History of Jihad. His latest book is The Critical Qur’an. Follow him on Twitter here. Like him on Facebook here.