War of Words or an Arms Race – What Matters?
Peaceful protest or unlawful riot? Demonstration or anarchy? Hero, villain or victim? Vigilante or domestic terrorist? Self-defense, protection or agitation?
These battling narratives are labels used to help the public frame what is happening to our country. My fear, however, is that a war of words is quickly being replaced by an escalation in the arms race as guns play an ever-increasing role in the “gatherings” we now see every night.
Perhaps people feel the need to arm themselves out of fear, and that plays as justification on both sides of the debate.
The latest was Portland, Oregan where a man was shot and killed. A photo showed the man wearing a hat with a ‘Patriot Prayer’ logo. The group is labeled as far-right by the Southern Poverty Law Center. It is not clear if that had anything to do with the shooting.
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Before I explore the “guns at the ‘gatherings'” issue, I would like to point out something in regard to the Kenosha shootings. The two men that were killed, Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, along with the one person that was wounded, Gaige Grosskreutz, all have prior criminal behavior that may be relevant.
As far as the shooter – Kyle Rittenhouse’s past and records, if he even has any, is a little more challenging because he is a minor.
If you have not seen it, here is the criminal complaint against Rittenhouse: Rittenhouse-Criminal Complaint
Analysis of the complaint by a criminal defense attorney is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMmCAbJT6U0
Three and possibly all four of the men involved in the shooting incident – Kyle Rittenhouse, Joseph Rosenbaum and Gaige Grosskreutz – were not even originally from Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Rosenbaum, the first man killed in the shooting, was from Waco, Texas, according to his Facebook profile, and spent some time in Arizona – much of it due to being incarcerated. He was engaged to be married to someone in Kenosha and started working at Wendy’s in Kenosha late last year.
Grosskreutz, the man wounded in the arm, was from West Allis, Wisconsin which is about 45 minutes away from Kenosha.
Rittenhouse, the shooter, was from Antioch, Illinois which is about 30 minutes away from Kenosha. Anthony Huber appears to be the only one involved that had lived in Kenosha for quite some time.
Anthony Huber, who was the second individual shot, was living in Silver Lake Wisconsin, about a 30 minute drive from Kenosha.
The point of this is that the “gatherings/demonstrations/riots” attracted people with some vested interest. Further, the incidents that subsequently ensued involved a subset of the people gathering at these events. Are they a representative sampling of the participants as a whole, or just representative of a sample of people with a propensity to engage with others where the rubber meets the road?
If they are a random sampling, then the issue of their criminal past proves interesting.
Stated another way – if these people are a representative sampling of all of the protesters/rioters/demonstrators, then why is there such a high percentage with violent criminal backgrounds? Some have suggested that agitators are being recruited and even bused in from outside the community. Then again, it could be that this small sampling is not representative of the larger community. It would be a huge coincidence, however.
KYLE RITTENHOUSE
There has been much made about Rittenhouse and his support for the police. Some have labeled him a policeman wannabe. He is 17 y/o and often a passion comes out in an odd way, but that doesn’t make him a radical. Maybe with the proper adult supervision, he could get himself into the proper physical and mental shape and be properly trained in the discipline of becoming a police officer.
I’m not defending Kyle, per see, it is just some of the portrayals on some news articles seem to be an overreach to try to make him out to be either a White Supremacist or far-right whack job.
On the other hand – consider this, if Rittenhouse is just simply an odd, immature kid with some rough edges, and people are propping him up as some kind of hero, how will those same people feel should Rittenhouse takes a bad turn in a few years based on this form of “celebrity.” Be careful who you idolize. The same goes for actors and sports figures.
We can’t check criminal records for Rittenhouse due to him being a minor.
JOSEPH “JoJo” DON ROSENBAUM
Joseph Rosenbaum was a registered sex offender for sexual misconduct with a minor. He appears to have served time in prison. In prison, he was charged with arson, disobedience, possession and manufacturing a weapon, assault with a weapon, possession of drugs or narcotics, assault on staff, etc. The dates of these infractions range from 2003-2010 so it is suspected that he was incarcerated for the charge of sexual misconduct with a minor in 2002. This is just an educated guess but that charge seems to stand out. He was also charged with child molestation but he may have pled down to a lesser charge of sexual misconduct.
Rosenbaum was a registered sex offender in Arizona and appeared to register when he moved to Wisconsin, which is what would be required of him to do upon changing his state of residence.
ARRESTS / CRIMINAL RECORDS (NOTE: There may be some overlap of same incidents with arrest dates, court dates and lesser charges filed in plea)
- Sexual Conduct with a Minor / Dangerous Crimes Against Children (2002); Sexual Crimes/Dangerous Crimes Against Children (2002); Molestation of Child (2002); NOT SPECIFIED BY STATE (2002); NOT SPECIFIED BY STATE (2003); NOT SPECIFIED BY STATE (2010); Interf Monitor Device (2014); NOT SPECIFIED BY STATE (2014)
INFRACTIONS WHILE INCARCERATED:
- Staff Obstruction (2003); Not in Auth Area (2005); Refusal to Work (2006); Give/Recieve Tattoo (2006); Assault with Weapon (2007); Poss/Manufact Weapon (2008); Disrespect (2008); Disobeying Order (2008); Possession of Contraband (2008); Tampering (2008); Tampering with Security (2009); Disobey Verbal/Writt (2009); Possession 0f Drugs/Narcotics (2009); Arson (2009); Assault on Staff W/B (2009); Obstructing Staff (2010); Assault on Staff (2010)
Rosenbaum’s criminal past is listed above because he strikes me as a troubled man, prone to anger and has a propensity toward violence as evidenced by his criminal charges.
In the following video, Rosenbaum is seen as challenging one or all of the people holding rifles to shoot him. At one time, someone points to Rosenbaum and asks for somebody to control him.
As a side note, Rosenbaum is seen holding a bag at the start of the video. Later on, he must have dropped it since he is seen picking up the bag and continued to hold it. It’s not clear if this is Rosenbaum’s bag or he picked up an abandoned bag. It is reasonable to consider this is the same bag he threw at Rittenhouse (shooter) later as Rosenbaum chased him. Some had suggested it was a Molotov Cocktail but this conjecture may have been influenced by the poor video and perhaps the likelihood of the plastic fluttering in the wind when it was thrown.
In the video, the bag appears to hold a bottle of water or some other bottled drink or liquid.
ANTHONY MICHAEL HUBER
As mentioned above, Huber was the only one that seemed to be a long time Kenosha resident. It has been reported, however, that he lived in Silver Lake Wisconsin which is a 30 minute drive to Kenosha. Like several others, Huber has past criminal charges that suggest violence such as battery and strangulation.
ARRESTS / CRIMINAL RECORDS (NOTE: There may be some overlap of same incidents with arrest dates, court dates and lesser charges filed in plea)
- Battery (no date); Vandalism (no date); Underage Drinking Possess/Consume (2102); Battery (2012); Strangulation & Suffocation (no date); Disorderly Conduct (no date); Vandalism (2012); Disorderly Conduct – See 947.01(1) (no date); Underage Drinking Possess/Consume (no date); P&P Hold – Felony (Probation Hold – Felony | no date); Battery (2012); Disorderly Conduct – See 947.01(1) (2012); P&P Hold – Felony (Probation Hold – Felony | 2012) P&P Hold – Felony (Probation Hold | no date); P&P Hold – Felony (Probation Hold – Felony, Revocation Ord & Warrent | no date); Disorderly Conduct (no date); Underage Drinking Possess/Consume (no date); Disorderly Conduct – See 947.01(1) | Guilty Plea (2018); Battery – Dismissed on Prosecutor’s Motion (2018); 2nd Degree – Recklessly Endangering Safety – Charge Dismissed but Read In (2013); Strangulation & Suffocation – Domestic Abuse – Felony | Guilty Plea (Charges Filed: 12/07/2012 Disposition Date: 03/13/2013); False Imprisonment – Domestic Abuse; Use of a Dangerous Weapon – Guilty due to Guilty Plea (2012); Battery – Domestic Abuse-Use of a Dangerous Weapon – Felony | Charge Dismissed but Read In (Charges Filed: 12/07/2012 Disposition Date: 03/13/2013); Vandalism | Time to Pay (Case Date: 12/07/2012 Disposition Date: 01/30/2013); Underage Drinking Possess/Consume | Time to Pay (Case Date: 12/07/2012 Disposition Date: 01/30/2013); Disorderly Conduct | Time to Pay (Case Date: 12/07/2012 Disposition Date: 01/30/2013); Battery | Combined with Charge 1 (Case Date: 12/07/2012 Disposition Date: 01/30/2013); Strangulation & Suffocation (2016); Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – Guilty/No Contest Plea (2015)
NOTE: To emphasize the point made above – many of these are overlapping arrests, charges and court appearances while the legal system wrestled with appropriate charges and sentencing. When no disposition is listed, there may not have been a conviction. The listing above was an attempt to be all inclusive vs. a false padding of events to make an overall appearance worse than it is. However, there is a tendency toward violent behavior and that should come through.
Here is Huber standing alone at the “peaceful rally/gathering/protest/demonstration,” and then he stands behind what appears to be a clearly agitated Rosenbaum.
GAIGE PAUL GROSSKREUTZ
ARRESTS / CRIMINAL RECORDS (NOTE: There may be some overlap of same incidents with arrest dates, court dates and lesser charges filed in plea)
- Loud Noises – No disposition provided (2019); Obedience to Officers – No disposition provided (2019); Go Armed with Firearm while Intoxicated – Guilty Plea – Misdemeanor (2017); Operating While Suspended – Guilty Plea (2015); Burglary – Building or Dwelling – Felony – Deferred Prosecution or Sentence (2013); Criminal Trespass to Dwelling – Misdemeanor (2013); Theft-Movable Property+Less Than or Equal to $2500 – Guilty Plea (2013); Probation Violation (2013)
Journalist Andy Ngo claims that he found Grosskreutz is a member of the People’s Revolution Movement of Milwaukee, a social justice group.
SUMMARY
Most would probably agree that all of these men should not have been there that evening in Kenosha. When you place individuals that feel passionate about making a difference in a highly volatile situation, the worst is bound to happen. Almost all lives were ruined including the families.
A huge irony is that none of these men seem to be able to possess a firearm legally – by age or as a result of a criminal conviction. It was reported that Rosenbaum was trying to take Rittenhouse’s weapon away from him and if he had succeeded, he would be in violation of the law due to his felony conviction.
Although the legal wrangling may be beneficial to all of us as interesting questions are answered, there is sure to be more of this as fear of being on the wrong side of a weapon may drive people to obtain one.
Why can’t people register to legally protest or peacefully assemble? As in – get a permit? Would this create more of a police state that people are protesting against?
I find it interesting, and telling, that all of these individuals have violent backgrounds. As stated, I don’t know much about Kyle Rittenhouse.
I don’t know for sure but I would guess that not many people out on the street at these “gatherings” are engineers, medical doctors, architects, or bankers. It seems like they are people willing to fill a void and speak with unrest rather than dialogue.
So… I said all of the above to ask this simple question:
QUESTION: Why are these individuals the foot soldiers in the battle for America’s soul?
ANSWER: Because we let them be. They are filling a void that was left when our leaders abandoned respectable dialog or cannot effectively communicate effective messages.
Category: "Teh Stoopid", Politics
