Wednesday | November 17th, 2021

It’s Wednesday, November 17th, and this is your Morning Wire. Listen to the full podcast:

1) Jury Deliberates In Kyle Rittenhouse Trial

The Topline: The jury in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial deliberated all day Tuesday while protesters gathered in Kenosha.

Quote Of The Day: “Ultimately it boils down to… this whole thing started because Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times…Everything like this seems to stem around racism and white supremacy, and nationalism, and patriotism.”

– Protester outside of the courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin

Photographer: Christian Monterrosa/Bloomberg/Contributor via Getty Images

Morning Wire On The Ground

The jury of seven women and five men were told by the judge to reconvene Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. They deliberated all day Tuesday with a short lunch break and requested the first few pages of jury instructions. 

Anti-Rittenhouse Protesters 

The vast majority of the protesters Morning Wire spoke to in Kenosha support the state’s case against Rittenhouse. Many said they feel this case is explicitly about race, claiming Rittenhouse is a clear example of white supremacy. 

At least one protester referenced a photo of Rittenhouse with “Proud Boy sympathizers,” although the prosecution was not able to link Rittenhouse to the Proud Boys, and he has denied association with the far-right group. Protesters also pointed to donations Rittenhouse received for his legal defense, which they say allowed him to obtain expensive counsel, claiming his race was a factor in the amount of donations he received. 

Though all of the men involved in the Rittenhouse case were white, many protesters pointed to the Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha as the reason the case was centered on race. 

Throughout the day, Black Lives Matter protesters were chanting the names “Anthony and Jo Jo” and “say their names” – a reference to Joseph Rosenbaum, the first man Rittenhouse shot, and Anthony Huber, the second man Rittenhouse shot. 

Pro-Rittenhouse Protesters

Activists supporting Rittenhouse claimed the charges brought against him were atypical in a case like this, adding how he has not been allowed a presumption of innocence in the court of public opinion or the media. They say this is due to Rittenhouse’s presumed political affiliation, and possibly due to him being white.

Many of them also focused on Rittenhouse’s right to self-defense, saying the video footage shows he shot Rosenbaum, Huber, and Grosskruetz after attempting to retreat, and only when harm was imminent.

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