Kenosha Is More Than Tragic. It’s A Trap — And An Opportunity

Kenosha, Wisconsin is simmering as the latest hotspot in America’s ongoing battle against police misconduct, violent protests, and dangerous vigilantism. Yet more than the tragic outburst of police violence that took the life of Jacob Blake and the apparent pro-police vigilantism that took the lives of two others, the situation in Kenosha is being used by President Trump and others to lay a trap — one that could have fatal consequences for not only more Americans, but for America itself.

Yet Kenosha is also an opportunity – a moment for our country to finally declare what kind of nation it wants to be at this perilous moment in American history.

The trap being laid by the President and his allies is nothing new. In fact, it is the epitome of his approach to moments of national trauma. The strategy is simple: express outrage at protestors while hedging the criticism of hateful and violent protagonists. By cautiously avoiding condemning avowed racists and anti-Semites, and refusing to castigate those who use violence to attack peaceful protestors, Trump tries to distract his opponents by attempting to blur the line of protests and hooliganism. In the end, he endorses both tactics, but only when it serves his agenda, infuriates his adversaries, and gaslights America about the need for more “law and order.” 

A case in point occurred on Monday when, during a press conference, Trump was asked if he condemned the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old accused of using an assault rifle in the shooting deaths of Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum last week. Dismissing the question, Trump instead defended Rittenhouse by mischaracterizing the incident that led to the killings.

“That was an interesting situation, you saw the same tape that I saw,” Trump said. “[Rittenhouse] was trying to get away from them, I guess, looks like, and he fell and then they very violently attacked him and it was something we’re looking at right now and it’s under investigation.” Trump added, “I guess he was in very big trouble— he probably would have been killed.”

Therein lies the trap: a half-truth, coupled with an evasive answer and a castigation of the victims rather than the perpetrator, is classic Trump. It is the trap he wants his critics to fall for – debating the statement he makes, and not the substance of the matter at hand.

In contrast, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden waded into the debate with a clear statement of where he stands, and where he believes Americans should stand.

“We have to stand against violence in every form it takes,” Biden said during a speech in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Monday. “We’ve seen again and again and again, unwarranted police shooting. Excessive force. Seven bullets in the back of Jacob Blake, a knee on the neck of George Floyd, the killing of Breonna Taylor in her own apartment.”

Biden also addressed the violent protests gripping the nation, specifically calling out “extremists and opportunists” and “right wing-militias.” “Rioting is not protesting, looting is not protesting, setting fires is not protesting,” Biden stated. “None of this is protesting. It’s lawlessness, plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecuted. Violence will not bring change, it will only bring destruction.”

In his comments, the Democratic presidential candidate also called on President Trump to condemn all types of violence unconditionally. 

Yet on Tuesday, in a visit to Kenosha, President Trump refused to do so. The President declined to acknowledge systemic racism is a factor in police violence, instead claiming it is only the actions of a few “bad apples.” During a roundtable with law enforcement officials, Trump lashed out at protestors, blaming them for “anti-police and anti-American riots,” without addressing the violence of which Rittenhouse is accused. In doing so, Trump dug the hole of division even deeper.

So, amidst this painful tragedy and cynical trap, where is the opportunity?

Unlike other cities that that faced a tumultuous summer of protests with blurry battle lines, in Kenosha there is a powerful clarity of what is at stake as the nation teeters towards even more social conflict. The deadly consequences of police violence, the deadly result of highly armed vigilantism, and the crude exploitation of fear and anger are all abundantly apparent in Kenosha. What isn’t apparent is who will stand up and finally say “enough is enough.” 

And that is the opportunity – for the Americans to look at Kenosha not just as an inevitable sequence of incidents, but the last, perilous warning to a nation tired of conflict. Kenosha is a calling out to calm the growing flames of division and the gaslighting of everyday citizens who know that proper policing and peaceful protesting are possible, not only independently, but together as well. Perhaps we don’t just need presidential candidates to condemn violence, but we need the nation as a whole to take that pledge. Perhaps a call for all Americans to take a Kenosha pledge to refute violence may finally spur us to look in the mirror at what we, as a nation, are becoming — and commit to change course, before it’s too late.

Yes, if we fall for the trap being laid, it is hard to imagine Kenosha is the last blaze of a smoldering 2020. But if level-headed Americans seize this moment, to learn and to lead, then perhaps Kenosha is the beginning of something different — something that will heal, not harden, America.

That’s not a trap.  That’s an opportunity.

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