KENOSHA, WISCONSIN – AUGUST 27: A message is painted on the boarded-up door to a business in the city’s business district on August 27, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Activists have been marching in Kenosha protesting the shooting of Jacob Blake who was shot seven times in the back in front of his three children by a police officer.
Warm up
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Script
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.”
5. 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.
6. “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.”
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. “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.”
10. 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.”
11. In his comments, the Democratic presidential candidate also called on President Trump to condemn all types of violence unconditionally.
12. 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.”
13. 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.
Discussion
1. How is this situation reported in the Japanese News? How much do you know about the recent riots, particularly this one?
2. How do you think these protests will effect the upcoming elections in America??
3.
What changes if any do you think will need to be made for the protests to stop in America?
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