When Kyle Rittenhouse’s legs gave when when the jury’s verdicts were read out on 19th November 2021, I made a decision to put down my opinions about the case onto paper.
Although I’m a long way from Kenosha and an outsider, I’m still entitled to an opinion, even if the only person interested in it, is myself 😉
When people take to the streets in America, people often take to the streets in my homeland, the United Kingdom and that’s one of the reasons why I watched the trial closely. I love America and I love the American people: the U.S. and the U.K. has a special bond. When the U.S. is attacked, we’re the first to stand side by side with our ally and without condition. We are the definition of brothers in arms.
What started as me just wanting to express myself has grown into a considerable project. I initially wanted to throw some opinions down on paper and publish something in December but the way things are going, it looks like my book won’t be finished until May at the earliest and that’s because I opted to visit Kenosha in late April for a couple of weeks.
A leading U.S. defense attorney that has offered to help me with my project said that what I was doing was “interesting and ambitious” and “maybe even a bit crazy.” I completely agree with that! Flying from Madrid, Spain to Chicago to spend a couple of weeks in the U.S. purely to visit an area that I’ve only seen on the news for negative reasons is certainly the most bizarre thing I’ve ever done in my life, but hey ho, everything happens for a reason, right?!
The one thing this attorney said that resonated with me was that I “might bring a fresh perspective” to the table and that has always been my intention. Maybe, just maybe, someone wants to know what an outsider thinks about the U.S. when it comes to politics and the media. One thing I’ve learnt over the last couple of months about some of the big media, political and showbiz personalities in the U.S. is that they are only interested in their own opinions. They won’t listen to their opposite numbers and they will certainly never listen to a peasant like me, but to fix things, even if you hate your political foes, sometimes maybe you have to be willing to listen? Constantly shouting at each other and slagging each other off just for the point of doing so, is why so many places burn to the ground all over the world and why so many ordinary people like Kyle Rittenhouse get caught up in the nonsense caused by others.
As well as the attorney I refer to, I have managed to make plans to meet up with a couple of key individuals involved in the Rittenhouse case. I have spoken to the real people of Kenosha, the sensible ones, those who just want a quiet life without any drama. As a result, I now plan to write a lot more about the Kenosha unrest and Kenosha itself than I originally anticipated. The people there have been so kind and helpful to me. I hope that I will leave Kenosha wanting to return. I also hope that I can portray Kenosha in a more positive light than what the media has in recent years. I feel like I owe it to the kind people of Kenosha to do my best for them. Admittedly my audience is a limited one, but I’d rather read something authentic and limited than something manufactured on a huge scale by the media.
I have made it no secret of my support for Kyle Rittenhouse but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to just gush with praise. I’m not caught up in the political divide in the U.S. so I can form my own opinions without been biased by default. Don’t get me wrong, I oppose those who burn down buildings and who scream in your face, but that doesn’t mean that I just want to discredit everyone who may have different opinions to myself. I see no reason to criticise Kyle. I believe he acted in self-defense, but that doesn’t mean that I enjoy seeing people lose their lives and I think Kyle would be the first to agree with me on that – even if said people were not the greatest of characters. I am willing to listen to everyone’s views.
I have received some huge offers of help from people in Kenosha. Already I am armed with information that I think will offer some good insight, which isn’t out there yet. People have placed their trust in me, a nobody, an outsider, and I think this will make the book interesting to a handful of people at least! However, I am not a professional writer so I also feel a little overwhelmed with everything. But, if there’s no targets, what have I got to lose? I won’t make any money from the book and that is not my intention anyway. If you are genuine about something you do it for the love of it and not for reward. A few of my friends who know nothing about Kyle and his case have already said they will buy the book so that’s a good thing, right: awareness.
Not everyone has offered to help me, though. I have been rejected by someone in officialdom in Kenosha, even though I just wanted them to tell me about the city that they represent. It shouldn’t just be up to the ordinary, good people of Kenosha to tell me about their city. I just thought they might fancy a coffee with someone who’s visiting from a long way away. They didn’t want to. Maybe they’re a little paranoid, who knows. Although elected to represent the people of Kenosha, they didn’t want to on this occasion. That’s fine, though. I’m cool with that, instead I will write about them without their input.
To me, the only people that count in Kenosha are the ordinary people that don’t want to harm anyone else. They are the true representatives of what appears to be a great city. I am excited beyond belief to have spoken to some of them and I am so excited about visiting in April.
Yes, I may have bitten off more than I can chew. After all, this is just some random guy’s thoughts, and an outsider at that. It was supposed to be a side project, an interest, a little expression. It’s now become a big deal to me, but maybe this is an experience that I can learn from while promoting Kenosha for the right reasons.