Kyle Rittenhouse, the white, right-wing vigilante from Illinois who came to Kenosha, Wisconsin during the BLM protests and murdered two people and injured another, along with his family, have set up a website selling merchandise branded with their "FREE KYLE" logo. The proceeds from any sales is purportedly going to Rittenhouse's defense fund.
On the website FreeKyleUSA.com — which according to the site is owned and operated by the Rittenhouse family — those interested can purchase a Free Kyle trucker hat for $24.99, a Free Kyle “women’s relaxed T-shirt” for $20.99 or Free Kyle logo stickers for $6. There are also sweatshirts, laptop sleeves, mugs and iPhone covers. The merchandise is being sold as part of fundraising efforts for the teenager’s defense.
In a statement on the site, Rittenhouse’s mother Wendy Rittenhouse thanks supporters and states “I alone control this website and Kyle’s defense fund” and states that the proceeds of the site, including donations, will go toward defending Rittenhouse at trial.
“We estimate Kyle’s defense costs for trial to be approximately $2 to $2.5 million and after turning over the $2 million dollar cash bail we are essentially starting at zero,” she states. The site states that the effort raised about $17,000 of the $2 million goal.
I, and may the gods forgive me, went to the website. Besides the usual t-shirts, hats and other paraphernalia, also comically had a bikini. I mean, what woman wouldn't want "Free Kyle" printed across their boobs and butt?
But the most outrageous part to me, was the site's explanation of why they were doing this. It reads, in part:
Kyle was notified of cars being intentionally lit on fire by a group of rioters bent on chaos. He responded to the area with a fire extinguisher, upsetting the violent mob. He was stalked and brutally attacked. Kyle was forced to defend his life.
Two of his attackers died and a third was wounded. In less than 48-hours, the Kenosha County District Attorney, without any meaningful investigation, charged Kyle with intentional homicide and other serious felonies – ignoring the clear video evidence of self-defense. If convicted, Kyle could spend the rest of his life in prison.
This is blatantly false. The lot owner said that he asked and invited no one to come onto his lot for protection. Rittenhouse and the others were clearly trespassing on the lot. Furthermore, raw video shows Rittenhouse systematically hunting down the protesters and shooting at them with a semi-automatic rifle, which had been illegally bought for him, using his stimulus money from earlier in the year. The friend who bought and stored the murder weapon for Rittenhouse is also facing criminal charges.
Author's note: I purposely did not include a link to their website because I did not want to boost their traffic. If the gentle reader is so inclined, they can easily find the link in the news article cited.
