Again trial White men are accused of waging justice with their own hands for the murder of a Black man.
A civilian The trial sought to make the organizers pay after a Nazi protest turned deadly.
And, finally, there’s the long-awaited leniency for a Black man convicted of murdering a white man in a carjacking where racial prejudice may have played a role. conviction.
Each case is unique, but together they weave a calculated era on issues of race and justice — something that’s happening nationally and this week, especially in Wisconsin, Georgia , Virginia and Oklahoma.
Kyle Rittenhouse, who joined a vigilante mob, was acquitted of all charges.
Friday’s acquittal was organized by gun rights activists and appalled Black Lives Matter advocates.
As much as it is about gun rights as it is about race, the Rittenhouse case shows that juries are willing to rely on self-defense statements — at least when a white teen breaks the relevant stance.
Rittenhouse was chased by protesters, one of whom threw a bag at him. Rittenhouse opened fire.
“I did nothing wrong. I defended myself,” he said in tearful testimony. Prosecutors used drone video to argue that Rittenhouse provoked the confrontation with his gun.
Rittenhouse has become a hero to some gun rights activists. Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz said he could give the 18-year-old an internship if he is acquitted.
Ahmaud Arbery: Can armed white men in a pickup truck rely on a ‘citizen arrest’ claim to kill an unarmed black jogger?
Arbery’s family said he was out jogging when he was shot and killed. Defense attorneys argued that their client was attempting to make an arrest of Arbery, a lawful citizen, and that Travis McMichael shot Arbery in self-defense as they wrestled with Travis’ pistol.
Three white men are on trial – Gregory McMichael, his son Travis, and William Bryan, who recorded the pursuit and shooting of Arbery.
Whether the men could fear for their lives as they took up arms and chased another man in their pickup truck, is perhaps a legal question.
Charlottesville: Are the organizers responsible for the deadly ‘Right Solidarity’ rally?
The protest was organized to protest against a plan to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. It led to violence and the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer when James Fields, one of the Unite the Right protesters, rammed a car through a crowd of protesters.
Julius Jones: A black man pardoned from the death penalty. There are questions about his guilt.
Jones has famous supporters in Kim Kardashian, a reality TV star and a sentencing reform activist, and Baker Mayfield, the NFL quarterback who was a star at the University of Oklahoma.
In his clemency petition, Jones cited, among other things, racial prejudice in his jury.
What’s next?
There isn’t a single “a-ha” theme that ties all four of these cases together. And there are others that could be included, including Thursday’s pardon of two men jailed for killing civil rights icon Malcolm X.
The juries in active trials heard evidence about different people. There has been some justice for the murders in Charlottesville, but the ugly reality of white nationalism is a stain on the country.
And in Oklahoma, there is a simple question of guilt pervading a system that treats people very differently because of their race.
All judgments may vary. The problems won’t go away anytime soon.
This story was updated with additional developments on Friday.
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