Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager accused of shooting two protestors at a protest for Jacob Blake was released on Friday. Jacob Blake, the man who the protests were for, was shot in the back seven times by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. As a result of this, he was paralyzed from the waist down and experienced excruciating pain, even saying “Every 24 hours its pain- nothing but pain.” Protestors took to the streets following this incident and on August 25, Kyle Rittenhouse brought a gun to these protests and allegedly shot Anthony Huber, Joseph Rosenbaum, and Gaige Grosskreutz, killing Huber and Rosenbaum. On the record, Kyle Rittenhouse expressed, “I felt I had to protect myself…I would have died that night if I didn’t.” Rittenhouse also claims that he shot in self-defense and originally went to the protest in hopes of protecting local businesses. 

Shortly after events unfolded, Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested and charged with six felonies including two counts of first-degree intentional homicide. Since the protest, there have been a wide variety of judgments made about the teenager with some considering him a hero as he tried to protect the city from destruction, and others considering him a “trigger-happy white supremacist.” Since the incident, sympathizers with Kyle Rittenhouse and his family have donated to help pay for Kyle Rittenhouse’s release and on Friday he was released after donors helped him and his family afford Kyle Rittenhouse’s two million dollar bail. On Twitter, Lin Wood, Kyle Rittenhouse’s attorney thanked those who donated to Kyle’s bail, naming some with larger contributors, including Ricky Schroder (“Silver Spoons” child actor), Mike Lindell (founder of MyPillow), and Fight Back (a fund founded by Lin Wood, a Rittenhouse attorney, dedicated to defending constitutional rights). As of right now, Kyle Rittenhouse’s family has also received $105,000 for their living expenses. Rittenhouse is currently awaiting what will likely be a highly publicized trial.