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The Free Press
Progressives Have Been Obsessing Over the Wrong Trial
Progressives Have Been Obsessing Over the Wrong Trial
A mural depicting Ahmaud Arbery on July 17, 2020 in Brunswick, Georgia. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
If they wanted to prove the existence of systemic racism, they should have focused on Ahmaud Arbery, not Kyle Rittenhouse.
By Lara Bazelon
11.22.21 — Culture and Ideas
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The Free Press
The Free Press
Progressives Have Been Obsessing Over the Wrong Trial

Progressive America has been obsessing over the wrong case. For weeks, activists and commentators have been laser focused on the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse in Kenosha, insisting that it illustrated systemic racism when all the players were white and the verdict turned on the application of Wisconsin’s permissive self-defense law. In doing so, the public …

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Lara Bazelon

Lara Bazelon is a trial lawyer and law professor. She fights for the underdog and writes about crime. Her second novel, THE ACCUSER, will be serialized on Substack.

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