Kyle Rittenhouse's Judge Accused Of Making 'Racist' Joke In Court Following Donald Trump Ringtone Fiasco
Nov. 12 2021, Published 2:32 p.m. ET
Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder is continuing to cause controversy while presiding over the double homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, the then-17-year-old Blue Lives Matter activist from Antioch, Illinois, who fatally shot two Black Lives Matter protestors and injured a third in Wisconsin last fall.
"I hope the Asian food isn't...on one of those boats from Long Beach Harbor," Schroeder joked during what appeared to be a lunch break, seemingly referencing the queues of boats – which are primarily from Asia – waiting to dock at Long Beach Harbor, which have exacerbated the supply-chain crunch across the United States.
"All I can say is, Ugh. Old racist stereotypes die hard," said Mae Ngai, a Colombia University professor who specializes in Asian-American studies, according to The Daily Mail.
John Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, explained, "It harms our community and puts us in the crosshairs of micro aggressions as well as actual physical violence. Maybe I'm supposed to applaud him for not saying 'Oriental food.'"
"Seriously," he went on, "this remark can only be seen as a joke at the expense of Asians/Asian Americans. During a trial that clearly has race implications, no less. Definitely not okay. This is a great illustration of how Asian Americans are not immune from racial bias and discrimination in our criminal justice system,' Yang said.
Eric Feigl-Ding, a health economist and fellow at the Federation of American Scientists, flat-out said the comment made him see the judge as "racist."
"What a complete joke and circus this #KyleRittenhouseTrial now is," he remarked. "And yes it is RACIST. The boats in the harbor are majority boats from Asia. And he said Asian food - which further connects the Asian boats. It's racist c'mon."
And according to civil rights activist DeRay Mckesson, "It's pretty clear that this man should not be the judge of anything."
Schroeder has faced backlash in this trial and in others for singling out witnesses who have served in the Unites States Armed Forces.
In fact, the man who was about to testify in support of Rittenhouse's defense got public praise from the judge, who ordered the courtroom to applaud him.
Steven Wright, a professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Law, cautions that that kind of behavior risks making certain witnesses seem more credible in the eyes of jurors.