PolitiFact Deception About Judicial Double Standards

A Revolver article clearly describes the double standards that American whites face when accused of a crime. Comparing the Kyle Rittenhouse case with the Timothy Simpkins case:

by Scott Greer

A school shooter wounded three people in a rampage at an Arlington, Texas, high school Wednesday. He spent a grand total of one day in jail before he was released on a $75,000 bond Thursday. Media outlets are sympathetically portraying him as a victim of bullying and amplifying his family’s defense. This may shock some readers. Who could be worse than a school shooter? Aren’t we supposed to keep these young monsters locked up so they don’t hurt any more kids?

But there’s something different about this school shooter from the ones you usually hear about on the news. Timothy Simpkins, the 18-year-old shooter is black. In the Globalist American Empire, that awards him privilege. No white school shooter could’ve expected such a generous treatment…

Simpkins’s defense claims he used a gun in self-defense. He allegedly grabbed a gun after the fight and unloaded it in the school. One of his victims is a 25-year-old white teacher who was shot in the back as he tried to break up the fight. He suffered a collapsed lung and broken ribs. Another victim is a 15-year-old male who remains in critical condition.

This sounds pretty indefensible, but Simpkins’s family and lawyer make the case anyway.

“I’m not trying to justify the gun that was brought, but when you’re being bullied, when there’s bullies, throughout this nation you hear of young people … committing suicide,” said family spokeswoman Carol Harrison-Lafayette. “The decision he made, taking the gun, we’re not justifying that. That was not right. But he was trying to protect himself…”

No white family could’ve gotten away with these public statements if their child did a mass shooting. They would’ve received a flood of online harassment and media denunciations. You’re not supposed to claim your kid, who just shot several people, is a lovely boy who did it to protect himself. But that rule apparently doesn’t apply to black school shooters.

It’s noteworthy the family turned to a civil rights attorney to defend Simpkins over a school shooting. Did systemic racism somehow drive him to go on a shooting spree? It’s also noteworthy that she implies this wasn’t a typical school shooting, but it actually resembles the typical mass shooting. Most mass shooters are black, according to a 2016 New York Times report, and the vast majority of them are not the work of some deranged loner murdering people at random. They’re mostly gang-related or the result of brawls—as was the case for Simpkins.

There are cases of whites who resorted to a gun to defend themselves against actual threats. Unlike Mr. Simpkins, they got the book thrown at them. Kyle Rittenhouse was hit with murder charges and a $2 million bail after he gunned down three men who attacked him during the Kenosha riot last year. You can face censorship on major tech platforms for daring to show support for that young man. Meanwhile, several people are openly supporting Simpkins on Twitter, even though there is far less evidence to support his act of violence.

The author of this piece, Mr. Scott Greer, makes a solid case that we have a two-tiered “justice system” in the United States, with a clear bias against white suspects (all else being equal; money still talks).

Along comes PolitiFact, a self-described “fact-checking” site whose motto is:

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.

It turns out that the truth is NOT their primary agenda. Regarding the comparison between Rittenhouse and Simpkins, PolitiFact has this to say:

Comparison of shootings omits key difference: 2 were killed in Rittenhouse case

Wide difference in jail and bail 

The jail and bail details have been widely reported.

Simpkins was released from the Tarrant County jail in Fort Worth on Oct. 7, 2021, the day after the school shooting, after paying a $75,000 bond. His case is pending, with a court date scheduled for Dec. 10, 2021.

Rittenhouse was released from the Kenosha County jail on Nov. 20, 2020, on $2 million bail. He had been in custody since surrendering to police in his hometown of Antioch, Ill., on Aug. 26, 2020, the day after the Kenosha shooting. The jury in his trial on homicide charges began deliberations on Nov. 16, 2021…

Wide differences in outcomes of shootings

Simpkins is charged with three counts of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Simpkins, 18, was involved in a fight with a 15-year-old student at his high school in Arlington, which is between Dallas and Fort Worth, on Oct. 6, 2021, according to an arrest warrant and news reports. The incident left four people hurt, including three wounded by gunfire.

During the fight, Simpkins fired shots from a handgun, according to police. He turned himself in later that day after police said he was wanted for the shooting.

One teacher was injured from a fall. Three people were wounded, two seriously: the 15-year-old who was in the fight with Simpkins, who was released from a hospital after several surgeries about two weeks later, and a teacher who was hospitalized for about a week.

News reports initially linked the shooting to Simpkins being bullied at school, but the police chief later said bullying was not a factor.

It’s not clear to me how the differences in jail and bond (or bail) help PolitiFact’s case; if anything, these differences highlight the harsher treatment that Rittenhouse received, compared to Simpkins. Simpkins was in jail for one day before his release. Rittenhouse was in jail for almost three months before his release. Both suspects had turned themselves in to the police after the incident, and neither posed a flight risk. Rittenhouse tried to turn himself in IMMEDIATELY after the shooting, while Simpkins only did so later – AFTER HAVING FLED THE SCENE. So we see that Rittenhouse was more cooperative, but received harsher treatment.

The way PolitiFact describes the Simpkins injuries is slightly suspect. It gives the distinct impression that it’s trying to minimize the injuries suffered by Simpkins’ victims – because it should have pointed out that the 15 year-old shooting victim was in critical condition. Instead, it merely states that he “was released from the hospital after several surgeries about two weeks later.”

The PolitiFact article concludes with its most important distinction:

Rittenhouse is charged with four felonies, including two homicide charges.

Rittenhouse, then 17, traveled across state lines from his home in Antioch, Ill., about 20 miles to Kenosha, site of violent protests over a police shooting days earlier. He was armed with an AR-15, and on a self-described mission to protect property. During a confrontation, he shot three people, killing two.

Charged with four felonies and one misdemeanor weapons charge, Rittenhouse said that he shot in self-defense. 

If convicted of the most serious charge, first-degree intentional homicide in one of the shootings, Rittenhouse would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

It points out that Rittenhouse actually KILLED two people, and that he faced much more serious charges than Simpkins.

Regarding the charges, this begs the question. Why was Rittenhouse charged with weapons violations to begin with? In fact, as we saw from the trial, he hadn’t violated ANY weapons laws at all! As for Simpkins, why was he NOT charged with any weapons violations? It was clearly illegal for Simpkins to carry a gun, especially on school grounds. PolitiFact is actually bolstering the case for a double-standard by bringing up the charges.

Timothy Simpkins clearly violated Texas gun laws, yet he was only charged with aggravated assault. Kyle Rittenhouse did NOT violate any weapons laws, and yet he was charged with weapons violations. A clear double standard.

Rittenhouse was in mortal danger, and being attacked with deadly weapons when he shot his assailants. This was evident from video footage at the trial. In contrast, Simpkins was attacked only with fists; it’s unclear whether he fired his weapon during, or after, the beating.

So while it’s true that the Rittenhouse case involved actual deaths, those deaths were of men who posed imminent danger to Rittenhouse’s life, as became clear during the trial. Self-defense is not “murder.”

The most disturbing statement in the PolitiFacts article is this one:

Rittenhouse, then 17, traveled across state lines from his home in Antioch, Ill., about 20 miles to Kenosha, site of violent protests over a police shooting days earlier. He was armed with an AR-15, and on a self-described mission to protect property. During a confrontation, he shot three people, killing two.

The implication is that Rittenhouse violated a law by traveling across state lines – and that, somehow, the fact that he traveled 20 miles makes it worse. Conveniently, PolitiFact omits the fact that Rittenhouse had good reason to be in Kenosha, and that “protecting property” is a worthy endeavor, considering the fact that the government had neglected its responsibility to do so.

Worse of all is PolitiFact’s implication that Rittenhouse had illegally transported an AR-15 across state lines. Of course, the article doesn’t say so explicitly, but it cunningly uses wording to IMPLY so, while carefully leaving room for plausible deniability. If PolitiFact’s intentions were not to mislead, then why bring up “crossing state lines” at all? It’s completely irrelevant.

Another difference between the two cases is that Rittenhouse was legally a minor when the incident occurred. He was only 17. In contrast, Simpkins was 18, and legally an adult in Texas. Therefore, Rittenhouse should have been treated more leniently than Simpkins – and yet exactly the opposite is what happened.

Shame on PolitiFact; the truth is clearly NOT their priority.