Actor Hits Back After He Comes Under Fire for Helping Bail Out Kyle Rittenhouse
Despite abuse flying his way on social media, actor Ricky Schroder said Tuesday that he is proud to have helped bail Kyle Rittenhouse out of jail.
Rittenhouse faces two counts of murder and other charges stemming from a chaotic night when rioting filled the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, after the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
The 17-year-old posted his $2 million bail last week. Prior to that, Rittenhouse had been confined in the Kenosha County Jail.
Lin Wood, who has helped organize a defense for Rittenhouse, included a photo of Schroder in a tweet last week after Rittenhouse was freed. Wood said MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell contributed to the fund to defend and release Rittenhouse, as did numerous other individuals.
FREE AT LAST!!!
From L to R:
Attorney John Pierce @CaliKidJMP
THE KYLE RITTENHOUSE
Actor Ricky Schroder @rickyschroder13
Thank you, All Donors.
Thank you, All Patriots.
Thank God Almighty.#FightBack pic.twitter.com/37Ly66itT8— Lin Wood (@LLinWood) November 21, 2020
Waves of anger and hatred soon washed over Schroder, with people on social media calling him a “white supremacist,” a “racist” and a “Nazi loving POS.”
It got to the point where he huddled with law enforcement to weigh whether any might be potential threats on his life, according to TMZ.
“When people talk about coming to my home is when they get my attention,” the actor said in an interview with the New York Post.
The TMZ report said Schroder put up $150,000 toward Rittenhouse’s bail. He told the Post his contribution was in the “hundreds of thousands” of dollars.
Schroder, best known for starring as a child in “Silver Spoons” and his adult roles in “NYPD Blue” and “Lonesome Dove,” said he is investing in the cause of freedom by helping Rittenhouse.
“It made me mad,” he told the Post. “This boy is innocent and he will be proven innocent. I did what any father should’ve done, and that’s get a kid out of jail that doesn’t deserve to be there.”
“He wasn’t there to stop the protests,” Schroder said. “He was there to defend property from chaos.”
The actor said he knows all about trial by media from a 2019 incident in which he was accused of punching his girlfriend in a case where charges were later dropped.
“It sucked because everybody thought I was a woman beater, and I’m not a woman beater,” Schroder said. “I was tried and convicted in the court of the media.
“But you have to understand, that’s only my reputation that was being destroyed,” he continued. “This was Kyle’s life being destroyed. This is his freedom at risk. It infuriated me to see an innocent 17-year-old young man being tried and found guilty before trial.”
Schroder said his donation to the bail fund was only a first step.
“I’m in this in the long haul for this kid, until his name’s cleared,” he said. “This is a clear case of self-defense.”
This Thanksgiving I’m grateful for the 2nd Amendment. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms protects ALL our other rights & freedoms. Understand now? https://t.co/YNTjB8CUTo
— Ricky Schroder (@rickyschroder13) November 25, 2020
Rittenhouse’s attorneys have said he acted in self-defense.
The 17-year-old has said he was in Kenosha the night of the riots to defend private property and to offer aid to those injured during the violence.
“After Kyle finished his work that day as a community lifeguard in Kenosha, he wanted to help clean up some of the damage, so he and a friend went to the local public high school to remove graffiti by rioters,” his attorneys from the law firm of Pierce Bainbridge said in a statement published by Spectrum News.
“Later in the day, they received information about a call for help from a local business owner, whose downtown Kenosha auto dealership was largely destroyed by mob violence. The business owner needed help to protect what he had left of his life’s work, including two nearby mechanic’s shops.
“Kyle and a friend armed themselves with rifles due to the deadly violence gripping Kenosha and many other American cities, and headed to the business premises. The weapons were in Wisconsin and never crossed state lines.”
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