Rittenhouse Syndrome and the Story of White Vigilantes

by Synnika Alek-Chizoba Lofton / November 21st, 2021

Show up to the fight,
the protest,
the riot,
with an illegally obtained
gun (straw man),
but who cares?
17?
With an AR-15-TYPE-rifle?
White supremacy
has entanglements with US
government, protecting
an insecure culture.
He knows
the judge will come to
his rescue, to protect his Chaos tour
through Kenosha’s streets,
hoping to pull
a trigger,
maybe two,
or three, or whatever.
They will build him
a statue because celebrating
a shooter who travels
across state lines
to defend other
people’s property
is a Christ-like
value or a familiar
syndrome.

Synnika Alek-Chizoba Lofton is an award-winning performance poet, educator, and recording artist. He is the author of 17 books and more than 170 spoken word albums, Eps, singles, and digital downloads. Lofton teaches literature at Chesapeake Bay Academy and Composition and Public Speaking at Norfolk State University. Read other articles by Synnika Alek-Chizoba.

This article was posted on Sunday, November 21st, 2021 at 8:04am and is filed under Poetry.