Kyle Rittenhouse, who made national news for killing two men during a Black Lives Matter protest and was later acquitted, is set to speak at Western Kentucky University on March 27 through WKU’s Turning Point USA chapter.
Black Lives Matter protests erupted in Kenosha, Wisconsin, following Jacob Blake being shot and wounded by a white police officer in August 2020. Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time, shot three men — two of whom died — using a semiautomatic AR-15 style rifle purchased for him by a friend. Rittenhouse had come from Illinois to Kenosha for the protests. He was acquitted in 2021 after he testified that he had acted in self defense.
“The Rittenhouse Recap” is part of a speaking tour hosted through Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative politics and has college chapters. Prior to speaking at WKU, Rittenhouse is slated to speak at University of Memphis on March 20 and recently spoke at East Tennessee State University.
WKU’s Turning Point USA chapter shared the event on their Instagram, which was met with positive and negative comments from students including: “is he bringing his assault rifle with him,” “Looking forward to it! Defending yourself is a basic right,” “Ashamed to be a Hilltopper today,” “Awesome,” “Lionizing murderers. This is what tpusa stands for. Disgusting.”
Jace Lux, university spokesperson, said this event is not affiliated with WKU.
“Since this event is not sponsored by WKU, I do not have any additional details to share,” Lux stated via email. “I encourage you to contact the event’s organizers with any questions. While the commitment to free speech will always remain a hallmark of the WKU experience and we will continue to allow our community members to invite guests to campus, that does not mean that the university supports, endorses or agrees with the views of those individuals.”
WKU Turning Point USA was reached out to via their Instagram profile, but did not respond in time for publication.
Rittenhouse will be speaking at WKU on March 27 at 7 p.m. in DSU Nite Class.
Engagement Editor Debra Murray can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on X @debramurrayy
