The judge presiding over the murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse has enraged observers after making a racially charged and inappropriate joke at the expense of Asian people inside the courtroom on Thursday.
“I hope the Asian food isn’t coming … isn’t on one of those boats from Long Beach Harbor,” Judge Bruce Schroeder said as the court was preparing to adjourn for lunch, evidently referring to the supply-chain backlog at the California port. But his comments were offensive and perceived as anti-Asian by some and as placing blame on Asian people for a catastrophic event happening worldwide.
“It harms our community and puts us in the crosshairs of microaggressions as well as actual physical violence,” said John Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC, according to CNN.
Yang said “it’s clear the judge doesn’t have cultural sensitivity,” adding that his remarks were meant to denigrate or minimize Asian Americans and “any Asian American that sees or hears his statement will understand that he is making fun of or mocking our community.”
Eric Feigl-Ding, a prominent public health scientist and Asian American immigrant, said the comment was racist and unnecessary. “He could have just said the lunch was late,” he tweeted.
CNN’s Don lemon also castigated the judge for bringing politics into the courtroom, saying: “It was only last week that a jaw in the same case was dismissed over a joke about the police shooting of Jacob flake case in point. Jokes have no place in or around the courtroom.”
Lemmon added: “Why is he bringing politics into it by talking about the supply chain?.. People are not stupid.”
Schroeder raised eyebrows after Wednesday’s dramatic proceedings, during which he angrily admonished the prosecution and at one point had to silence his cellphone after it played his ringtone, “God Bless the U.S.A.,” a song popular in conservative political circles that has been used as an entrance tune at Donald Trump rallies.
He also made headlines ahead of the trial when he enforced his longstanding rule that prosecutors could not refer to people as “victims” before the jury. They would, however, be permitted to call the people Rittenhouse shot “looters” or “arsonists,” he ruled.
Maybe I'm supposed to applaud him for not saying "Oriental food." Seriously, 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. https://t.co/TctwetwAPp
— John C. Yang (@johncyangdc) November 11, 2021
Racist, me thinks, the judge, is. Murder trial judge for #KyleRittenhouse says— ➡️ “I hope the Asian food isn’t coming on one of those boats from Long Beach Harbor”. 🔥 What a complete joke and circus this #KyleRittenhouseTrial now is. pic.twitter.com/2kXYN6wZ6s
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) November 11, 2021
