Kyle Rittenhouse speaks at Kent State after opposition from students, shooting survivor

As Kyle Rittenhouse took the stage Tuesday evening to talk about gun rights and the night he shot and killed two people in 2020, hundreds of protesters lined the streets and sidewalks outside Kent State University's student center in opposition to his presence.

While he argued that students should be allowed to carry guns into classrooms, some protesters said guns had no place on college campuses.

Despite the differences among the two sides, they agreed on one thing: the nation's governing bodies and college campuses are not doing enough to protect their students.

Leaving early: Watch Kyle Rittenhouse storm out of University of Memphis event amid questions

For Rittenhouse, safety means carrying firearms. For those like Kent State student Aimee Flores, safety is about protecting people without guns.

Turning Point USA, a conservative student group, invited Rittenhouse to speak at the university.

Rittenhouse made headlines when he shot three protesters, killing two, at a Black Lives Matter rally in Wisconsin in 2020. He was charged and acquitted during a 2021 trial.

Rittenhouse talks about 2020, argues for guns on campus

Talking to a crowd of over 300 people, Rittenhouse largely spoke about his experience the night of Aug. 24, 2020, when he shot and killed two men. He said he acted in self defense when both men attacked him as he provided first aid, scrubbed graffiti off a Kenosha business and protected the business.

Without his rifle to defend himself from a crowd he described as rioters who wanted to kill him, he said he would be dead.

"Imagine being 17 years old and being chased by an angry mob," he said. "It was terrifying."

Rittenhouse said people around the country need to defend themselves if they find themselves accosted, arguing that students should be able to carry firearms on campus to protect themselves.

"Young women are targets of sexual assault and kidnapping; these women aren't allowed to protect themselves," he said. "The university doesn't care. The politicians don't care."

Lauren Depasquale, a Kent State student, agreed with Rittenhouse after his speech.

"As a female, to have [Rittenhouse] speak to our struggles on campus, it's validating," she said. "I certainly would carry a gun if I could."

Her father, David Depasquale, took her to see Rittenhouse with her boyfriend, James Schmitt. They both said they would encourage her to carry a gun on campus for her safety.

Kent State currently prohibits "the possession, storage, or use of a deadly weapon by students, staff, faculty, third parties doing business with the university, and visitors is prohibited inside any university building, facility, or vehicle, that is owned, operated or leased by the university," according to its website.

Long lines, protesters seen outside Rittenhouse event

Hundreds gathered outside of Kent State University’s student center for the event. Many were waiting in a long line down the sidewalk with tickets to hear him speak, while others gathered on the other side of the building with signs objecting his presence on campus.

Siblings Nolan and Josie Gillihan of Cuyahoga Falls said they were curious to hear Rittenhouse’s perspective on the Black Lives Matter rally in Wisconsin and how it compares to the media’s coverage.

“It's interesting to see him here,” said Nolan. “Obviously, we weren’t there in Kenosha or any of that when it happened. So definitely the insight of what happened and everything like that and to hear his story, that’s why I’m here.”

Kent State University senior Lauren Goggins said she attended the event to take up space that fans of Rittenhouse were vying for. Goggins is a member of the Akron NACCP and Black United Students, a student-based political organization at Kent State.

“You know the saying, 'Common sense isn’t that common?'" she said. “Apparently in higher education, education is not that common. Because when you're on campus with so many resources and history of Black students and students of color, it's just sad and disheartening to see people be willingly ignorant and not seek out the resources that we have.”

Many of those in opposition to his visit were confused as to why Rittenhouse was permitted to speak at a campus given Kent State’s history of May 4, 1970, when members of the Ohio National Guard openly shot at students during a protest of the Vietnam War and killed four.

One of those in opposition was Kent State student Jadon Chidestar, who was on the side of the student center primarily inhabited by protesters.

“I don't understand exactly what he's accomplishing by getting there, especially since he was kicked out of the last university he went to,” he said, referring to Rittenhouse's visit to University of Memphis last month, when he left the stage after his views on racism were questioned. “It just seems like a fool's errand. What you could be doing here you could probably be doing [at] literally any other place with probably less hate for doing so. I think it’s not very smart in probably a few ways.”

Student organizations speak out against Rittenhouse, KSU administrators

Kent State students called on university administrators to stand with them at a press conference just hours before Rittenhouse took the stage.

For Dimaya Mayfield and other Black students who do not feel safe at the university, Rittenhouse's presence on campus added to that feeling of insecurity.

Nearly 97% of Black students said they were "extremely uncomfortable with his presence," said Mayfield, citing a report from Black United Students.

"The current climate of college campuses is making it harder for Black students to feel safe," she said. "The education and wellbeing of Black individuals is not being valued."

Paul Prediger, formerly known as Gaige Grosskreutz, the man who survived being shot by Rittenhouse, spoke at the press conference in one of his first appearances since changing his name in 2022.

"Kyle Rittenhouse has taken every moment to gloat and make light of taking life," Prediger said. "I stand with the students of Kent State University who have had enough."

Aciano Rosales said he was scared not just because Rittenhouse was on campus but also because of an ongoing culture of discrimination against Black, brown and trans students.

"My identity like this has been completely and utterly politicized," he said.

Many of those who spoke were part of multiple student organizations. Mayfield identified with the Black United Students and Ohio Student Association. Others present included organizations Spanish and Latine Student Association and United Students Against Sweatshops.

Petition opposed to Rittenhouse gets 3,000 signatures

A Change.org petition created by Kent students opposed to the speaking event had over 3,600 signatures.

The Rittenhouse event, the petition explained, is at odds with Kent State's history with the National Guard shootings.

"The decision to host an individual associated with such violence is not only insensitive to our community's past but also threatens to further divide us in these already tense times," the petition reads.

The petition urged Kent State University and Turning Point USA to reconsider the event.

Who is Kyle Rittenhouse?

Rittenhouse gained notoriety at the age of 17 when he shot and killed two demonstrators and injured a third in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as they protested the shooting of a Black man by a white police officer.

Acquittal: Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty on all counts of homicide, reckless endangerment

He arrived in the city with a semiautomatic rifle bought for him by a friend. At 17, he was too young to legally buy it. Rittenhouse claimed he came from Illinois to Kenosha to protect local businesses and serve as a medic.

After the deadly shooting, he faced five felony charges, including two counts of first-degree intentional homicide. Arguing self-defense in his trial, Rittenhouse was acquitted in 2021.

Kent State University responds to student backlash

Preventing Rittenhouse from speaking at Kent State would go against its core values of kindness, respect and freedom of speech, the university explained in a news release.

"We cannot ban speech because it would go against a core value and because of well-established laws governing free speech on public university campuses," the news release read. "Upholding the First Amendment rights of free speech and peaceful assembly for all, the university has a long history of allowing peaceful dialogue from all points of view, including those whom some may feel are offering different and/or sometimes controversial opinions"

The university encouraged its students to engage in an open and respectful dialogue.

"The safety of our community is the priority of Kent State’s Department of Public Safety, Police Services," KSU said. "Police Services is aware, monitors and assesses the safety of our community during campus events and responds accordingly."

Rittenhouse ushered off stage in Memphis

Rittenhouse has become a divisive figure, so when the University of Memphis' Turning Point USA chapter invited him to speak in March, he was met with stiff opposition.

Crowds of protesters lined the sidewalks and streets outside the venue, singing and chanting in opposition to the event.

After 30 minutes on stage, his appearance was short after being questioned by attendees. He was ushered off stage without a word to the audience, the Tennessean reported.

What is Turning Point USA?

The Kent chapter of Turning Point USA invited Rittenhouse to speak at their college campus.

Turning Point USA is a conservative nonprofit that advocates for conservative politics in schools ranging from high school to college and university campuses, according to the TPUSA website.

They often bring in speakers like Rittenhouse to talk about conservative talking points, sometimes sparking backlash.

Bryce Buyakie covers courts and public safety for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @bryce_buyakie.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kyle Rittenhouse gives speech at Kent State University after protests