April 20, 2023

IT'S ALWAYS THE TRUMPISTS:

Grandson says Andrew Lester influenced by conservative media (JUDY L. THOMAS AND LUKE NOZICKA, Apr. 19th, 2023. Kansas City Star)


A grandson of the man charged with shooting a Black teen in Kansas City's Northland last week said he was "appalled" and "disgusted" at his grandfather's actions and is thankful Ralph Yarl is recovering.

"I was horrified. I thought it was terrible," Klint Ludwig said of his immediate reaction to hearing about the shooting of the 16-year-old. "It was inexcusable. It was wrong.

"I stand with Ralph, and really want his family to achieve justice for what happened to them. Their child or grandchild or nephew's life was fundamentally changed forever, over a mistake and someone being scared and fearful." [...]

Ludwig, who lives in the Kansas City area, told The Star on Wednesday that he also was disgusted at the way authorities handled the case.

He was critical of the way both police and the Clay County prosecutor conducted the initial investigation, releasing Lester and not charging him after he was first brought in.

"The only reason why he is now receiving charges and an investigation is being held was because of community outreach to bring attention to this," Ludwig said. "The response has been great. It's been amazing to see this solidarity and coming together as a community." [...]

Ludwig said he and his grandfather, who goes by the first name Dan, used to be very close.

"But in the last five or six years or so, I feel like we've lost touch," he said. "I've gotten older and gained my own political views, and he's become staunchly right-wing, further down the right-wing rabbit hole as far as doing the election-denying conspiracy stuff and COVID conspiracies and disinformation, fully buying into the Fox News, OAN kind of line. I feel like it's really further radicalized him in a lot of ways."

Ludwig said his grandfather had been immersed in "a 24-hour news cycle of fear and paranoia."

"And then the NRA pushing the 'stand your ground' stuff and that you have to defend your home," he said. "When I heard what happened, I was appalled and shocked that it transpired, but I didn't disbelieve that it was true. The second I heard it, I was like, 'Yeah, I could see him doing that.'"

Posted by at April 20, 2023 12:01 PM

  

« THE UNLIKABLE IN SEARCH OF THE DEPLORABLE: | Main | IT'S ALWAYS THE TRUMPISTS: »