It's Time to Get Involved.

Relevance to Gen Z: Black Lives Matter protests have become an occurrence in daily life, triggering opposing groups and movements to respond. Such polarization has become so evident in daily life, impacting the culture of the U.S. currently, and for the foreseeable future. It is important to understand what such polarization looks like and how such beliefs are reflections of politics and society. 

Michael M. Karmo and Cody E. Smith were each charged with illegally possessing a cache of weapons. These two men are members of the 417 Second Amendment Militia who traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin to "see for themselves" what was happening at the Black Lives Matter protests taking place in the aftermath of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed black man. 

Karmo and Smith were roommates, each a member of the pro-law enforcement group. The pair, who traveled to Kenosha from Missouri to observe the protests, went to a "Make America Great Again" rally and planned to "take action" in Portland if the police were defunded, an action that some Black Lives Matter protesters cite as a means of reducing police brutality. They had in their hotel room, as discovered through an FBI search, an AR-15 rifle, a Mossberg 500 AB 12-Gauge shotgun, handguns, ammunition, a silencer, body armor, a dagger, and more, according to prosecutors. Karmo and Smith both have criminal records and obtained the firearms and ammunition illegally. Their possible conviction carries 10 years each as a maximum sentence.  

- Molly Alexander

Source: CNN