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Bruce Schroeder, the judge who is overseeing the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, the man charged in the shooting deaths of two men and wounding of another in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has come under fire for making a racially-charged joke about Asian cuisine.
A clip of Schroeder making the joke has been viewed more than 2 million times as of Thursday evening.
You can watch it below.
#RittenhouseTrial Judge Bruce Schroeder breaks for lunch referencing the food that was ordered saying, “I hope the Asian food isn't coming.. isn't on one of those boats from Long Beach Harbor." pic.twitter.com/UakvcxbSO1
— Kyung Lah (@KyungLahCNN) November 11, 2021
Speaking ahead of a lunch break, Schroeder said:
"I hope the Asian food isn't coming … isn't on one of those boats in Long Beach Harbor."
The joke appeared to be a reference to the supply-chain backlog impacting California ports that has left boats standing idle for days.
The backlog is only the latest development amid a global supply-chain crisis, the result of COVID-19 disruptions paired with a boom in demand.
Last month, California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, issued an executive order to address supply-chain congestion at shipping ports in the state.
But Schroeder's joke did not land, and he has faced significant pushback from figures like John C. Yang, the executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), a group dedicated to protecting the civil, political, and human rights of the Asian American community.
Writing on Twitter, Yang said Schroeder's joke was inappropriate particularly since he is overseeing a trial "that clearly has race implications, no less."
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
Eric Feigl-Ding, an Asian American public health scientist who is currently a Senior Fellow at the Federation of American Scientists in Washington DC, called the joke "racist" because the majority of the boats ensnared in the supply-chain crisis are from Asia.
2) And yes it is RACIST. The boats in the harbor are majority boats from Asia. And he said Asian food - which further connects the Asian boats. It's racist c'mon.
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) November 11, 2021
Others have also condemned the joke and called for Schroeder to be removed from the bench.
Judge Bruce Schroeder's conduct has been baffling pretrial and now during the course of the trial. His latest antics included making an anti-Asian joke. Prosecution has made no efforts to make him recuse himself thus far. C'mon! They need to wake up or be replaced!
— Grand Master E - Blue Warrior Vax'd & Mask'd Up (@BlueGME) November 12, 2021
Judge Bruce Schroeder's lunch (Asian food) is not stuck at the Port of Long Beach. He is stuck in the 1950's and has consistently revealed himself to be an inept judge and a racist bigot. https://t.co/9sa5ROciBR
— SarahCA (@SarahBCalif) November 11, 2021
This Judge's political biases are on full display.
They should just declare a mistrial and remove Judge Bruce Schroeder.
His Asian comments and his many ridiculous rules have already damaged any kind equal justice under law.
— Olga 🇨🇦🇬🇷🇺🇸 (@okourgiantakis) November 12, 2021
Judge Bruce Schroeder's comments from today about the jury's lunch - Asian food - didn't go over so well it seems. #RittenhouseTrial https://t.co/2HGcPaA9Ey
— Andrew Havranek (@Andrew_Havranek) November 12, 2021
Judge Bruce Schroeder needs to be removed from the bench. His conduct is inappropriate for a judge. https://t.co/ZdXPjb9HCY
— Genesislinx (@Genesislinx1215) November 12, 2021
Love to see the judge of a contentious murder trial testing his tight five https://t.co/NG8RYJqH89
— Vinny Thomas (@vinn_ayy) November 12, 2021
The brain of judge Bruce Schroeder is shut.
His stupid joke about Asian food and favoritism of the pos murderer is absolute proof.
He must be taken to a house ASAP!
— luisb80🇺🇸🇲🇽🇧🇪🇩🇪 (@luisb80) November 12, 2021
Schroeder has faced accusations of bias in the Rittenhouse trial for sparring with prosecutors and providing commentary, behavior that has raised concerns from legal observers who have suggested it could be used by appelate attorneys as evidence that Schroeder is making a mistake.
Schroeder made headlines before the trial began for directing that the word "victims" not be used before the jury to refer to those killed or injured by Rittenhouse.
Rittenhouse is represented by high-profile legal and fundraising teams who have played down his actions during the Kenosha unrest, which took place after police officers shot and partially paralyzed Jacob Blake, a Black man.
Rittenhouse faces multiple criminal counts, including first-degree intentional homicide and attempted homicide.