Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty?

[weegiemum]

How? He shot 2 people dead in front of witnesses, but apparently it was "self defence"?

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/19/kyle-rittenhouse-verdict-kenosha-shooting?CMP=ShareiOSAppp_Other

@dreamingbohemian

Anyway I look forward to seeing what you all think when the men who lynched Ahmaud Arbery are also found not guilty. Because that is likely to happen as well.

Interested to hear what comparisons you're drawing between the 2 very different cases?

@dreamingbohemian: Yes, this is what I'm worried about. The case law suggests you can be a busybody, patrol your neighbourhood 'protecting' it with guns, can chase down 'suspicious' (black) people out for a jog, and then the second they try to grab your gun you can shoot them because that's an automatic threat. The bizarre outcome of this is that armed gangs with no legal authority can chase down and accost black people, question them, and shoot them if they don't comply or if they behave in a threatening way. I think the Trayvon Martin case, and now this case have set really bad precedents.

Please watch Kyle Rittenhouse the truth 11 minutes on YouTube. I have absolutely no sympathy for the 2 he shot dead and the one he severely injured. It’s time America stands up against those who loot, trash and burn down our communities.
I am along with millions of others are so happy with the just verdict, the case was just as important to the American public as KR himself.

@My3cents1 it’s irrelevant if these people have looted shops. It doesn’t equal killing them.

Is it ok for a terrorist to set off a bomb because one of the group has looted or trashed somewhere?

I can’t believe how many people are actually acting like him killing people was a good thing. What the hell is this world coming to!

I really couldn’t lose sleep over him killing someone like Rosenbaum, to be honest. Good riddance.

Yes people are trying to stop you from shooting people.

Yes they are but if you are that person are you going to be thinking & acting rationally? Are you sure they will stop you without potentially hurting or killing you?

He had a massive gun he could have easily just pointed it at them and threatened to shoot them

You are talking split seconds and instinctive reactions. I'm not saying it's right but that is the consequence of guns. People react first & then think, add guns into that & outcomes are often devastating.

I don't think anything about this case can be described as a good thing. The whole thing was an ugly horrible mess.
Nevertheless it was the correct verdict.

I understand you're all mums, you're not from the UK, you see this crying young man and feel bad for him, but for god's sake please don't fall for this guy's bullshit narrative.

Why would you even make such lazy assumptions? We're all mums and not from the UK? How can you possibly know that?

It might be crazy to chase after an active shooter, but remember the NRA has said things like 'the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun',

Yeah, I don't agree with the NRA about anything. I certainly don't agree with the idea of stopping of bad guy with a gun is to use a good guy. Isn't this why they argue for more guns in schools to stop shooters? It's a no from me.

Once everyone is armed, and the shooting starts, everyone becomes an active threat and it becomes automatically justifiable to shoot them.

Exactly, it's ridiculous

Exactly @WeeBisom

It's still insane that George Zimmerman got away with murder, celebrated by the same people now celebrating Rittenhouse

Don't be naive

Seriously, you think a white supremacist organisation would be lead by a black man. I think I'm being logical. I seem to recall his first wife was black. He has explicitly said he rejects white supremacy and racism. Can a black person be a white supremacist? As I said they are deeply unpleasant (an understatement) but better to accuse them based on evidence rather than emotion. They are ultra nationalists (and extreme misogynists) but that is not the same as white supremacists.

but if it was a young black man who had shot 2 white men would they have been afforded the same?

I think in most circumstances no a black man wouldn't be afforded the same.

@mathanxiety

Really glad I'm not in Kenosha tonight.

In my opinion, if you go to a place where there are protests, carrying a weapon, you are looking for trouble, and if you do get into trouble, you should be asked what you thought you'd end up doing with the gun.

A further question would be whether property is worth a life.

Also, who asked you to go there and bring your gun?

Agree with this, not sure it was murder but there should be some consequence to this… like in the U.K. when people are prosecuted for carrying knives even if they don’t end up using them.

@ChardonnaysPetDragon

I understand you're all mums, you're not from the UK, you see this crying young man and feel bad for him, but for god's sake please don't fall for this guy's bullshit narrative.

Why would you even make such lazy assumptions? We're all mums and not from the UK? How can you possibly know that?

My apologies, I was typing too quickly

I meant to say you're not from the US

I assume most of you are not from the US, am I wrong?

There is a lot of context to these events that I think is not obvious if you're not from the US. The same way I wouldn't expect Americans to fully understand the context for any crimes committed in the UK.

You are talking split seconds and instinctive reactions. I'm not saying it's right but that is the consequence of guns. People react first & then think, add guns into that & outcomes are often devastating.

I agree but that’s why he shouldn’t have been there carrying around a massive gun. In the video he shoot at a couple of other people but missed.

It’s the reason why we don’t just have a charge for murder but we have 1st degree, 2nd degree, manslaughter with diminished responsibility etc as it’s not always black and white. I didn’t expect him to get the highest sentence anyway especially due to his age. But I thought he would have got a couple of months at least.

Yes people are trying to stop you from shooting people.

He was running toward the police to tell the about the first shooting. 100% of people who did not attack him that night did not get shot. He was hardly running around spraying bullets everywhere.

Agree with this, not sure it was murder but there should be some consequence to this… like in the U.K. when people are prosecuted for carrying knives even if they don’t end up using them.

But in the U.K. you can't carry knives for self defence & carrying certain knifes is illegal.

Good grief. Yes the ppl who got shot challenged KR, but they only did so because he was carrying a semi-automatic gun, at a demonstration.

He had no business being there that night with a weapon, he was 17 and even according to barmy US laws he wasn't entitled to that thing. He was a reckless fool and it was his recklessness that led to the deaths. It was manslaughter at least.

Though the ppl who most need to be on trial were the grownups who called on fb for ppl to turn up with guns and then didn't even send this obviously out of his depth kid home. And where the f**k were his parents?

@weegiemum

I've watched the footage and didn't think it was very cut and dried. But I think we all see things differently and that's why it took the jury 3 days.

The judge was a joke though.

I don't want things to kick off. I honestly didn't think my view was that controversial. Clearly I'm not very good at reading the room.

No you are so right

Fcking disgrace

White supremacy

What a shock

Agree with this, not sure it was murder but there should be some consequence to this… like in the U.K. when people are prosecuted for carrying knives even if they don’t end up using them.

I’m the state it is illegal for any person under 18 to carry a gun and they’ll get a prison sentence for doing so.
His charges for this were dropped as the barrel of the gun was too long 🙄

He should have got the gun charges at least.
How many teens are now going to carry large guns around knowing that they won’t get charged for it.

Completely ridiculous verdict OP.

Let's see a young black man try the same thing

Not even that, it's more the fact that you assume that everyone here is a mum and what's more, you address everyone as a mum because that's what matters most about someone? I realise this is all a bit of a side argument to the whole thread, but It's a bit tired and lazy as an assumption.

I live in the US.
I wasn't surprised that Rittenhouse was acquitted and didn't think it was a particularly strong case against him given the way self defense laws are constructed in Wisconsin.
In Illinois (the state he and his mum live in) I think the result would have been different, because many of local laws are different.

In the USA some people are talking without understanding all the circumstances, where he lived is very close to where he shot people and his dad lived there.

We actually spend a lot of time in that area and people cross the state line just to buy petrol because it is cheaper. It is very close and easy.

That said the whole thing was mess and any black kid trying to behave the same way would be dead.

I agree but that’s why he shouldn’t have been there carrying around a massive gun. In the video he shoot at a couple of other people but missed.

But legally he wasn't breaking any laws was he? And the size of his gun isn't relevant as it was still legal I believe?

It’s the reason why we don’t just have a charge for murder but we have 1st degree, 2nd degree, manslaughter with diminished responsibility etc as it’s not always black and white.

I think with guns & the resistance to changing laws means you always going to have these grey areas.

@Livpool

Completely ridiculous verdict OP.

Let's see a young black man try the same thing

But wouldn't you want fair trials for all rather than someone convicted wrongly to prove a point? Surely we should hope for better and not for things to drop down to the same level.

Let's see a young black man try the same thing

I don't really understand this point. Yes I believe it's unlikely that a black man would have been acquitted because of racism. But I'm not sure how finding Kyle guilty helps racism.