It was the other way round for the Rittenhouse case. (I watched the entire stream. So for once, I can say I know about the case). Bringing their integrity into the conversation was a hail-mary play for conviction by the prosecutor, because they suspected they'd lose.
The Rittenhouse trial had gone from a cut-n-dry innocence case to one that was attempting to make his trial appear as if it was a hate crime. The prosecutors actively tried to make Rittenhouse look like an out-for-blood killer, the victims look like the nicest people alive and make it appear impossible that the victims could've threatened his life (despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary).
It makes complete sense for the defense to counter accusations of bad character with the same when trying to establish plausible threat from the rioters. This was a white-on-white crime, and I still don't understand why the left chose this case as their 'systemic racism' hill-to-die-on.
> mere suggestion that the system is inherently racist
It isn't the mere suggestion is it? It is an active effort to defund and abolish the police. The lasting legacy of the BLM protests was the murders seen in emancipated-zones (CHAZ) and the massive spike in homicides following police defunding. The BLM movement was an ideological package, and I can see why someone would reject the combo-deal even if they agreed with certain aspects of it.
Just because I agree with the general direction of the identified problems, doesn't mean I agree with the solution.
Kyle Rittenhouse's trial occurred alongside Ahmaud Arbery's, and his white killers were sentenced to life in prison by a grand jury of eight white people, three black people and one hispanic person. As long as we are looking at anecdotes, there are plenty on either sides, making grand claims rather hard to substantiate.
___________
The American police system has a problem. It ties into the availability of guns, astronomical gun homicide numbers [1] and the general atmosphere of fear in this nation. I am certain that stereotypes amounting to racism are a part of the greater victimization of black men in 2022 America and that every unarmed killing by police is a tragedy. But, both those issues are nowhere close to the biggest problems in American law enforcement.
Its hyper amplification plays into the current political polarization of the US, such that the only acceptable & amplified opinions are ones on the fringes. It reminds me of Germany's Greens banning all nuclear power in their scorched-earth approach towards imperfect renewables; and that leading to greater CO2 emissions and Russian willingness to invade Ukraine.
Unless American society is willing to accept that their opponents come from a place of good-faith, they will never be able to work towards a mutual-compromise solution. In my experience, those are the only solutions that work in a democracy.
Agreed,
> with an acquittal
Disagree.
It was the other way round for the Rittenhouse case. (I watched the entire stream. So for once, I can say I know about the case). Bringing their integrity into the conversation was a hail-mary play for conviction by the prosecutor, because they suspected they'd lose.
The Rittenhouse trial had gone from a cut-n-dry innocence case to one that was attempting to make his trial appear as if it was a hate crime. The prosecutors actively tried to make Rittenhouse look like an out-for-blood killer, the victims look like the nicest people alive and make it appear impossible that the victims could've threatened his life (despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary).
It makes complete sense for the defense to counter accusations of bad character with the same when trying to establish plausible threat from the rioters. This was a white-on-white crime, and I still don't understand why the left chose this case as their 'systemic racism' hill-to-die-on.
> mere suggestion that the system is inherently racist
It isn't the mere suggestion is it? It is an active effort to defund and abolish the police. The lasting legacy of the BLM protests was the murders seen in emancipated-zones (CHAZ) and the massive spike in homicides following police defunding. The BLM movement was an ideological package, and I can see why someone would reject the combo-deal even if they agreed with certain aspects of it.
Just because I agree with the general direction of the identified problems, doesn't mean I agree with the solution.
Kyle Rittenhouse's trial occurred alongside Ahmaud Arbery's, and his white killers were sentenced to life in prison by a grand jury of eight white people, three black people and one hispanic person. As long as we are looking at anecdotes, there are plenty on either sides, making grand claims rather hard to substantiate.
___________
The American police system has a problem. It ties into the availability of guns, astronomical gun homicide numbers [1] and the general atmosphere of fear in this nation. I am certain that stereotypes amounting to racism are a part of the greater victimization of black men in 2022 America and that every unarmed killing by police is a tragedy. But, both those issues are nowhere close to the biggest problems in American law enforcement.
Its hyper amplification plays into the current political polarization of the US, such that the only acceptable & amplified opinions are ones on the fringes. It reminds me of Germany's Greens banning all nuclear power in their scorched-earth approach towards imperfect renewables; and that leading to greater CO2 emissions and Russian willingness to invade Ukraine.
Unless American society is willing to accept that their opponents come from a place of good-faith, they will never be able to work towards a mutual-compromise solution. In my experience, those are the only solutions that work in a democracy.
[1] https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(15)01030-X/pdf#:~:...(