Did you read the whole article?
continued......
This process focuses on justifying punishment for offenders who have been convicted beyond reasonable doubt, but uninformed juries cannot make informed decisions.
This is not justice, and it does nothing for healing. The families of the victims, the communities, Kyle Rittenhouse, and so on … nothing about the process is intended to help them heal or find closure. Punitive justice serves a role, but there are other options. The verdict only affirms that the US remains committed to its long history of vigilantism, an ugly bloodlust embedded throughout the American mythology promoting white supremacy.
It is more complicated than that….for example, while the photo’s of Rittenhouse with the Proud Boys were not admissible, neither was any evidence on the backgrounds of the victims. Reason being it isn’t relevant to the case. The juries are given very strict parameters within which to come up with a verdict “beyond reasonable doubt” based on the facts presented by both sides. Whether or not he was white supremacist has no bearing on his actions that night and that is all the jury can and should consider in it’s verdict. I think when it comes to sentencing however, those things can be relevan.
The big issue, imo, is what happens next? What does Rittenhouse really feel? He has been coached to the nth degree, by his lawyers, so we don’t really know.
He is a kid, with a history of being bullied, called dumb, etc. He dropped out of school. He idolized the police, guns, and “law and order”. He bought a high powered gun because “it looked cool”. He made a remark when he saw shoplifters that he wished he had a gun with him. He wanted to be thought of as a medic, so saving lives and helping people also seemed important to him. He was 17. All of this matters because at 17, kids are dumb, impulse control is lacking and the brain is immature. He put himself into a situation he had no business being in, he lacked maturity, training, experience, and the adults around him allowed it.
Without going inside Kyle’s head, it is impossible to know what he really thinks. He is now idolized by the right, and “cool guys” like the proud boys….he is no longer “dumb, stupid Kyle”…he is suddenly a cool kid.
He decided to go and study nursing, maybe that is a restorative justice. I *think* the reality of killing people and the consequences he faced, shook him. He was turned down by the military…which is interesting. Maybe nursing is a form of restitution. Better to save lives than take lives.
But that is IF he is allowed to. The left is already clamoring that he be thrown out of college. I don’t agree with that. Leave him alone.
But the right is just as bad if not worse. They are turning him into a “hero”, solely because he killed two “leftists”. How warped is that? Rightwing politicians are using him. Trump is using him. They are offering money and jobs irrespective of ability or skills. They need to leave him alone.
Police are trained to handle volatile dangerous mobs, without killing. 17 yr old kids are not. Restorative justice imo, would allow Kyle to disappear and focus on the police and/or that allowed private militias in, and nothing to enforce the curfew. It would shine a spotlight on why we seem to idolize vigilantism and what might be the fall out from this trial. Maybe not enough was done about the Floyd riots. Despite the fact that the majority were peaceful, those that were not caused a lot of damage.
Is it season on protesters excusable as self defense? But there are so many contradictions here because if it is rightwing rioters, like Jan 6, they are patriots, and shooting in defense of our elected representatives is “murder“ of a “martyr”.
There will be fall out from this, and I think it will be ugly, in the guise of self defense until it goes to far and someone, who who doesn’t have a flawed past they can apart to justify tbe killing, is killed.
I despise vigilantism. It is people taking “justice” into their own hands and appointing themselves judge, jury, and executioner. Without accountability.
How can restorative justice address al this, because Rittenhouse is really just a pawn.