I was on a jury a few years ago in an assault with a deadly weapon/attempted murder case. We had the weapon, the victim testified, and VIDEO EVIDENCE of the entire event, and we still got a mistrial because several people, rightfully, considered the video tape to not support an assault case. There was 'reasonable doubt' that the defendant, who was wielding the knife, was acting in self defense despite my personal belief he was planning on murdering the individual. Several other jurors were also upset at the jury makeup (mostly white men, the defendant and the victim didn't speak english) and that it was brought to trial at all. In the end, I agreed with them. Even if a wrongful deed was done, after looking at all the evidence and listening to these two men speak through interpreters, I came to the conclusion that this was a waste of time and had the prosecution had any foresight, they'd have let the defense walk.
I bring this up because this was how I expected the Rittenhouse case to go. If there is ANY reasonable doubt, the defendant is going to go free- and probably should. Fuck the system, absolutely, but it is designed to create these exact outcomes out of benevolence. If there's anyone to be angry at, it's the Prosecution. They poorly argued their case and further proved that the case should not have been brought to trial if it was going to be this difficult to prove. Obviously, that wasn't an option- people deserve justice and to know the truth. It's just awful that, yet again, the unreasonable weapon wielder gets to walk away because we can't possibly prove their internal logic- but perhaps the judicial system needs to work this way. Or, at least in theory, it SHOULD work this way. Because we all know how the pendulum swings when it's not a white man in the defendant's seat.
I would have convicted that Hispanic man of attempted murder, and I was wrong. I would like to say I'd have done the same for Rittenhouse, but after that trial I don't know anymore. After considering the prosecution's arguments, I just don't know how we could have hoped for the jury to walk out of there with confidence that they made the right call- no matter what they chose.
