“Rittenhouse’s defense has made a strong case… The prosecutors argue that Rittenhouse provoked Rosenbaum and thus should lose his self-defense privilege. They claim a blurry drone video depicts Rittenhouse pointing his rifle at Ziminski right before the initial chase, an illegal act that in turn provoked Rosenbaum. (The defense counters that, if you interpret the video that way, Rittenhouse is aiming the gun left-handed, when in fact he’s right-handed.)…

“To prove provocation under Wisconsin law, however, prosecutors have to show either that (a) Rittenhouse provoked someone with the intent of using the provoked behavior as an excuse to shoot them, of which there is no evidence; or (b) that he did something unlawful to provoke an attack and then subsequently failed to retreat to the extent possible before using lethal force…  

“The fact that Rittenhouse ran away from Rosenbaum, fired only when Rosenbaum closed in, and ran away from the later mob as well before falling down, is solid evidence against that theory, even if we assume that Rittenhouse in fact pointed the gun as alleged. The prosecution had to argue, basically, that Rittenhouse should have done a better job of running away.”
Robert VerBruggen, National Review

“Fearing violence, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers sent the National Guard in to Kenosha in advance of the jury verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse case. Wise enough — except that, if he’d had the guard out in force as soon as the riots started last year, there probably wouldn’t be a trial now. That is: If Kenosha hadn’t descended into chaos, the chances of such a deadly encounter ever happening would have been much diminished…

“When rioting starts to break out — whatever the cause and whether or not it sprang out of peaceful and legitimate protest — every authority’s only proper response is to shut it down, fast. That holds every bit as much for Kenosha on Aug. 25, 2020, as it does for DC on Jan. 6, 2021. There’s no excuse for the leaders in Portland, Minneapolis or Kenosha, who surrendered their cities to the mob. Because riots make it all too likely that people will be killed, and certain that innocents will be harmed.”
Editorial Board, New York Post

“Here’s the thing: The alternative to police is not social workers. It is not, in the long run, violence run wild, either. It is vigilantes and lynch mobs. Before we had professional police, there was always some form of state-sanctioned arm of the law. When the proper authorities fail to keep order, private citizens will one way or another take the law in their own hands…

“That’s what happened in California in the 1850s with the first ‘Vigilance Committees.’ It happened in the Wild West. It’s why Bernie Goetz carried a gun on the subway. It’s why Korean businessmen took up arms to defend their stores in the 1992 Los Angeles riots. It will always happen when government fails at its first duty…

“If you don’t want more Kyle Rittenhouses taking it upon themselves to hold back the forces of anarchy and ruin, you have to have responsible law enforcement ready and willing to do it. The people most upset at Rittenhouse are the ones who would put more of him on the streets.”
Dan McLaughlin, National Review