I have no other explanation for the fact that I have seen so many people vocalizing dismay re: this acquittal except that they just didn’t watch the trial proceedings and simply glommed onto the narrative.

He’s not calling for searching, candid discussion among people with diverse views. He’s presuming that the community is united in one collective view––and, what’s more, that the community is somehow united both in not knowing what to say and in knowing what to do about it! And what about professors and students who disagree that the verdict was unjust, or feel upset by inaccuracies in media coverage, or believe that Rittenhouse was a victim of prosecutorial misconduct, or worry that widespread criticism of the verdict is undermining the jury system?

Also: that the entire sequence of events occurred because one of the victims was mentally ill and couldn’t get his medication - thereby resulting in his violent and erratic behaviors - due to the fact that the Walgreens was closed due to the threat of violence from ongoing protests. Civil disobedience/protest is necessary and part of our freedom of speech, but participants need to open their eyes to the impacts that it has on the most vulnerable in the communities where they do it.