More "largely peaceful" Portland protests

[Dill]

(08-28-2020, 05:32 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: And if you were to take all of that into account as a juror, then you would not be fulfilling your role as you should. The focus is on whether he reasonably felt imminent threat to life or great injury. How it will play in the media doesn't matter, or shouldn't, when it comes to our judicial system. How he got there with the gun doesn't matter for the homicide charges. He can be guilty for illegally carrying without being guilty of homicide.

Appreciate the response. I know what considerations the legal frame excludes. And how the incident plays in the media is not my concern here. 

How R, got there with the gun does matter, though, if we are trying to understand why these incidents occur--keep occuring.

Determing whether the 17-year-old was behaving reasonably under a homicide statute will not provide that understanding.

Were I a juror, I would ask for more clarification on the legal rationale for excluding actions/decisions by which a boy placed himself in a riot with a gun in a position to "reasonably" defend himself.  To me this looks like one of those issues that spurs challenges, changes and reframing of legal principles. That would be a legal research project, perhaps.