Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Having watched the videos, it was plainly obvious that in each case, Rittenhouse was acting in self-defense. my understanding is that you can't claim self-defense if you initiated violence yourself. Threatening unarmed people with a gun, pointing it at them is a credible threat of violence that the people have the right to defend themselves from, and that is what they tried to do in particular by chasing that gun wi…
There are a lot more layers to the case than you would originally think. Like an obligation to flee if reasonable to do so etc. Legal Eagle on YT did a great breakdown of it all. It's not as simple as "can't claim self-defence if you initiated violence yourself".
Generally speaking, that's not the law in the US, and not recommended unless you're Usain Bolt.
For example, in California, the law is you do not have to retreat. Other states have "stand your ground" laws.
However, generally speaking, parties cannot flee and then return to fight. So the best legal approach is to continue the fight if you think you can incapacitate the attacker, then retreat and call police.
I watched the Kyle videos, and he did what was prudent and legal.
Actually, I've talked to several young people and they all think they can block the path of other people or act in an aggressive manner, and always act surpised when I tell them they will get knocked out if it continues. Their expression is like, "That can't possibly happen to me." If you watch the Kyle and 2020 BLM riots, you can tell the assailants don't realize the personal danger they're in when they run at a random stranger, who could be armed or trained to defend themselves.
An overweight woman on a bicycle attacked one of Larry Elder's bodyguards earlier this year. One shove and she would have fallen sideways hard on the pavement. Luckily for her, he was a trained bodyguard and was paid to move Larry along, not get involved in the crowd scene.