Regardless of the strength or weakness of his self-defense claims, his $2 million bail is excessive. Bail is designed to ensure an arrested subject's appearance at trial, and has traditionally been directly proportional to the risk the subject poses to the public. Rittenhouse is now too well-known to be a serious flight risk, and there is very little evidence that he poses any risk to anyone who isn't attacking him. It is frightening to see the same groups who constantly demand that career violent felony offenders be released without bail screaming that this kid needs to remain in jail pending trial.
I am not trying to downplay the fact that Rittenhouse is being charged with two murders and a third shooting, but there is substantial evidence suggesting that his actions were a legitimate exercise of self-defense, and virtually no evidence to suggest that he poses a continuous risk to the public if he is released on bail. All Americans should be concerned when a fundamental right such as bail becomes weaponized for political purposes.