The arrest of a man wandering down Main Street during a planned protest Saturday, March 15, is an abject lesson in why we shouldn’t jump to conclusions based on limited information.

The man, for whatever reason, decided to dance in traffic on Main Street in Butler.

Protesters did the right thing. They called the police for his safety.

The police did the right thing. They removed him from the situation.

But to a casual observer reading only a blurb or seeing a picture referenced on social media, incorrect assumptions could be made.

Was he among those protesting? Was he counterprotesting?

It’s a situation that could very easily be politicized. But it shouldn’t.

No one knows if he held a political position on what was going on. No one knows why he was disrupting traffic.

What we do know is he wasn’t with the protesters, so far as those organizing the protest are aware, or, as far as we know, a counterprotester.

It was likely a coincidence. Maybe he saw the crowd and got excited. Maybe he was making some sort of statement. But we cannot know without him telling us.

The stories and images associated with his arrest could make one think he was arrested in support of one side or the other. We caution you not to make that assumption.

As far as we know, he was a random passerby who made unwise decisions. Our article in the Monday, March 17, edition stressed that he was not someone making a statement for one side or the other.

In other words, withhold judgment on the situation — as we always should — until the facts are clear.

— JP