Like it or not - black or white - the jury got this one right.
I know the acquittal of George Zimmerman - in the death of Trayvon Martin - over the weekend sparked fury on social media and protests in American streets, but in the end our justice system worked. The six jurors, people who know way more about the case than me, you or anybody else on the planet, decided that prosecutors didn't prove the charge of second-degree murder.
I'll admit, the verdict is almost as surprising as July high temperatures in the 70s or
one man catching four foul balls at a baseball game. On Friday in
Whitt's End I wrote:
I'm not saying his actions didn't lead to the death of Trayvon Martin, but I am saying there's no way George Zimmerman is found guilty of second-degree murder. Too many shadows of too many doubts for him to be guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
I expected a charge of manslaughter, but ultimately the case was ridiculously flimsy.
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Prosecutors couldn't even prove that Zimmerman was the aggressor in the Feb. 26, 2012 encounter in which the self-appointed neighborhood watchman shot and killed the unarmed 17-year-old in Sanford, Florida. Martin was armed only with a hoodie and a pack of Skittles, but he did tell a friend on the phone that he was being followed by a "creepy-ass cracker." Zimmerman, meanwhile, alerted police that he was following a "punk" who "looks like he's up to no good" and then ignored their advice to remain in his truck.
No denying that had Zimmerman followed that directive, Martin would be alive today. And for that reason, I'm sympathetic to the outrage among blacks and the 200 protesters who held a rally/vigil for Martin on the steps of Dallas City Hall Sunday night.
But when the only witness to the confrontation is Zimmerman and neighbors couldn't decipher which man was screaming for help, the advantage goes to the living. Zimmerman claimed Martin punched him and threw him to the ground. Zimmerman had injuries to the back of his head. And expert testimony during the trial indicated that Martin was on top of Zimmerman when he was shot. Throw in Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law and, voila, Zimmerman is a free man.
He is not, however, a white man.
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I know that irritates the folks whose forced, flawed narrative oozes Zimmerman being a white, racist vigilante that profiled, stalked and unjustly killed an unarmed black teen. But Zimmerman is, in fact, a Latino with brown skin, a white father, a mother from Peru and a Jewish last name. On his voter registration card, he checks "Hispanic."
This isn't Black vs. White. But it certainly is another speed bump on the road to navigating America's racial DNA. And a reminder that, at our core, we're all homers for our own race. Admit it. You root for your
team, sometimes irrationally and with an irresponsible disregard for the facts. Or fairness.
Some whites despise President Obama, just because he's black. Some blacks wanted a guilty verdict for Zimmerman, just because he's "white." And we all know how race blurred the facts in the O.J. Simpson trial.
But, sorry, sometimes our justice system can be legally justified without being morally quenching. The jury - six women, five of them white - determined Zimmerman's fate on the facts, not his face.
We're also reminded in the wake of the verdict that some athletes are physically blessed and ... yeah, physically blessed. Their athletic gifts should in no way move us to admire their intellect or morals or anything other than, well, their athletic gifts.
Tweeted Atlanta Falcons' receiver Roddy White:
All them jurors should go home tonight and kill themselves for letting a grown man get away with killing a kid.
From the New York Giants' Victor Cruz:
Zimmerman doesn't last a year til the hood catches up to him.
From Cincinnati Bengals' linebacker James Harrison:
Think I'll go pick a fight and get my ass kicked then pull a gun and kill somebody and see if I can get away ...
And from Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins:
America justice system is a joke.
If you trust the justice system to find a man guilty, you must also trust it when it finds a man not guilty. Because if you wanted a particular verdict over a fair verdict, then you're part of the problem.
That was very well said. It was about nothing to the jurors but the crime itself. It was legal. The rest was just mess. I am so glad you said what you did about athletes because so many kids look to these guys for everything. This is why I say every athlete is not a mentor or role model other than just his athletic talent. Great article Richie! Love and miss you....Kelley
ReplyDeleteInnocent is Innocent so you can not fault GZ for walking = that does not mean GZ is an angel or forgiven or moral or even ethical
DeleteBut innocent he is in the eyes of the law
If you want to cuss GZ go ahead especially if you disagree but threatening him will only lead to more unnecessary violence
I am sorry TM is dead but there are no circumstances under which an authority figure (renta cop) should ever be confronted
GZ carrying gun was legal - GZ following TM was legal
TM wanting to teach GZ a lesson was legal - but here we are
We need to be better Parents
THANK YOU! I have been wondering why everyone refers to TM as "the child" and yet no one had problem with him being out alone at night. Why has no one questioned the his mother for letting "a child" roam the streets free without supervision? Because they are right, he was still a child, and did not have the maturity and intellect to understand how some of his actions may have played out. That's why even at 17, you still have parents, who piss you off, make you follow rules you think are stupid. Everyone asks "can you imagine what would have happened if GZ had stayed in the truck?" well, I want to ask the mother, "can you imagine what would have happened if someone said - do you know where your teenager is and what he is doing?" A lot could have been avoided if people WERE parents, and not their kids friends.
DeleteLegal???? I think you've lost your mind!!! Too many shadows of too many doubts lead to a not guilty verdict, but you're sadly mistaken if you call it legal!! That's like saying what OJ did was legal!! He got off because the prosecution did the defense's job. As soon as the govt. witnesses corroborated the story Zimmerman told, it was over. HOWEVER, a person is dead because Zimmerman was anxious to be a big shot, pure and simple, and he SHOULD have been prosecuted for initiating a confrontation that led to a man's death. No reason to get out of the vehicle!! He got away with one, pure and simple!
DeleteRoaming the streets at night?? It was 7 pm! Good freaking grief. Every 17-year-old in America walks around their neighborhood at 7 pm. Please talk some sense.
DeleteAmazing that teams allow their players to use social media sometimes. It's a lense into the true feelings and (sometimes ignorant) views of who they are. I completely get that you may not agree with the verdict, but to add more violence to the conversation? Come on man! There's an actual FB page out there that is named Kill Zimmerman, crosshairs over his pic. I reported to FB and guess what? Here's what I got:
ReplyDelete"Thank you for taking the time to report something that you feel may violate our Community Standards. Reports like yours are an important part of making Facebook a safe and welcoming environment. We reviewed the page you reported for containing hate speech or symbols and found it doesn't violate our community standard on hate speech."
So, yeah.....thanks a lot Bin Laden
Well said. I know you lean left and it's good to see at least someone put politics aside and look at the facts. Martin's death is being shamefully used as a political football and nothing good will come out of this.
ReplyDeleteAnother example of what happens when trials are adjucated in the media. Between the "hoodie" pics from everyone to the marches held in cities all over America (before Zimmerman had even been CHARGED with a crime) everyone had made up their mind. The fact that the DA in Florida waited over 40 days to file charges should tell you something. Public pressure is the only reason charges were brought. This was a pretty flimsy case from the get-go but something had to be done to appease the "I am Trayvon" mobs. I wonder how many of the protesters on late Sat and Sun night were upset after the O.J. verdict?
ReplyDeletePretty strong right there.
DeleteGerald..I would imagine the same number of whites who thought OJ was guilty..
Delete@Anon....the difference being that I don't recall howling mobs of whites marching in the streets, closing roads and smashing store windows after the O.J. verdict. By the way...whites and blacks didn't THINK OJ was guilty, they KNEW it.
DeleteMe as an African American, don't think it is a black vs white thing. It is the stereotype of young, black, "thuggish" looking, boys. This stereotype it's shared among allot of different races. And I don't think it's fair. The boy had every right to be where he was. But he had to die. Good read though. You a right on the legal side of the story.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tony, appreciate the read. And you make a good point about the stereotype.
DeleteIt is only a stereo type if it is true - if TM was "high" or owned guns or was caught with womens jewelry he could not explain then it is not "profiling" its good instincts on Zimmerman's behalf
DeleteIf TM was an angel or 12 year old the majority of people would agree
you have to act like the man you want to be not the one you do not want to be treated like
The boy did not have the right to be there. He was a minor, as the prosecution kept pointing out.
DeleteSo minors can't go to the store? Minors can't confront someone that is following them? Gz's good instincts led to an unarmed minor's death. Lord be with you if you find that fair.
Deleteso if we're supposed to be fine with all verdicts, what about another controversial Florida jury acquittal: Casey Anthony?
ReplyDeleteA writer for the Guardian put it best:
ReplyDelete"Who screamed. Who was stronger. Who called whom what and when and why are all details to warm the heart of a cable news producer with 24 hours to fill. Strip them all away and the truth remains that Martin's heart would still be beating if Zimmerman had not chased him down and shot him."
The DA should have settled for charging Manslaughter from the beginning, and built his case around explaining how Zimmerman's reckless disregard for police instruction led to a confrontation that resulted in the death of Martin. Second degree murder requires malice, which is harder to prove, and by only tacking on Manslaughter as an option at the end, they left the jury confused and asking questions to which they did not really receive good answers. In published accounts, the jury sent out a message that read something like, "We have questions about the Manslaughter option." The judge replied, "Ask a specific question, that we can answer in writing, we cannot have a dialogue." and no further communication was reported.
Whatever it is, it certainly doesn't feel to me like either the Martin family or George Zimmerman received justice this weekend, I don't really blame the court as much as the prosecutors and police involved.
Good post. The prosecution certainly screwed up this case, and I agree should've gone for a manslaughter conviction from the beginning.
DeleteDitto.
DeleteIndeed. It certianly wasn't murder, but GZ should've never been in that position in the first place.
DeleteTM shouldn't have been there either. there were errors on both sides, and decisions by both sides that led to this. You can not paint TM as totally innocent here.
DeleteIt wasn't police instruction jack ass, a 911 operator- big difference. Zimmerman had a right to be there and follow Martin. Martin attacked, and got what was coming to him.
DeleteThe the part of the story that troubles me most is Zimmerman following this kid when he didn't have to. Because he looked "suspicious" (unfounded prejudice and paranoia) it is apparently fair game to follow and profile him. Zimmerman studied criminal justice and was a wannabe cop who had an aggressive tone ("They always get away") with the 911 dispatcher before following Martin.
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, maybe it wasn't white vs black, but it may as well been. This case became a cause for 2nd amendment supporters. A black man following and shooting a white kid wouldn't get the benefit of the doubt. A case's facts are sure easy to dispute when the dead guy can't tell his side of the story.
Since we now know TM was "high" at the time and had firearms & had been sent to live with father over behavior can you say it was Profiling or FACT?
DeleteCan you say GZ was right about the kind of kid TM was?
TM was strolling between units and looking in windows in the "Rain" - is that no a little suspicious?
funny how President Obama is half white half black but because he looks black he's only considered black....Zimmerman however is half white half hispanic and looks hispanic, but he's considered white...
ReplyDeleteRight. I think. Maybe half-right?
DeleteHad Zimmeran "chased him down and shot him" he would have been found guilty and rightly so. That isnt what happened. Zimmerman also did not exit his vehicle after the dispatcher told him that wasnt necessary. He was in fact already OUT of his vehicle and returning to it when confronted by Martin. Furthermore Martin had to DOUBLE BACK to initiate this confrontation. This is evidence the jury saw and that is part why he was found not guilty.
ReplyDeleteIt makes it seem that TM wanted to teach GZ a lesson and that TM had no respect for authority
DeleteTM mother had sent him to live with dad cause she could not handle him anymore so her guilt is understandable but it is also evident that he was not easily controlled and had a troubled past that could have contributed to the attack on GZ
Heck they say weed makes you paranoid!
Well Written! I think however you missed the bigger issue here. If Zimmerman was a of-duty police officer who ignored a 911 operator and pursued someone not activly commiting a crime his ass would be grass and the court would be the lawn mower! The reason being that police officers are held to a higher standard since they are armed. I agree that the answer here is not to ban guns! However, there needs to be laws on the books that hold trigger happy morons accountable in the use of letal force. (The fact that Zimmerman ignored the 911 operator and killed a 17 yr old kid, armed with candy, who was not in the process of comitting a crime prove he is a trigger happy moron beyond a shadow of a doubt.)If a person is willing to take a gun in public they should be held accountable when dealing with unarmed citizens who are not in the process of commiting a crime. I agree that the jury properly enforced the current law. However this case proves we need new laws that force gun owners to be responsible gun owners. (Again I am against banning guns just trigger happy morons!)
ReplyDelete+1K to andrew above about the half white thing.....
ReplyDeleteyou can reply to his message. like i just replied to your message.
DeleteNot advocating violence, but coming from a chl holder. You stalk my son, follow him around , confront him, get your ass beat, and then you shoot him. The only trial being held would be my own.
ReplyDeleteWhat does your being a CHL holder have to do with your admittance to be willing to murder someone?
DeleteRichie, I was equally disturbed by the people who were mad and the people who were happy at the verdict. To claim race and be mad is to say that the jury thought he was guilty, but let him go because the victim was African american. To be happy is to make Martin out to be a criminal who deserved it. I trust that the jury saw all of the evidence and made a logical decision based on facts and not race.
ReplyDeleteGod hope so. Thanks.
DeleteIts time to move on! Nothing good can come of dwelling on it! GZ's life has been tarnished forever! Nothing can turn back time!
ReplyDeleteI see NWP as a benefit and my HOA $ goes toward it - I would never be upset by them checking on me
Could you please blog about the Plexico and Vick cases. To many ignorant people think that Plexico went to jail for shooting himself. When in fact he went to jail for taking a firearm into a building with a 51% sign. Anyone that has a CHL knows that is a no no and will cause the Feds to come down had on you. Also Vick did not go to jail for "just" dogfighting.
ReplyDeleteMost people who are up in arms probably didn't even pay attention to the facts of the case, they left it up to the mass media to tell them what to think in between the Kardashian baby and Real Housewives.
ReplyDeleteWhat most of them don't know, is the reason Trayvon was even in the area in the first place was because he was suspended from school. There are numerous documentation of him being a pot smoker and a wanna-be thug.
Also not known by most is that George Zimmerman mentored numerous black youths on his own time and continued when the state wouldn't pay for any of it. Does that sound like a racist to you? He was one who wanted to stop the cycle that Trayvon Martin was very much a part of.
Zimmerman was being painted as a "wanna-be cop", Trayvon was a "wanna-be thug". I'll take the cop over a thug any day.
You sound like you're trying to justify what happened. None of what you said matters.
DeleteWow that's a dumb analysis.
DeleteGosh, he smoked pot! How terrible and thuggish of him! Oh wait, except all my white, Asian, black, Hispanic, straight, and gay college friends do it too. Obviously they are all thugs! And also, it's clearly okay to shoot and kill anyone who is at the time suspended from high school. Right.
DeleteAs for Zimmerman, he got into a scuffle with cops and had to enter an alcohol education program to get the charges against him dropped. He also has a restraining order against him from a former fiancee for domestic violence. Gee, this guy is not a thug at all and definitely should be carrying a gun around enforcing vigilante justice.
OK Richie, I have one question for you..
ReplyDeleteHow does a guy shoot a guy on top of him and not get any blood or DNA on him?
Splain that one and I will agree with you and the Klan members who are giddy TM is dead..
TM got what was coming to him. Zimmerman had every right to be there and follow TM. TM also had a right to be there(though you have to question why he was wondering around a neighborhood he doesn't live in at night). TM picked a fight and Zimmerman finished it. Justice served. Glad TM isn't wondering the streets to do that to anyone else.
ReplyDelete"wondering the streets"..... hmmmm.
ReplyDeleteWell said RW. People will always be HOMERS. I think he should have done a manslaughter charge. No surprise most blacks are outraged. We live in a country where 90+ percent of African Amercian who cast their votes did so for Obama. FYI : I am white and like Obama.
ReplyDelete