This is not just a sad nigh for the Martin Family.....This is a sad night for America. Tonight, the jurors passed on a chance to right a wrong and deliver justice for Mr. Martin. They placed faulty legal doctrines of “self defense” above common sense. They somehow gave Mr. Zimmerman the benefit of the doubt even when Trayvon couldn’t be there to give his side of the story. But ....they did more than just that. Tonight’s verdict shows once again how the American legal system is rolling back protections for victims of racial profiling and instead expanding the rights of self-styled vigilantes to act as judge, jury and executioner. I don’t believe George Zimmerman is evil. I do think he harbors racism ( based on his own comments on the 911 call ) and he profiled Trayvon. However, the basic facts of the case strongly suggest that even if Trayvon fought back .... doesn’t he have the right to “stand his ground” as well? ....Mr. Zimmerman was the aggressor the second he stepped out of his car...and initiated a unnecessary conflict. Even so, his defenders say, we shouldn’t make an example of Mr. Zimmerman, not when he was just defending his community. After all they say, his community had been victimized over eight times just that year by young black male thieves. I say, why not? We certainly don’t hesitate to go into inner cities and make an example of low level, nonviolent drug offenders. We throw lower income men in jail with abandon, often based on the flimsiest of evidence, and throw away the key. Surely it is just as important to make an example out of a dangerous and delusional wannabe cop when an innocent young man is killed while walking home from a convenience store. Ultimately, this case was about much more than whether or not Zimmerman was convicted and justice delivered for Trayvon. This case was about whether America is going to tackle the enormous problem of persistent racial and socioeconomic inequality by making sure that everyone has a gun and a corrupted legal doctrine to protect them from prosecution when they attack the “other” with prejudice and impunity. Don’t worry about the lack of jobs and opportunity across the tracks, this logic would suggest, just hunker down in your gated community and shoot first and ask questions later. Tonight the jury wasted an opportunity to reject this vision for our country. Americans of all creeds and colors deserve better.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 05:14:52 +0000
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