Zimmerman, who killed Treyvon Martin, a 17-year-old black kid wearing a hoodie, has been acquitted. The special prosecutor, Angela Corey, is a Republican appointed by Florida’s corrupt Republican governor, and is on TV right now, defending the tactics that her team of prosecutors took in this case.
It’s pathetic. This verdict is pathetic. But in a state that the NRA rules, where i in 17 individuals carry a weapon, where a neighborhood volunteer like Zimmerman was allowed to carry a concealed weapon, is a travesty. The idea that race had nothing to do with this is absurd. It has everything to do with it. Sanford is a good ole boy town, deep south, as deeply south as you can get.
But perhaps, as with OJ Simpson, Zimmerman will become embroiled in something similar 13 years up the road, to the day. Or not. One way or another, the universe will balance it all out.
I’ve had the time to watch and follow this abomination of a “trial”, and the verdict most of us knew was pre-destined was nevertheless appalling. As Gypsy noted, this young teen went to a convenience store from his dad’s condo in the gated community and, returning to his dad’s condo in the rain, had his hoodie on and was carrying a Mountain Dew in a can and a bag of Skittles candy. OH YES! Of course! A canned soda and a little bag of Skittles were deadly weapons!
Trayvon didn’t have anything that remotely resembled a weapon anywhere on him. He was talking on his cell phone to a girl friend in a different location, just sauntering along minding his own business. Here comes a vigilante wanne-be cop, spots a black boy, and thinks, “Hey! here’s a great opportunity for me to be a BIG MAN!” The rest, dismally, is history. We all know that in this country there are all-white street gangs, all-black street gangs, and all-Hispanic street gangs, and they have gang wars in which they murder each other. So what happens?
A jury of five all-white women and one Hispanic woman. If Trayvon’s family can afford it, they can bring charges in civil court of wrongful death against Zimmerman, and other charges can be leveled against him. This entire situation, from beginning to end, is a tragedy. The only consolation comes from understanding that, truly, what goes around does indeed come around, and sooner or later, George Zimmerman will pay the price for his murder of this child. So utterly sad, and for no good reason, this untimely death of a young man whose life had hardly begun.
I read on the BBC website that the NAACP was calling “immediately for the Justice Department to conduct an investigation into the civil rights violations committed against Trayvon Martin”. I wouldn’t know if this is a possibility.
They can do that in terms of a civil rights investigation, I think that’s what they’re referring to.
well, it doesn’t look as if my original comment will appear so –
what i was saying is how terribly terribly saddened i was as i listened to the verdict of this all white jury [except 1 hispanic] – saddened not just for trayvon martin and his family – but for all of us – for our children especially who have been shown once more that the color of one’s skin is the judicial and other judgment factor in this country that began with the genocide of the native race and the enslavement of another race – and where the lines of racial discrimination are drawn in white – saddened that our children have been shown that it’s ok for a gun-totin’ wanna be cop to stalk a 17 year old coming home from the store with candy and then murder him and be set free – the lessons for our children in this case are sadly the same ones that have been perpetuated for generations – and saddened for all of us that we [the collective we] have failed to evolve past horrific racial bias – saddened – for us all –
oh, good grief…i just did a comment and clicked post comment, only to have nothing at all happen – it didn’t show up at all as having been submitted – i’ll wait a bit to see if it does – then try to re-create –
when i heard the verdict i was not only so terribly saddened for trayvon martin and his family – i was swept away in grief for all of us – for our children who have been shown by those in positions of power that it’s alright for the life of another innocent child to be snuffed at the hands of a gun-totin’ wanna be cop who stalked and shot this young boy coming home from the store with candy, after having been ordered by law enforcement to not follow trayvon martin – who have been shown by those in positions of power that the color of one’s skin is the basis for judicial and other judgment just as it has always been in this country that slaughtered the native race and enslaved another – for our children who have been shown that all of this was not only condoned but reinforced by a group of all-white women [except for 1 hispanic] who listened to the evidence of this murder and then found zimmerman not guilty – [one of the jurors even blamed the victim here, saying that she talked to her children about “behavior that was safe, not that you’re doing anything wrong, but be proactive … don’t put yourself in harm’s way.”] – saddened for us all – all – what a travesty of justice – a horrific but accurate commentary on the social climate in this country that remains bound in the chains of racial discrimination –
oh, and the perspective of the state/prosecution in terms of the racial issue – unbelievable -unbelievable –
thanks so much for this post, macgregors…
The first comment went into spam, gypsy, don’t know why! But at any rate, here are all 3 of them!
In the post-verdict press conferences, both the prosecution and defense sounded as if they were out of touch with reality. The head of the prosecution team said the trial had nothing to do with race and that’s why they didn’t bring it up. Huh? One of the defense lawyers was asked: “What would’ve happened if Zimmerman had been black and Martin had been white? Astonishingly, he said that the black man wouldn’t even have been charged. Wow! In other words, blacks have a better deal in the American criminal justice system than whites?Again, huh?