Posted on 03/25/2012 5:42:32 AM PDT by Kaslin
A young man was shot dead by a neighborhood watch captain a month ago in Sanford, Florida, a town I’ve only driven through during a vacation or two.
The particular facts of the case, at least as they’ve been reported, are that the victim, 17-year old Trayvon Martin, committed no crime and was totally unarmed — unless a package of Skittles and an iced tea are considered dangerous weapons. Still, the shooter, 28-year old George Zimmerman, has not been arrested or charged with homicide.
The killing and the lack of an arrest — or even any sign, until recent days, of a serious investigation into the deadly incident — have understandably elicited public outrage and protest.
That anger and offense seems as universal as anything can be. President Barack Obama as well as Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have all expressed it.
GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney called the shooting a “tragedy” and offered, “There needs to be a thorough investigation that reassures the public that justice is carried out with impartiality and integrity.”
Newt Gingrich also called it a “tragedy” and said, “we’re going to relentlessly seek justice.” Rick Santorum argued it was “horrible” that local police didn’t “immediately go after and prosecute this case.”
The president went much further, stating that, “All of us have to do some soul searching to figure out how does something like this happen.”
Yet, the trigger wasn’t pulled by “all of us.” It was pulled by George Zimmerman.
On Fox News, Geraldo Rivera shifted blame elsewhere: onto hoodies. “I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters, particularly, not to let their children go out wearing hoodies,” he said. “I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as much as George Zimmerman was.”
Beware the dreaded hoodie makers and those heartless retailers!
Throughout the news coverage and political punditry the issue of race is consistently raised. Some contend that Zimmerman is a racist. On the tape of his calls with a 911-dispatcher, some say they hear Zimmerman use a racial epithet. I’ve listened to the recording a dozen times and just can’t hear anything.
Zimmerman’s father adamantly denies his son had any racial animus, since “George is a Spanish-speaking minority with many black family members and friends. He would be the last to discriminate for any reason whatsoever.”
In his younger days, Zimmerman had been the victim of a criminal assault, which might have influenced him to be more fearful of being victimized, quicker to pull a trigger. There is no indication of a racial component to that earlier incident.
On the more crucial issue, self-defense, it appears that it was Zimmerman who was following Martin, not the other way around. This seems to obliterate a defense under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, which allows the use of deadly force when under threat.
As for any tendency toward violence, in 2005 an ex-fiancée won a protective injunction against Zimmerman citing domestic violence. The implication of this is muddied up by the fact that Zimmerman filed and won his own injunction against her, too.
George Zimmerman attended a four-month law-enforcement program put on by the local sheriff’s office in 2008 and claimed at that time that he hoped to become a policeman one day. He has also worked with the Retreat at Twin Lakes neighborhood watch for eight years.
The bottom-line? We know too little about Mr. Zimmerman’s state of mind before or during this tragic clash. But whether his shooting of Trayvon Martin was spurred by race or an itchy trigger finger or a hero complex or something we know absolutely nothing about, or was actually somehow in self defense, is beside the point.
The point is that our justice system ought to get to the bottom of it.
We innocent bystanders are no more responsible for this deadly tragedy than are hoodies. But a miscarriage of justice by those who work for us — our government, our police — is our responsibility. Even though African Americans have experienced a lack of justice for far too long, the broader lesson here is for all of us to stand up in whatever way we can to demand and secure justice for each and every individual.
Sabrina Fulton, Trayvon’s mother, put it all in proper perspective, when she said, “This is not about a black and white thing; this is about a right and wrong thing.”
Doing the right thing isn’t always easy, and the complexities of this case may have baffled the police in the first instance, discouraging action. Or habitual racism may have been a factor in officialdom’s initial inaction, even if it played a scant role in the shooting itself.
Whatever proves to be the case, public reaction and a free press seem to be doing their job, spurring review, investigation and, ultimately, some justice.
I thought the purpose of the grand jury was to determine whether there was sufficient evidence a crime had been committed to justify a trial.
Better tell that to CNN. Even up until yesterday they were still officially describing Zimmerman as a “White Hispanic”. I have never heard a description like that before in my life. So, since CNN is ‘obsessed’ with breaking everything down to the color of a person's skin, who else are White Hispanics? Is Soledad Obrian a White, is Geraldo a White.
Tell us CNN. Who is a “White Hispanic” in your eyes you racist bastards. I mean since you have put yourself in the position of ‘defining’ who is what race, tell me what race I am CNN. Come on. I'm waiting.
Racist pigs!
Even though African Americans have experienced a lack of justice for far too long...
Doing the right thing isn’t always easy, and the complexities of this case may have baffled the police in the first instance, discouraging action. Or habitual racism may have been a factor in officialdom’s initial inaction, even if it played a scant role in the shooting itself.
Also, the article spent far too much time analyzing Zimmerman’s background without a mention of Martin’s. I’ve read some articles which suggest Martin had his own run-ins with the law. They don’t deserve mention?
“But whether his shooting of Trayvon Martin was spurred by race or an itchy trigger finger or a hero complex or something we know absolutely nothing about, or was actually somehow in self defense, is beside the point. “
Wrong, you jellyfish. Self defense is a basic instinct, not “beside the point”.
Paul Jacob is an underinformed fool. I blame him and our mainstream media for this.
“The particular facts of the case, at least as they’ve been reported, are that the victim, 17-year old Trayvon Martin, committed no crime”
We have a witness that saw Trayvon on top of Zimmerman, pummeling him. If Trayvon initiated this physical altercation, as Zimmerman says he did, then yes, Trayvon Martin did commit a crime.
Again, Paul Jacob is an underinformed fool.
I wish there was a republican with balls that would inform the president that in his adopted home of Chicago, many more killings are done by people who look like him against people that look like him.
All without a mention of outrage by him or other so called civil rights leaders.
Last night, breaking news had it that the shooter was attacked by the dead kid. This kicker was that they have a witness and this is why the police let the shooter go. Apparently, this guy gave something of an anonymous interview.
Doing the right thing isn’t always easy, and the complexities of this case may have baffled the police in the first instance, discouraging action. Or habitual racism may have been a factor in officialdom’s initial inaction, even if it played a scant role in the shooting itself.
Whatever proves to be the case, public reaction and a free press seem to be doing their job, spurring review, investigation and, ultimately, some justice.
The white spike lee. Cops suck, public reaction has been appropriate and we have a free press. Worthless idiot.
Pretty sure this “watch captain” stuff was made up by the attorney for Treyvan’s father, who is looking to sue the community for Zimmerman’s “official” acts as their security rep. This same attorney miss characterized the police statement as to what Zimmerman told the police, saying Zimmerman told them he was “squeeky clean”. The attorney is looking for $$.
I caught that too. White Hispanic? Oops that previous day, CNN would have called him Hispanic. But they couldn't allow a White-on-Black thing be a Hispanic-on-Black. White Hispanic? Agitation-Propaganda in the raw! Agitprop
Geraldo is a puke
I maintain that if the half Hispanic Zimmerman is white, what color is our half white president?
Terezzza Kerry, wife of John I was in Viet Nam Kerry, white as snow, was an African American.
This is an open and shut case. One person was black and the other hispanic. Blacks have more status than hispanics. Therefore, the hispanic must be guilty. The president doesn’t need a grand jury or due process. He can kill anybody he decides needs killing, American citizen or not, on U.S. soil or not. Watch out for the predator drones, Zimmerman.
Police and witnesses observed Trayvon Martin on top of and committing assault and battery upon Watchman Zimmerman, who had already sustained a broken nose, a laceration on the back requiring stitches and other injuries, before Zimmerman fired a single shot to defend his life and limb. The 911 tapes recorded Zimmerman’s calls for help minutes before the shot was fired to stop the bloody beating. How does the victim of the shooting manage to commit assault and battery upon a watchman while innocently walking down the sidewalk? What injuries did the Police find that Martin sustained before being shot? It begs the queston who foloowed and attacked whom? Isn’t that what the law enforcement investigationis supposed to determine before the racial prejudice is wielded against the survivor of the altercation?
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