Posted on 03/29/2012 10:37:54 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Trayvon Martins shooter George Zimmerman has not yet been charged with a crime, but with the aid of a sensationalist media and racial agitators like Al Sharpton, he has already been tried and found guilty in the court of public opinion. Now, the hate-filled public lynch mob wants him dead, too.
The Internet now teems with death threats against Zimmerman, many of them explicit. A Twitter account called KillZimmerman has been active for nearly a week. The page shows a mug shot of Zimmerman, a bulls-eye around his head, and reads: This Page Is 4 Da Ppl Who Believe Zimmerman Should Be Shot Dead In The Street.
The site features messages like the following:
Every1 is going to die one day sum ppl deserve to die today.
Calls for Zimmermans murder also appeared on other twitter sites. One, since taken down, read:
Ima get a group of niggas to KILL George Zimmerman ( the fat ass racist ass white man who killed Trayvon Martin ) ! He deserves to DIE !!!! Couldnt Care Less (@Simply_Reiona) March 24, 2012″
Black militant groups have also tried to incite Zimmermans murder. The New Black Panther Party made news for offering a $10,000 bounty for Zimmermans death and has circulated a Wanted: Dead Or Alive poster to inspire someone to commit the act. The message is apparently intended in earnest. Mikhail Muhummud, the groups self-identified leader, has warned, God dammit, he should be fearful for his life. Yet another group, calling itself the New Black Liberation Militia, has announced that it will send its members to Orlando next week to attempt a citizens arrest of Zimmerman. A t-shirt has been marketed emblazoned with Zimmermans mugshot and the word Pussy Ass Cracker. Not surprisingly, in light of such threats, Zimmerman and his family have gone into hiding.
Even those with no connection to Zimmerman have become targets of the revenge mob. After director Spike Lee retweeted the home address of an elderly couple in Zimmermans home town of Sanford, Florida, apparently confusing their son William George Zimmerman with George Zimmerman, the couple was barraged with hate mail and harassed by the media, eventually having to flee their home to a hotel for safety. Although Lee has since apologized, the violent immediacy with which the couple became the victim of the Tayvon revenge seekers is revealing of the ferocity of the persecution.
Drowned out by the bloodlust is the due process to which Zimmerman is still entitled. While his self-appointed executioners dont seem to care, he hasnt been charged with anything yet. That may or may not change, depending on the facts of the case, but until these become known there is no justice in passing judgement on Zimmermans guilt, let alone in demanding his death. The fact that 70 percent of Americans now believe that Zimmerman should be arrested is a troubling commentary on the extent to which passions have been able to trump evidence.
Not the least of the tragedies of the Trayvon Martin shooting is that it has engendered exactly the kind of vigilante violence against which it was supposed to provide a cautionary tale, only this time Martins shooter may become the victim. I just hope at one point everyone will go beyond the hate that they have, Zimmermans father recently said of those screaming for his sons murder. At that point maybe justice the legal, not the mob variety can take over.
The poster on DU keeps saying Zimmerman “and his wife.” What does his wife have to do with it? Are they fixing to kill her too if they have a chance?
It would not surprise me.
We've lost far more than that. We have lost our freedom of speech and our spines because we are afraid of being called names.
We don't have to be in control of everything, there are plenty of smart people around to share with. But, losing our ability to speak openly and candidly about social issues, race, politics and religion (to name but a few) and that has cost us the ability to say what we mean in any given situation.
Thereby adding to a deteriorating situation.
Thank you
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