I take my post back. I had no idea Zimmerman had been arrested.
Martin and Zimmerman were both imperfect people. I think the imperfections of both led to the shooting. From a legal perspective, the past hardly matters.
I think what sticks in the craw of some is the idea that Zimmerman followed Martin at all. While I believe he could do so lawfully, we citizens are expected by society to stay in our homes and wait for the cops.
By venturing forth, Zimmerman points out that the police don’t respond in a timely manner to suspicious activity, and if we stop accepting that and act ourselves, it has huge implications.