Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman Case

 

Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman Case:

On February 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida an unarmed seventeen year old  Trayvon Martin had a confrontation with a twenty-eight year old neighborhood watch captain named George Zimmerman.   The face to face  confrontation lasted only two minutes but left Martin dead from a gunshot wound.  Zimmerman, who was licensed to carry a firearm,  claimed it was self defense.  There were no eye witnesses to the whole confrontation.  The little evidence available included  the taped 911 call that Zimmerman made during the confrontation.  

After questioning Zimmerman at length the Sanford Police Department believed his story and released him.  The failure to arrest Zimmerman cost the police chief his job.  A new police chief was appointed and Zimmerman was soon arrested.  At issue was race. Martin was black.  Zimmerman is multiracial being part Hispanic. 

Over a year later at trial the main question was whether the six women jurors  believed that Zimmerman was in fear of his life.  The six member jury rather than 12 members is prescribed by Florida law.   A key question was identifying the voice crying out for help  on the 911 tape.  Martin's family was sure it was Trayvon.  Zimmerman's family was sure it was George.  Another point was that Zimmerman had bruises on his face and head.  Martin had only the gunshot wound.  In play was the Florida "stand your ground" law which allows someone who feels threatened to respond with violence without retreating. Ultimately,  considering the evidence and following the law the jury found Zimmerman not guilty of  second degree murder as well as the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Many were outranged by the verdict.  Protests followed.  Fortunately no one was seriously injured, and no widespread property damage took place.  Immediately there was talk of charging Zimmerman under "hate crime" laws.  It was also mentioned that he could be charged in a civil case.    Zimmerman may have been found not guilty, but he certainly did not win anything.  He is hated by many.  He remains in hiding for fear of his life.  His family is also affected.  He is surely unemployable.  His life will never be the same as before.

Americans have a First Amendment right to assemble to protest as long as they don't hurt anyone or destroy property.  Justice Department officials say they are unlikely to prosecute George Zimmerman because it would be very difficult to prove he acted out of racial bias.   The FBI has been looking at the case for a year .  A civil suit is unlikely to be successful, because of the "stand your ground" statute and it would bring out information about Trayvon Martin that was excluded for the criminal case.  That is his marijuana use and text messages which describe him as being in fights.

Attorney General Eric Holder says that laws like Florida's "stand your ground" statute which allows someone who feels threatened to respond with violence without retreating must be examined because they eliminate the common sense age old requirement that people who feel threatened have a duty to retreat, outside their home, if they can safely do so.   Perhaps the revisiting of the "stand your ground" statute is a positive outcome of the case.

To be sure, our national debate shows two sides talking about two different things , either the two minutes Martin and Zimmerman were face to face, or the centuries  of racial context that many believe caused a senseless death.  We have come a long way in America  with regard to racial relations, but we still have a long way to go.