I probably followed the George Zimmerman case closer than most people. Not because I was particularly interested in it but because the CNN coverage of the case blared on the TV in the break room across from my office all day. As a result, I think I have a very good understanding of the case.
From the beginning, everything about the George Zimmerman case was wrong but in the end, the jury got the verdict right. I realize that many of you might disagree with me but please hear me out. First of course, Trayvon Martin shouldn't be dead. That goes without saying. However, this case should have never been a national news story. Not because Trayvon isn't important (he is every bit as important as any other young American whose life ended too soon) but because it gained national attention for all the wrong reasons. Before they had their story straight, our corrupt and yes I'll say it, evil media began a campaign to stir up trouble. If there was any racism at all involved in this incident, it was completely the doing of the media. Without checking their facts, they latched on to this story as "White Man Kills Unarmed Black Teen." They saw the name Zimmerman and assumed, "Has to be a white guy with that German name! Maybe even...wait for it...a Jew!" Yes good ole fashioned anti-Semitism is alive and well in the hearts of our mainstream media. When it turned out to be completely wrong, instead of correcting the story, they worked hard to 'adjust the facts' to make the story work. George Zimmerman became a white Hispanic! What? Never heard that term before? Neither had anyone else. To sell advertising and support an unsustainable 24/7 news cycle, the media was willing to create a story, even at the expense of the Martin family, the African American community, public safety, George Zimmerman, race relations in the U.S. and the American justice system. NBC news skillfully edited the 911 tape to remove the operator's question asking Zimmerman is the person is white, black or Hispanic which made it appear as if Zimmerman just volunteered the information that Trayvon was black and that Zimmerman was profiling him because of his race. Then to continue to keep tensions high, the media showed old pictures of Trayvon; ones that made him look like a particularly young, vulnerable and innocent little boy. It wasn't until much later that they showed current pictures of Trayvon as he really was - a much taller, mature young man. None of this was in the best interest of justice for Trayvon or George Zimmerman. Unfortunately, the media weren't they only ones 'poisoning the well.'
Buying into the false picture painted by the media, the usual suspects - the race hustlers, left-wing pundits, the "America is an awful place" crowd, to name a few - jumped on the bandwagon and began demanding Zimmerman be charged with murder even though the initial investigation determined it to be an apparent case of self-defense. The President of the United States weighed in and declared that if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon and the civil rights division of the Justice Department dispatched investigators to Sanford, Florida to look for evidence that Zimmerman or the Sanford Police Department were racists - they found no evidence. Political pressure led to the firing of the Sanford Police Chief for refusing to charge Zimmerman with murder because he believed there was a lack of evidence. A special prosecutor, Angela Corey, was then appointed and made the decision to skip the usual grand jury hearing, immediately arrest Zimmerman and charge him with second degree murder. This would turn out to be an overreach on Corey's part and was the first of a series of mistakes by the prosecution that ultimately led to Zimmerman's acquittal. Had the charges initially included some potential lesser charges, there is a good chance Zimmerman may have been convicted of one of them but that was not to be.
For reasons known only to her, Corey went for the big charge, swung for the fence and struck out. All the witnesses for the prosecution, proved to support the defense's case rather than build the case for second degree murder against Zimmerman. The star witness, Rachel Jeantel, actually struck me as mentally challenged. Her monotone responses to the defense lawyer's cross-examination questions made her sound more like a 1950's era lobotomy patient than a credible witness and her inability to read her "own" written statement because it was written in cursive led to the revelation that she dictated it to a friend. Lastly, her refusal to acknowledge Trayvon's characterization of Zimmerman as a "creepy ass cracker" as racist threw any credibility she had out the window. How the prosecution didn't see how bad a witness she would make is truly unbelievable. The prosecutions other witnesses proved no better.
Under questioning by the defense attorney, the policeman, Officer Serino, who did the initial questioning of Zimmerman admitted that he believed he was telling the truth after initially saying he thought he was lying. The only eyewitness, Jonathan Good, claimed he saw Trayvon on top of Zimmerman giving him an "MMA-style ground and pound". Lastly, Zimmerman's testimony... "Wait you say, Zimmerman never took the stand in his own defense!" Technically, you are correct but for all intents and purposes he did when the prosecution played the police video of Zimmerman's statements and re-enactment of the event. By doing so, the prosecution allowed Zimmerman to "testified" without being able to cross-examine him and pick this "testimony" apart. The jury got to hear Zimmerman's side of the story in his own words and essentially was able to take it at face value - a devastatingly bad decision by the prosecution! As bad as these mistakes were, they weren't the only prosecutorial missteps.
In addition to the prosecution's witnesses ending up being better defense witnesses, there were also instances of misconduct on their part - the most egregious of which was the withholding of evidence from the defense. This was only disclosed when a whistle-blower reported it and I'm sure this left the jury thinking it was being withheld by the prosecution because it proved the defense's case. Even if Zimmerman had been convicted, this would have been immediate grounds for appeal. Shortly after filing the charges, Corey called a press conference and began smiling, preening and "showboating" for the cameras which, along with the many other instances of improper handling of the case, may have resulted in tainting the jury pool. Regardless, six jurors acceptable to both the defense and prosecution were found but even with these 'impartial' jurors, it was apparent that the case for second degree murder was very weak.
Lastly, in the "eleventh hour" the prosecution sensing it had lost the case for second degree murder ask the judge to allow the jury to consider lesser charges. In my opinion, this was a bad move because the prosecution hadn't made a case for the lower charges, the defense hadn't defended against the lesser charges, and I'm sure the jury saw this for the "straw grab" that it was. When the jury returned with their verdict, they found Zimmerman not guilty of all the charges as they should have because the prosecution failed to prove its case.
Everything about the Zimmerman case was wrong except for the verdict. The prosecution made mistake after mistake and the media pushed a weak case against Zimmerman by distorting the facts. Certainly not everyone is going to be happy with the outcome but our justice system did its job. Since the verdict, there have been those that have tried to stir up trouble but fortunately most Americans, even those who were deeply disappointed in the final results of the trial, resisted the temptation to resort to violence. There are also calls to charge Zimmerman with federal charges. Heeding any calls for trying George Zimmerman for federal civil rights or hate crimes now would be a grave mistake and wouldn't be right. It would be giving into lynch mob justice that isn't in the best interest of anyone. History gives us ample evidence of this.
I can't believe that you honestly think that Zimmerman was justified in killing Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman was told by the police not to pursue him, yet this egotistical police wannabe just had to get something started. Whether Zimmerman was acting in self defense (which I personally find hard to believe) or not, this whole incident would have never happened if Zimmerman had just left him alone. Unfortunately Zimmerman got off because of the charges brought against him , not because he was innocent. If he had been charged with manslaughter instead of 2nd degree murder, I would hope that he would be in jail now. I just hope he doesn't kill someone else. At the very least, they should have taken away his right to carry a gun. This whole incident just shows again how much we need stiffer gun control laws. There are so many people carrying guns that have no business with them. it is like living in the Wild West again. If you don't like the way someone looks, just shoot them. You'll get off, especially if that someone is a young, black male.
ReplyDeleteSis, I didn't say he was justified in killing him. I actually said what you got around to saying - the State didn't prove its case. My other point is that too many people tried to make this a race issue - it isn't. There is absolutely no evidence race played a part in Zimmerman's actions or that he is a racist. His grandfather is black. He mentored black children. He took a black girl to his prom. Your last three sentences describe the black-on-black crime in south Chicago. One, regardless of race, is far more likely to me murdered by a young black male than the reverse - the crime statistics are crystal clear. That is why several years ago Jessie Jackson said, "If I hear footsteps behind me on the street late at night and I turn to see who it is, I'm relieved when it is a white person."
ReplyDeleteLast word from me: Trayvon's mother asked what do I tell my other son to do in a situation like this? The answer is what every parent should tell their children: Never confront a stranger! Hurry home, knock on a door and ask for help, go to some public place but under no circumstance should you ever confront someone following you!