Jediah Jones, 3, holds a sign as her mother Keiota Jones, stands behind her during a protest the day after George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the 2012 shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin, Sunday, July 14, 2013, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Most of the country was shocked with the verdict of “Not Guilty” in the George Zimmerman trial for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
Of the six jurors, all female, who made this decision, none were African-American. Even though the names and race have not been released most observers are saying it was composed of 5 White women and one Hispanic. No Blacks, even though Seminole county is 11 percent Black, 81 percent White, and Sanford, the city where the murder was committed, is 29 percent Black.
The legal experts are saying the reason for the not guilty verdict, is the fact that even though Zimmerman racially targeted a young Black male and followed him even though a crime had not been committed or reported, this could not be factored in.
The fact that Zimmerman confronted an unarmed Martin with a gun could not be factored in by the jury.
The only thing that could be factored in is that when Zimmerman confronted Martin and a fight broke out, was Zimmerman fighting for his life when Martin apparently got the best of him in the fight? Then was it necessary for Zimmerman to then pull his gun and fatally shoot Martin to save his own life? Even though Martin had no gun or weapon.
This is what the White experts are saying the six-member jury had to rule on. The actual fight and not what led up to the fight.
Yet people are convicted every day based on what they did before they killed someone.
If what they are saying is the case, then Lord have mercy on our young Black males. They are killing each other, they are being killed and beaten by the police, and now the justice system is saying that Whites can now target them and jump them and claim they shot them in self-defense even without them having a weapon.
Maybe our young women had better watch out also. This is like saying a man stalks a woman then attacks her in an effort to rape her, but when she gets the best of him in the fight, he pulls a gun and kills her.
That is self defense?
That’s not my definition.
Martin wasn’t stalking Zimmerman. He wasn’t bothering Zimmerman, or anyone else. So what kind of justice system is there or what kind of jurors, would not take into account what led to the actual fight in the first place?
Some are comparing the decision to the O. J. Simpson verdict. That is ludicrous. Zimmerman admits to stalking Martin, He admits to killing Martin. He admits to owning the gun that killed Martin. He admits that Martin had no weapon. O. J. admitted to nothing.
So what the court system and the jurors are saying is that Zimmerman is guilty of nothing and should go free even though he shot and killed an unarmed 17-year-old kid because he thought he was suspicious.
Why? Because the kid was Black. Because when the kid was confronted and cornered, the kid fought for his life.
Some are saying that the prosecutors went for too much. What is too much? I could see if they went for first-degree murder. The charge was second-degree murder. Come on people, the man killed an unarmed kid, who wasn’t breaking into his home, his car, raping his daughter or wife, but simply defending himself from a stalker.
Most people don’t think anything is going to come from it, maybe a civil suit, which isn’t the same feeling of justice as in a criminal trial. Plus, Zimmerman didn’t have much before the trial and after he pays the lawyers what will he have left to give? The family wants justice not money.
Some, such as Rev. Al Sharpton have indicated that they will push for a civil rights violation and maybe Zimmerman can be prosecuted for violating Martin’s civil rights but that’s not very likely to happen.
Which leads to the question of why must we have to keep going through this crap. There is something seriously wrong with a justice system that doesn’t take into account intent, and what caused an action.
The fact that all of Zimmerman’s actions leading up to the fight was not a factor in the decision of guilty or not guilty is sad and wrong, and it says that the criminal system needs to be changed to include justice when it comes to Blacks.
This boy would not have been dead if not for Zimmerman’s racist actions. Yes, I said it. Racist actions.
He profiled this kid because he was Black, young, and was wearing a hoodie. He profiled this kid because he was Black in a predominantly, if not all, White neighborhood. And he gunned him down. Martin isn’t around to say what really happened.
Police can’t profile, yet White citizens can?
My regrets and prayers go out to the family. My question is how many more Trayvon Martins have there been and will there be if justice isn’t implemented into the criminal justice system.
Martin was high profile because his father had contacts in high places, but how many poor kids, are being gunned down throughout the South and nobody knows about them because the criminal court system has no justice when it comes to Blacks.
Has the South really changed, when it comes to the value of Black lives?
What would have happened if Martin had taken Zimmerman’s gun and killed him with it? What would have happened if Martin had stalked
Zimmerman and gunned him down and then said it was self defense, even though Zimmerman had no weapon? The trial would have been short and sweet, and those six White women would have found him guilty of murder. Hell, the prosecutor probably could have gotten a first-degree charge.
I saw no outrage by any of the White faces on the Sunday morning shows. They were more concerned about who was in power in the Middle East and what was Obama going to do. How can this happen in America in the 21st century, and the only people really outraged are Blacks.
Ulish Carter is the managing editor of the New Pittsburgh Courier. Contact writer at ucarter@newpittsburghcourier.com
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