TWO SIDES OF JUSTICE: Public opinion in the Trayvon Martin-Geroge Zimmerman case has tended to split along racial lines, and it's doubtful some questions will ever be answered. (Photos: Wikipedia)
With the announcement of new details about events leading up to the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin by neighborhood-watch volunteer George Zimmerman, at least three things are clear: we likely will never know exactly what happened that evening of Feb. 26 in Sanford, Florida; the situation could’ve been avoided had Zimmerman followed the 911 operator’s instructions and stayed in his vehicle; Martin and Zimmerman were both flawed human beings like the rest of us.
Yesterday, as prosecutors released more than 200 pages of photos and eyewitness accounts showing Zimmerman had wounds to his face and the back of his head, the national debate about the case (which consistently appears to be divided sharply along racial lines), was reignited. While supporters of Zimmerman and his claim of “self-defense” see the new evidence as proof of his innocence, others view it as a mixed bag that doesn’t necessarily bolster his defense. The lead detective in the case against Zimmerman said he believes Zimmerman initiated the fight by getting out of his car to confront Martin, and that he should be charged with manslaughter.
Further complicating the public debate was the release of details from an autopsy report that showed Martin had traces of THC, which is from marijuana, in his blood and urine. A scan of comments around the blogosphere and social media reveal that, in the minds of some, this information reinforced the assumption that Martin was complicit in triggering the incident that led to his death, though one expert pointed out that the amount of THC found in Martin’s blood was “so low that it may have been ingested days earlier and played no role in Martin’s behavior.” Nevertheless, for many it added weight to the argument that Martin was not the young, angelic kid that they feel the media painted him to be.
In addition to this new information, new photos of George Zimmerman were released showing the 28-year-old soon after the incident with Martin. The images offer a clear picture of his alleged injuries. Plus, news outlets released the surveillance video of Trayvon Martin at the Sanford 7-11 store, purchasing the iced tea and Skittles that he carried when he crossed paths with Zimmerman several minutes later.
In a way, the public debate over the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case has become a mirror for seeing our nation’s ongoing racial tensions, with many from the White community predictably aligning with Zimmerman and many from the Black and non-White communities siding with Martin’s family. Though there are certainly Whites who side with Martin and Blacks who side with Zimmerman, the anecdotal evidence for a stereotypical racial split is incontrovertible. In fact, this is not strictly an issue of race, but of justice. Nevertheless, in this era of the first Black president, tensions are already high when it comes to race. These are tensions that were heightened by partisan politics during the 2008 presidential campaign and subsequent election of Barack Obama, and that continue to flare whenever a new racial controversy erupts. It proves we have a long way to go in bridging our country’s racial and cultural divides.
What Do You Think?
Does the release of this new information make you more inclined to believe one party’s side of the story? Does the autopsy’s revelation that Martin had THC in his system affect your view of the teen’s role in the confrontation? What can we do as a nation to turn this tragic episode into something constructive?
even if trayvon was a thug .that dont make it ok to kill him. ZIMMERMAN IS A GANG BANGER THATS WUT WE DO . “WUT U DOIN IN MY HOOD CUHZ ? ” thats wut gang members do and we get CHARGED FOR IT .they dnt pull up SCHOOL RECORDS TO DEFEND US .SO Y ITS OK NOW ? because TRAYVON WAS A THUG AND HE AINT TELL ZIMMERMAN Y HE WAS WALKING ? FUK IT DEN . IMA SHOW YALL HOW IT GO !!!!!!!
fuk zimmerman gang banging WHAT YOU DOIN IN MY HOOD ass .
CRIP GANG ! S.O.S ON HIS POWER RANGER ASS
if i run up on a enemy for walkn in my hood and he throw a punch then i kill him .is it his fault for defending hisself ? or is it murder ?
u muhfukkas is BIAS AND RACIST . trying to find any little thing to JUSTIFY MURDER. THEN TRY TO DOWN PLAY GANG MEMBERS .ZIMMERMAN JUST PULLD A GANGSTER MOVE AND YOU WRRYD BOT TRAYVON SMKIN AND TAKEN PICS ?
As a university student, I have seen very little that might indicate that even a manslaughter case would go through to a conviction. Getting out of a car for reasons of surveillance (thats what Zimmerman said to the officer) is not instigating a fight. Also, if you listen tot he 911 tape, you can hear Zimmerman get out of his car and close the door and pursue Trayvon at which point the police told him “we do not need you to do that”. Zimmerman had noted that Trayvon was running at that moment, so why did Trayvon, a football player, not make it to his house which was about 40 yards away. Zimmerman cut off the call about 20-30 seconds after the police told him to stop. If he had gotten out of his car after that moment, then Trayvon would have had more than enough time to run home and escape Zimmerman. For that reason, I think Trayvon doubled back and waited to confront Zimmerman. The real question is this: if he did confront him, then who started the fight? That is the real question.
The real question is: Why was Trayvon Martin suspicious to George Zimmerman? Was it because he was walking outside in the rain? He didn’t have a car like Mr. Zimmerman, who was also making a quick run to the store. Was it because he had a hood covering his head? It was raining. Was it because Mr. Zimmerman didn’t recognize him from the complex? Why couldn’t Trayvon have been on his way to visit someone to watch the All Star Game? Let’s be real honest here, who in this day and age knows all of their neighbors? And since when has it been against the law to
take a walk in the US of A? Was it because of all of these things PLUS the fact that he was Black?
Please sign and share this petition to have Casey Anthony tried by the federal government.
The petition addresses the DOJ policy that guides them in deciding whether or not to bring federal charges against someone after a person has already been tried by a state.
http://www.change.org/petitions/lanny-a-breuer-assistant-attorney-general-criminal-division-try-casey-anthony-in-federal-court-for-the-murder-of-her-daughter
Or go to change.org and search for BREUER
well my question is why GEORGE ZIMMERMAN never told him he was the neighborhood watchmen , and why did he follow him even after the 911 told him not to . Zimmerman killed that kid in cold blood and should go to jail for life if that was a white a kid would would he be standing his ground