Of course I am talking about the Trayvon Martin murder case, in which George Zimmerman was acquitted of murdering the 17 year African American. Zimmerman got off scot-free because of the lack of evidence, which of course there would be because the only other eye witness is dead.
I have just listened to the uncut 911 call that Zimmerman made on February 26th, 2012 and I personally think this is damning evidence against him. He was clearly pursuing Trayvon Martin, no wonder the kid ran, being pursued by Zimmerman in his truck. It’s pretty clear to me that Martin was attempting to get away, having no intention of attacking Zimmerman. Maybe Martin did attack in self-defense after being chased down on foot against the instructions of the 911 operator. In my mind, this is a case of racial profiling and vigilantism and the justice system failed Trayvon badly!
Also if you listen to Call #2 at this link, fast forward to 1:30 minutes and you’ll hear the caller’s husband saying “he warned me he’d shoot them/him“, more damning evidence you’d have to say!
The “Stand Your Ground” law that allowed Zimmerman to escape punishment does not apply here. Zimmerman actively pursued Martin with a loaded weapon which shows intent to shoot Martin. Zimmerman’s comments to the 911 operator about how “they always get away” and the neighbours comment “he warned me he’d shoot them/him”, again more proof of intent. Stand your ground and pursue and shoot is too very different situations. If Zimmerman had stayed in his vehicle as instructed, he would never have put himself in direct conflict with Martin, these are basic facts!
The biggest problem is America’s archaic second amendment gun laws and laws like “Stand Your Ground” in certain states that allow for people like George Zimmerman to shoot and kill unarmed individuals because they feel ‘threatened’ and get off scot-free. No real action was taken to reform gun laws after Sandy Hook and the numerous other shootings over the years. The Trayvon Martin tragedy is another reason for gun reform, but you can bet that nothing will change, memories will fade and everything will be swept under the carpet until the next high profile tragedy occurs.
The not guilty verdict from the six woman jury has sparked protests in many cities across the United States from Washington DC to New York to Los Angeles to Austin to Sanford, where the shooting took place. There is even a large political divide on the case and the US Justice Department is said to be investigating the case further, but sadly none of this will bring Trayvon Martin back to life!
The worst thing, one of the jurors that acquitted Zimmerman, only known as Juror B37 is going to write a book about the trial and profit from the death of Martin, but dare I say it, it’s very American, profiting on the misery of others. Zimmerman’s friends Mark and Sondra Osterman also wrote a book portraying the killing, “We have sadly concluded that George cannot win, No matter the outcome of the trial, whether found guilty or innocent, he will lose” the book claims. At least he’s alive unlike Trayvon who had his life cut short by the jumped up neighborhood watch member.
My heart pours out for Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman clearly stalked Trayvon by car and foot and then shot him dead and should be punished. Turns out he got away with it.
Why I ask is this case sensationalized by the media? Are people really surprised? Are people genuinely surprised that racial inequality exists in America and in fact everywhere in the world? Are people surprised that America’s criminal / justice system is flawed? Of course it is, everywhere in the world it is flawed. Is it surprising people are trying to make profit out of other peoples misery.
This kind of thing happens every single day. People all over the world are killed or mistreated because of the colour of their skin, the class they come from, their gender, their sexual preferences ect.
This Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman business is outrageous! But outrageous stuff happens all of the time.
I wish I understood why people care so much about this case and not everything else that happens daily. Is it because people only care for what the media decides to feed them?
Unlike the school shootings, I believe that these cases should be reported and sensationalised, the race issue is huge in the south of the USA and these shootings are common. Maybe with all the reporting of this news, the world learns about the issues with the “stand your ground” laws and second amendment gun laws in general and change will be forthcoming under public pressure, at least we can hope that will be the case.