Incredibly, George Zimmerman was acquitted on all charges, even the lesser manslaughter charge, confirming once again that minorities in this country all too often do not get justice. Yes, the prosecution did a poor job with the case in my opinion, but Zimmerman's story line never, ever made sense, especially when he had been told by the authorities to get in his vehicle and leave. The clear message to blacks, Hispanics and others (including gays based on my experience with homophobic judges) is that they/we are second class citizens and our lives are given less value that those of white heterosexuals. Huffington Post looks at this travesty. Here are highlights:
After deliberating for more than 16 hours, a jury of six women on Saturday evening found George Zimmerman not guilty in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old in Sanford, Florida.
The prosecution argued that Zimmerman had profiled Martin, deeming him "suspicious," as indicated by Zimmerman's description of the teen to the non-emergency hotline he called for police assistance. The prosecution said that he then stalked Martin, initiating an unnecessary confrontation that led to his shooting the 17-year-old in the chest at point-blank range.
As Think Progress notes, ultimately Florida's ridiculous "Stand Your Ground Law" - a law championed by the NRA and far right gun owners - and the mentality behind it set the stage for allowing Zimmerman to literally get away with murder. Is suspect that Trayvon Martin will not be the last person to be murdered and have his killer walk away free:
On the night of the killing, Zimmerman walked free thanks to a law called ‘Stand Your Ground,’ based on model legislation peddled around the country by the conservative legislation-crafting American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). While Zimmerman ultimately did not use that defense in court, it’s instructive to know that, in Florida, 70 percent of people who invoke ‘Stand Your Ground’ walk away without charges.
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