Over the weekend, George Zimmerman, the now infamous gun-toting neighborhood watch volunteer, was found not guilty after he shot and killed black teenager Trayvon Martin.
Like many others, I was shocked at the verdict, I don’t agree with it, but I am sadly not surprised. I have not written about this because I really didn’t know what to say. Was it racial profiling? Yes. Did the gun give Zimmerman undeserved power and authority over Martin? Yes. Should Stand-Your-Ground Laws be repealed? Yes. Do we need better gun control laws in the US to prevent innocent people from premature death? Yes. Are laws in the US applied unevenly based upon race and class? Yes.
John Oliver sums up the outrage and the inequality in this segment of the Daily Show. Now it’s our turn to figure out next steps. Maybe in our own backyard– with Arizona’s Stand-Your-Ground Law.
Here's the link:
The fight and the shooting were not sporting events with instant replays.
You've seen 12 Angry Men, right?
So if you were on the jury how would you have voted?
Do you think the people on the jury are racist/uninformed/bigoted, or that that made a unanimous decision after being privy to spending way more time on this case than you likely have?
Posted by: Boo Radley | July 16, 2013 at 10:47 PM
Guess you missed the whole point in To Kill A Mockingbird, Boo Radley. The jury spent less hours deliberating than Trayvon Martin's age in years.
Posted by: Bess1919 | July 17, 2013 at 06:39 AM