George Zimmerman acquitted in the murder of Trayvon Martin, news that apparently shocked some and spawned outrage and protest across the country. Why the shock and outrage? Did people actually believe the jury would find Zimmerman guilty of murder? From what I gathered from news coverage on Fox News, George Zimmerman was flat on his back with Martin on top of him. Photographs of Zimmerman's face and the back of his head showed blood and contusions such as would be found on someone whose head had hit the concrete and whose face was struck with someone's fist. I am in no place to say innocent or guilty in this case, but considering the evidence I do not find the acquittal of George Zimmerman in this case surprising.
Why is it so hard to believe that Zimmerman acted in self-defense when he shot young Trayvon Martin? If a young man has someone on the ground and are on top of them beating them up, what is the person getting beat up suppose to do, lay there and take it? Nobody really knows but George Zimmerman what was going on inside his head on that fateful night. Maybe he tried to get Martin off him but was unable and felt the only way he would survive was to shoot Martin. The evidence showed that George had received injuries to his face and head, injuries that stun some people and render them unable to defend themselves. This may have been the case with George Zimmerman; the blows he received may have incapacitated him to the point that he was physically unable to defend himself and used his gun. If this is the case, I believe Zimmerman acted in self-defense, which is permitted by Florida law. One might argue if that was the case, how was he able to get to his gun, point taken.
On the other hand, and one I find most likely is that George Zimmerman feared for his life. Maybe he felt that the beating he was receiving from Trayvon Martin was the end for him. Before people make a snap judgment in this case and believe George Zimmerman should not have been acquitted, they should consider how they would react in similar circumstances. What would they do someone was on top of them beating them up and had the advantage over them? Unless they are a MMA fighter they might hit the panic mode and do whatever was in their power to end the fight.
I am not saying Zimmerman was innocent or guilty, but considering the evidence presented and that the jury was comprised of women, some having children of their own, I do not find it outrageous that George Zimmerman was acquitted in this case. The justice system makes mistakes at times, but whether justice was served or not in this case I believe that it was a fair trial and Americans should respect the court's ruling.
Lessons We can LearnTo the George Zimmerman's of the world who feel the need to follow people around because they find them suspicious, get over it. I believe Zimmerman was guilty of bad judgment in following Martin; he should have left it to the authorities. Just because Martin may have appeared suspicious to Zimmerman, he should have let the authorities deal with him. For all I know Trayvon Martin may have been innocent of any illegal activity and had no evil intent on the night Zimmerman was following him. However, whether Martin was guilty of any illegal activity makes no difference in this case. The point is, had George Zimmerman not followed Martin on that night, this terrible tragedy might have been avoided. Therefore I say George Zimmerman is guilty of poor judgment, but that is not what this case has been about. Zimmerman's judgment was not on trial but his claim to self-defense.
To the Trayvon Martins of the world. I do not know why Trayvon was beating Zimmerman, he may have feared for his life as well, what he thought perished with him that night. However, we need to realize that violence is not the answer and when we assault someone, even if it is only with our fists, the one being assaulted may respond with deadly force. We never know what to expect from someone, so the best policy is to do our best to avoid violent confrontations. Maybe Trayvon Martin felt he had no way out but to fight Zimmerman, if so, then he done what he had to do. May you and I learn from this and seek to live in peace with one another as God would have us to.
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