What the Verdict Means to Me and Some Others

The George Zimmerman trial came to a with a not guilty verdict. The high-profile trial watched by the world was finally over, but the result came as a shock even though there were plenty of signs that he would walk. The decision to acquit Zimmerman came as a blow to many, reviving the horrors many parents of color fear when a loved one is murdered. 

I wrote about Trayvon Martin last year. I shared the outrage a lot of people did when his killer was out free, meanwhile his family was burying him. I signed the petition to have Zimmerman arrested, and I supported the activists and the parents of Trayvon. But just a few days ago I spoke with my father about the trial, and he said to me "he's not going to jail." As the trial progressed, I shared the same sentiments. Even though I knew this, for some reason I still had a bit of hope that justice would be served to Trayvon. As I listened to the verdict come in that night, I found myself nervous and reawakened when the verdict was read. I changed the channel and tried to occupy my mind with something else.

What happens now, based off the reaction to the verdict, is a continuance of distrust between a lot of people of color (Blacks in particular) and the justice system. 

When the racial makeup of the jury was revealed, some felt immediately that Zimmerman would walk—five White women and one self-identified 'Hispanic' (which can be any race) woman would make the final decision of this case. The jury of all women was unusual to some, but there was some hope that these women, five of whom are mothers, would somehow resonate with grief Trayvon's parents. But that was not the case. In acquitting Zimmerman of all charges, the jury believed Zimmerman's self-defense claim and believed Trayvon Martin's death to be justifiable. With the evidence provided to them, this is the decision they came to. But the decision could have been many things. 

Much could be blamed. Did the prosecution fail to show ill-will given the charges they filed against Zimmerman? The real problem is we only got to hear one side of the story. Zimmerman was bruised and Trayvon is dead. It's a tragic end for both, and they're the only ones who know what really happened that night.

The issue now is the shifty Stand Your Ground Law in Florida and other variations of it in other states. It also means possible death for young men presumed suspicious, which also means profiler's have weight. While it's not a crime to profile someone based off a preconceived notion you hold, sometimes there is punishment if your profiling leads you to attacking or approaching someone in a hostile way because who they are—it's called a hate crime. Racial profiling has been a practice since the abolition of slavery.

The case also revived the calls to free Marissa Alexander, who was prosecuted by the same law for firing a warning shot at her abusive husband who admitted to domestic violence. She was sentenced to 20 years. But this is same law that allowed Zimmerman to go a free man. What does this law mean, and will there be more to come?

The law will be up for debate again when Jordan Davis' killer starts trial in Jacksonville, FL. He was another teen that was killed by a man who fired shots at a car because he didn't like their music. In that scenario, the shooter was arrested immediately. A stark difference in what happened with Zimmerman the weeks after Trayvon's death. In regards to statistics, while one may believe race is irrelevant in this case, please take a long and hard look at this graph and conclude if there's a disproportionate number of justifiable crimes as pertaining to race.