Good
evening everyone and welcome to a rather serious, somewhat mysterious entry of
The Magical Mystery Blog. I’m pretty sure most of you have heard this story
tons of times by now. While it’s gradually fading away like decaying skeleton, it’s
left a mark on America, and has raised awareness throughout the nation. Tonight
I will be playing Devil’s Advocate for this entry. Sit back, enjoy, and when your done feel free to give feedback or comment.
For the past few months we have been plagued by the George Zimmerman case. This
trial has been reported by way of the Internet, television, and other mediums. By now you can probably tell what Zimmerman and Martin look like no sooner you hear their names. For
those of you who haven’t kept up on this story or could care less about it, Trayvon
Martin was walking home from a store one night to his gated neighborhood home in Florida. While he was doing so,
he was talking on his cell phone with his girlfriend. George Zimmerman, the neighborhood
watch captain of this community, reported a suspicious hooded figure (Martin)
to his head officer. The officer informed Zimmerman to ignore this person but
instead, he followed him. Zimmerman eventually caught up with Martin and a
supposed fight broke out. In an attempt to defend himself, Zimmerman shot
Martin.
George Zimmerman has had a background
of violence. He has had a few relationships often ending due to domestic
abuse, some of his partners went as far to get a restraining order against
him. Zimmerman was also arrested, had a failed insurance business, resisted arrest,
violence, and battery of an officer, and was withdrawn from college due to his harmful nature. In his young adult years, he lived
in a neighborhood in Florida where break ins were supposedly caused by young
black men. His surrounding residence and racial profiling led him to
believe Martin was a burglar on the night of the shooting.
As for Trayvon Martin, he was a high school student with a bit of a background
himself. He was supposedly suspended twice for crimes that should have put him
in the slammer. His first suspension was due to him being captured with a burglary
tool and women's jewelry. For his second suspension, he was caught with a bag
of weed and a marijuana pipe to go with it. There are even sources out there
that question if Martin was a drug dealer or not. The night of the murder,
Martin was walking home from the store.
This case was the modern day O.J. Simpson in which it was race versus race.
George Zimmerman is a Caucasian Hispanic and Trayvon Martin was an African
American. The media helped in portraying
the trial as a battle of the races, to see which one could dominate the other. Race
is currently a touchy issue in our nation and this case helped in sparking an
even greater fire of racism. But even so, while America deals with this
sensitive matter, why should it help in deciding who wins or loses a trial? Shouldn't evidence do that?
The evidence in this case was a bit unsettling. For starters, the phone
call Martin had was between himself and his girlfriend. When the police went to
call her, they were unable to because Martin had a password on his phone that
no one else knew other than him. Secondly, it was raining the night of the
encounter between Martin and Zimmerman. If any blood was shed, it would have
been found on both of the bodies, and possibly the surrounding area. Due to the
rain though, it could have easily been washed away. Even more so, there was no
DNA of Martin found on Zimmerman or his gun which Martin supposedly reached for
during the scuffle.
This
case also questions how well the Stand Your Ground Law is and our overall
judicial system. While George Zimmerman, a man with a history of violence, was
let loose for shooting a teenager, two women who were abused were imprisoned.
The first woman fired warning shots at her attacker and was given a sentenced
time in prison. The other woman defended herself against a gang who was
harassing her and she was also given time in the slammer. Race was not defined
in these minor trials and the trials highlighted were not at all. At best they
were briefly mentioned when compared to the Zimmerman case.
Furthermore, Zimmerman did not even use the Stand Your Ground Law in his
appeal. If anything, he told his story of what happened that night and did not
even mention that law. The women on the other hand, claimed to have used that
law when telling their stories of what happened to them. This makes one wonder
how the women could have been sentenced to jail time when they clearly used a
law that was in their favor. It also questions how a man, who did not even use
that law in his story, literally got away with murder.
The media is currently caught in a conflict of how to portray Zimmerman. While it has mostly depicted Martin as an innocent struck down by a maniac with a gun, few sources pictured the teenager as an attacker who ruthlessly struck Zimmerman. As for Zimmerman, he was
mostly revealed as a villain throughout the trial while some stations tried to imagine him as a hero for standing up for himself while being
attacked. Now we have a new report of Zimmerman being envisioned as a wonderful person for saving
a family trapped in a car. This makes one wonder if this new, Superman like
image of Zimmerman will wash out the negativity he received during the trial. However,
some are claiming that this car rescue was a staged event to help prove he is a
good man despite his past actions.
This case has caused a ton of people to stand on different sides because of race, racial profiling, crimes caused by it, and guns. Protesters have risen throughout the nation, claiming the slogan 'Justice for Trayvon' along with other phrases, and images. However, there are those who believe it was right that Martin was shot.
In
the midst of the Zimmerman trial, I’m honestly a bit wary of everything. I find it strange that the man, who
killed a child and has a background history of violence, was acquitted for
murder. But two abused women who were defending themselves and using that law
in their defense were sent to jail. I do not believe Martin should have been
murdered but he should have been arrested for his previous crimes. As for
Zimmerman, I do believe he should have been arrested on both charges of second
degree murder and manslaughter.
I also believe race should not determine trial results, the level of justice
that you receive, your treatment, or anything at all. Race is a part of who you
are, your genes, and your heritage. It’s another trait that defines you as a
unique individual. As for myself, I’m an Italian girl who does not treat or
judge others by their color or race. Honestly, you could be any nationality
and/or any race in the world – it would not matter to me because you are still
a person, just like I am.
If you show me kindness, I will give you the same. If
you treat me unfairly, I will question why you did so, rise above your harmful
antics, and hope that karma will serve its justice in the future. I believe in peace and everyone not judging each other by their color or race despite the fact that I know not all of society is like that. While I was taught to treat others by way of the golden rule (and I believe in
that as well), I find karma to be more of my jar of jam. It allows life to take
its course and delivers justice in a way it sees fit. It happens unexpectedly, like
murder on a rainy night.
