Was Treyvon Martin in the wrong place at the wrong time? Obviously yes. Did he have justification being in that neighborhood? We may never know. Should George Zimmerman have stood down when told to? Yes. Has the media taken advantage of this situation to benefit viewership? Yes. Would this issue have been taken up by a special prosecutor if it had not been brought up by the news media? Unfortunately I don’t think so. Would George Zimmerman have thought anything about Treyvon Martin if he were a white kid in a hoody? I would like to think yes but I am doubtful. Would the DA have brought charges against George Zimmerman if he had shot a white kid in a hoody? Here I have two observations, yes the DA would have arrested George Zimmerman and if he had not, no the news media would not have reported on it.
There are a lot of issues relating to this incident that are simply bad statements about society today and the third branch of government. The first is yes I believe we still live in a racist society where people treat blacks different simply because of thier skin color. That is not acceptable and the discussion should be had in each and every household within this country. Was young Mr. Martin up to no good? We will never know because the police were not provided the opportunity to intercede and the question will always remain as to whether Mr. Zimmerman would have even looked at him if he was white.
I will save my comments relating to the Fourth Branch of Government for another article. However, while the news media is responsible for bringing this issue to light, it did so without consideration for responsible journalism. There was a day when reporters simply reported the news and didn’t try to make up its own version.
One of the things I'm grappling with is the pseudo-mandate that a neighborhood watch captain ("officer"), whether self-appointed or organizationally appointed, implies. Even tho the gun law in Florida applies to any individual who feels threatened (another issue), this man clearly was emboldened by a real or imaginary mandate.
ReplyDeleteIronically, a policemen or security guard would appear to be under far greater scrutiny BECAUSE their organizations are responsible for their behavior. Either one would at least have been subject to internal review--and one that would be publicized.
I don't know. I think that Mr. Zimmerman is under the ultimate review now - a court of law. However, if one one say he did his job. When he called the police and was told to stand down, then he should have stood down at that time. That doesn't go to the bigger issue and only to the facts that are known.
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