Was justice served in the Trayvon Martin decision?

BY THEODORE ROPER

On July 13, when George Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter, the nation erupted in anger. The Trayvon Martin case had been the biggest and most controversial thing in the news for months, and everyone had an opinion. I personally believe justice was served on July 13 and so did the jury. Yes, this was a tragedy, and it could have been avoided, but Zimmerman acted in what he and I both believe was self-defense. There is plenty of evidence that persuaded the jury and me of Zimmerman’s innocence.

The media and the public have made this case seem as though Zimmerman killed an innocent boy just because he was black. This was not the case at all; in fact, I believe race had almost nothing to do with Zimmerman’s actions. In all of Zimmerman’s previous calls to the police as a neighborhood watch director, not once did he mention the suspect’s race without being prompted by the operator. This prior history rules out racial profiling and discredits the contention that this is a civil rights case. When you begin to look at the facts and evidence instead of just focusing on race, you start viewing this case for what it is.

On the night of the shooting, Zimmerman made no attempt to be uncooperative and answered all the police’s questions willingly. He was found that night with a broken nose and bloody cuts on the back of his head. Zimmerman did not just shoot Martin in cold blood, and he had no intention to kill him when they first encountered each other. Zimmerman was simply suspicious of a person he had never seen before in his gated community, and because of recent break-ins, he was justified to suspect that this person was up to no good. People argue that Zimmerman followed Martin and attacked him. Yet there is ample evidence to prove that’s not what happened.

Zimmerman was in his car when he first called the police. After Zimmerman said “he’s running,” there were a full two minutes until the end of the call. The attack occurred sometime after that call. The distance from where Martin was spotted and his father’s fiancée’s house was a little more than 400 feet. In two minutes, a person can walk at least 500 feet at a medium-to-slow pace. The attack occurred between 300 and 400 feet from the house. If Martin was really trying to flee danger he would easily have made it to the house, or he at least would have been much closer to his destination. This evidence suggests that Martin, in fact, waited for his pursuer and attacked him. These details support Zimmerman’s story that after being attacked and fearing for his life, he acted in self-defense.

There is no evidence to suggest that Zimmerman‘s story is false. He was in his gated community when, after spotting and pursuing a stranger, he was attacked and forced to shoot his assailant in self-defense. Zimmerman was beaten up and feared for his life. He did not murder Martin; he only did what he thought was necessary for his survival.