Forgotten Majority

Advocating for the just and humane treatment of those who are incarcerated.

Justice is served!   …or is it?



trayvon hoodie“You have no further business with the court.”
is what Judge Debra Nelson told George Zimmerman on this recent Saturday night of July 13, 2013.  George Zimmerman was found not guilty of fatally shooting Trayvon Benjamin Martin in one of the most televised and incensing murder cases dealing with race-and-justice since the trial of O.J. Simpson on October 3, 1995.

We all know the story.  A neighborhood watch leader (George Zimmerman) sees a ‘suspicious individual’ (Trayvon Martin) walking around ‘looking about’ in the rain, in a residential neighborhood that has been burglarized numerous times recently by ‘young black males’.  Mr. Zimmerman begins to follow the ‘suspected burglar’ and calls non-emergency dispatch while doing so.  Zimmerman is told by the non-emergency operator that authorities “don’t need him to do that.” [in reference to Mr. Zimmerman following Mr. Martin] and that the proper authorities will handle the situation from this point forward.  Mr. Zimmerman accounts that he left his vehicle and pursued Mr. Martin into a dark area behind multiple homes, before the non-emergency operator requested that he not continue to follow the teen.  According to Mr. Zimmerman, while returning to his vehicle (at the behest of the non-emergency operator to not follow) he was attacked by Mr. Martin.  Mr. Zimmerman stated that during the altercation, he feared for his life.  Thus Mr. Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin in self-defense.

…but what do you think?
We were not there; neither was the defense team.
We only have one person’s cursory version of events…  [Digital Re-enactment]
The other person, is silenced, forever.

What we do know:

  • That Mr. Zimmerman was ‘overzealous’ in performing his duties as a neighborhood watch captain inside the Retreat at Twin Lakes, Sanford, Florida.  In a little more than 2 years, Mr. Zimmerman’s numerous phone calls to 9-1-1 filled 28 pages. Tampa Bay Times
  • That as soon as Mr. Martin noticed that he was being stalked by a vehicle driven by Mr. Zimmerman, Mr. Martin began to run towards his home.  As soon as Mr. Martin began to run, Mr. Zimmerman quickly exited his vehicle and began to chase Mr. Martin on foot (into the dark behind multiple homes requiring Mr. Zimmerman to need a flashlight).  Axiom Amnesia
  • Mr. Zimmerman cannot remember ‘how’ Mr. Martin grabbed his head as Mr. Martin was ‘allegedly’ slamming it into the concrete sidewalk.  – Court Evidence –  That no witness can corroborate the assertion that Mr. Zimmerman’s head was being slammed into the concrete sidewalk.  ABC Action News
  • That “The medical examiner did not see any cuts or bruises on Martin’s hands that would have most likely resulted from a physical struggle with Zimmerman.” HLN
  • That the defense team was ignorant to the truth (or dishonest) about Mr. Martin’s height and weight.
    • Mr. Martin is 5′ 11″ tall and 158 pounds. WikiPedia
    • Mr. Zimmerman is 5′ 7″ tall and 185 pounds.
  • That a 6-peer all-female jury composed of 5 Caucasian females is not a “jury of one’s” peers
  • That Mr. Martin ‘circled’ Mr. Zimmerman’s car (maybe to see who was stalking him) but Mr. Zimmerman didn’t talk to Mr. Martin at all (Mr. Zimmerman stated that it was not his ‘job’ as neighborhood watch captain to engage Mr. Martin).  Mr. Zimmerman didn’t ask Mr. Martin if he wanted a ride home to get out of the rain.  Mr Zimmerman didn’t ask Mr. Martin if he was on drugs and needed medical attention or a ride to the hospital.  Mr. Zimmerman didn’t ask Mr. Martin if he was feeling ‘ok’.  – Chris Serino Investigation
  • That it seems as though Ms. Debra Nelson is saying that it is legal to kill someone in self-defense if you, in fact, stalked that person (at the disdain of the authorities) so long as that person attacks you for stalking them and you ‘say’ that you feared for your life.

Is this issue about race though?  Would the case be any different if Trayvon Martin were a white (or latino) male and George Zimmerman were an African American?  Would a ‘black man’ killing a ‘white man’ in self-defense make the case any different?  Would the judge (via the jury) have been any harder on the homicide?

… If so, then justice has NOT been served!