The not guilty verdict just came in re George Zimmerman. He’s a man who got out of a car to follow a young man who was just walking home, and did so against the instructions of the 911 dispatcher. He had a concealed weapon which had a round in the chamber. He approached the young man and shot him to death. This we know. We also know that Zimmerman’s testimony was full of holes. We also know that some months after the encounter, when it was known that the boy and he was just 17 was not only unarmed but displayed no signs of bad intent, George Zimmerman said he had no regrets. And that fits the historical patterns of this country a White man does not have to apologize or regret the killing of a Black person.
We have the civil trial to look forward to, where Zimmerman will have to testify and his fabric of lies and inconsistencies and perhaps his lack of remorse will be brought out forcefully. We’ll see how that goes. But we might also look to Florida, a state that believes that it’s a good idea to put concealed guns in the hands of anybody who fancies himself a law and order tough guy. It’s also a state that tells people they don’t have to back down from shooting someone but can just stand their ground, come what may. Notice, by the way, that the same people who support this also are against abortions; another case of “wait until they grow up to kill them”.
The mentality of this goes beyond racism. We make jokes about White women clutching their purses tighter when a Black person comes near yet make up a jury of 5/6 White women. The worst part is the proclivity toward violence. If you have a doubt, shoot to kill. If you think someone might stand up to you and not follow your orders, shoot them. After all, you’re the White man and some Black punk is up to no good they always are and always get away. Those aren’t thoughts I’m making up, those are George Zimmerman’s words. Yet he’s not guilty. Well, at least the 6 women on that jury can walk the streets knowing that Trayvon Martin won’t snatch their purses.
The bigger question is, when will Black people stop trying to make it in a world of people who regard them as suspect and pull together so they will have their own police, courts, apartment complexes, judges, and …. juries. My guess is never.