What more can be said about the George Zimmerman trial that has not been said? It seems that two sides have staked out their territory and are not budging.
On one side we have those that are looking at the case purely through a lawyerly lens. The evidence did not rise to beyond a reasonable doubt; therefore the verdict of not guilty was correct.
On the other side we have those representing Trayvon Martin as the avatar of racial problems in America. Martin’s blackness was the catalyst for the “white” Zimmerman’s actions and acquittal.
Both sides talk past each other without listening.
So many times I hear or read inaccurate accounts of the trial and evidence. Very few people listened to all seven hours of closing arguments, much less tracked down coroner reports, read through the entire Zimmerman call to police, or listened to Rachel Jeantel’s recollection of Martin’s last phone conversation.
So whenever someone complains about the trial by brandishing a blatant error, one side perceives the entire argument to lose credibility. No amount of explaining the facts of the case, as known, will move the other person.
On the other hand, when President Obama tried to explain why so many in the black community were moved by this case, that they saw themselves or their sons as Trayvon Martin, many shouted that Obama was trying to cite a race war. They claim race does not matter, but by not listening to the concerns people raise, they shut themselves off from understanding and the ability to help overcome prejudice.
So we find ourselves at an impasse.
Despite the media becoming momentarily distracted by the birth of the U.K. royal baby, we are kidding ourselves to think that we have heard the last about George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin.
There will be a civil suit against Zimmerman by Martin’s family. The ACLU has recommended that the Department of Justice not try Zimmerman for federal civil rights violation or hate crimes, and likely the DOJ will not have the evidence to convict. However, whatever the DOJ decides will thrust the case back into the spotlight and reignite the same tired arguments.
We have entertainers and celebrities calling for a boycott of Florida over the trial. I am at a loss to figure out how taking income away from citizens of Florida — no matter their race, creed, or color — equals retributive justice for Martin.
The NAACP, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson have all called for protests and vigils on behalf of Martin.
Youths have shouted, “This is for Trayvon,” while committing crimes.
In Baltimore, Md., 10 black youths were videotaped beating a white kid merciless, to avenge the injustice of Trayvon Martin. Where is the outcry from the mainstream media? Do we have one standard of justice for black victims, and could care less if whites are beaten to a pulp or killed?
The first post-trial sighting of Zimmerman happens when he apparently helped a family of four out of their overturned vehicle. The two sides waiting with baited breath to hear if the family was white or black.
Conservatives across the nation delving into what Purple Drank and Lean is after learning that Skittles and Watermelon Fruit Juice, the two items Martin purchased
at 7-11, are possible ingredients for black rage.
The left has decided to crusade against Stand Your Ground laws despite the statute not being used as a defense in the Zimmerman trial.
Obviously, this case hits at something deeper and has become a catch-all for other issues. What I find interesting are the questions no one is asking.
First, does this case tell us how the black and white communities view Hispanics? Zimmerman was quickly identified as “white” or “white Hispanic.” I notice white people tend to quickly note Zimmerman’s Peruvian and black heritage, even going so far as to ask if this makes Obama a “white African-American?” The “white” conservatives seem quick to defend Zimmerman (a registered Democrat and Obama voter), but won’t claim him.
If Republicans dislike Latinos, why do they insist on defending one? Is it due to the rule of law or the leftist meme that, “they just hate blacks more?”
Do blacks now see all Hispanics as “white?” If Zimmerman were more “brown” would that have made a difference?
Are Hispanics becoming enfolded into the fabric of America more quickly and easily than blacks have? If so, what kind of resentment and friction is this creating?
Asking such questions brings silence.
I do know this: Interracial crime should not be our primary concern.
One black male teenager is killed in Chicago South Side almost every day by another black. American blacks are only 12 percent of the U.S. population. Blacks commit approximately 95 percent of all black homicides, and 60 percent of all homicides in America.
This is a true epidemic. The principle reason for this issue is the breakdown of the black family where male role models are absent. Close to 80 percent of all black children are born out of wedlock.
But we are not allowed to talk about that.
The same entertainers demanding “Justice for Trayvon” promote misogyny, violence, and the dysfunctional lifestyles of drugs and promiscuous sex — the very lifestyle that Martin was living before his death. That lifestyle had correlations to his death, even if it was not the cause.
Rather than think about the lifestyle they promote and encourage people of all races to reject “thug life” and proceed to focus on constructive issues like examining the differences in sentencing among races in similar crimes, they practice cognitive dissonance. In fact, they protest a law that they unwittingly promote with violence in their lyrics and actions.
Even so, I am told their heart is in the right place and that should count for more than their “personas.”
At the end of the day, a legally constituted jury has rendered the decision in the Zimmerman trial. As President Obama stated, we should “move on.” Rather than focus on our differences and winning the unwinnable argument, each and every one of us should take this time to focus on issues that can bring about change and not further divide this nation.
Armstrong Williams is the author of “Reawakening Virtues.” He is a political commentator who writes a conservative newspaper column, hosts a nationally syndicated TV program called “The Right Side,” and hosts a daily radio show on Sirius/XM Power 128 (7-8 p.m. and 4-5 a.m.) Monday through Friday. Read more reports from Armstrong Williams — Click Here Now.
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