More on the Zimmerman Case
In reply to a comment on the previous post: how could George Zimmerman be said to have provoked a fight?
He went after Trayvon Martin, instead of staying put as the 911 operator told him. We don't know what happened then, because we have only one witness, Zimmerman, who cannot be called neutral.
I'd say that Zimmerman, by ignoring the 911 operator, showed himself to be either a vigilante or a fool. I can imagine him scaring or angering Trayvon Martin. Then, when Martin tried to defend himself, Zimmerman could have become frightened and shot him.
I don't think it's likely that Martin would have started a fight out of nowhere. But I certainly can imagine him confronting a man who was following him in the dark. I have been followed down dark streets. It's threatening. A woman or an older man would most likely look for help. A young man -- a teenager -- might well confront.
There are other possible scenarios. But we don't know what happened. All we know is -- it happened because George Zimmerman had a gun and did not listen to the 911 operator.
I notice that one big city newspaper after another has expressed unhappiness with the Zimmerman verdict. The general feeling is, people should not stalked and killed because they are black and male and wear a hoodie.
The case happened in a society where there is too much gun violence and too much racism, and where a significant part of the population is tired of guns and racism. When you look at responses to the case, you need to remember this.
He went after Trayvon Martin, instead of staying put as the 911 operator told him. We don't know what happened then, because we have only one witness, Zimmerman, who cannot be called neutral.
I'd say that Zimmerman, by ignoring the 911 operator, showed himself to be either a vigilante or a fool. I can imagine him scaring or angering Trayvon Martin. Then, when Martin tried to defend himself, Zimmerman could have become frightened and shot him.
I don't think it's likely that Martin would have started a fight out of nowhere. But I certainly can imagine him confronting a man who was following him in the dark. I have been followed down dark streets. It's threatening. A woman or an older man would most likely look for help. A young man -- a teenager -- might well confront.
There are other possible scenarios. But we don't know what happened. All we know is -- it happened because George Zimmerman had a gun and did not listen to the 911 operator.
I notice that one big city newspaper after another has expressed unhappiness with the Zimmerman verdict. The general feeling is, people should not stalked and killed because they are black and male and wear a hoodie.
The case happened in a society where there is too much gun violence and too much racism, and where a significant part of the population is tired of guns and racism. When you look at responses to the case, you need to remember this.
posted by Eleanor at 12:57 PM
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