The Apolitical Activist, Ch. 11

The Trayvon Martin situation was unfortunate.   Zimmerman is no saint.  Trayvon Martin should not have been killed by Zimmerman.  But like it or not, the prosecutors had an uphill battle from the beginning in proving their case against Zimmerman.   Simply put, there were no witnesses to the final moments of the situation.  Though Zimmerman was unquestionably stalking Martin, it was unclear how Zimmerman came to be lying on his back with the back of his head injured prior to the fatal shots.  There were "reasonable doubts" as to how the killing occurred; and, in the context of the Florida self defense statute, it is no wonder that Zimmerman was found innocent.   Though he was found not guilty in the criminal case, I wonder if Zimmerman, like OJ Simpson, could still be found guilty in a civil court for wrongful death.

Indeed, what do George Zimmerman and OJ Simpson have in common?

A:  They had better lawyers than their adversaries.

What do Nicole Brown Smith and Trayvon Martin have in common?

A.  Their deaths were unfortunate
B.   A jury found their killer was not guilty of killing them.
C.   Their deaths and trial verdicts surrounding their deaths sparked widespread protests.
D.   A and B, but not C.

What is different in the case of George Zimmerman and OJ Simpson?

A.  A jury found that Zimmerman acted in self defense; A jury did not find that OJ Simpson acted in self defense.
B.  OJ Simpson fled from arrest;  Zimmerman did not flee from arrest.
C.  The evidence showed that Zimmerman killed his victim while Zimmerman was on his back; there was no evidence that OJ was ever on his back
D.  All of the above.

Still the verdict and surrounding protests have hit a nerve. I'm a poophead by pointing out the inconsistencies of the protesters and media in their reaction to this case.  Where was the public outcry that OJ walked free where the case against him was so much stronger than the case against Zimmerman?  But I don't know what its like to be black, to be the victim in social inequality--and to have another reminder of the victim status in the death of the "innocent" Trayvon Martin--reinforced of course by the media and politicians hoping to capitalize on the event for their own personal gains.