Man Beaten By Mob, In Critical Condition
There are countless acts going on in the United States that make me question the level of humanity throughout our society, but very few annoy the hell out of me like the ridiculousness that has enveloped both sides of the fence of the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case.
Just in case you haven't been paying attention (because I wish I haven't been), here's a quick synopsis from Wikipedia. By the way, a big sorry to EVERY college professor who has ever told me not to do this... but turns out in the real world not many people care:
The fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman took place on February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida, US. Trayvon Martin was a 17-year-old African American male who was unarmed;[2] George Zimmerman is a 28-year-old biracial Hispanic[3] American who was the community watch coordinator for the gated community where the shooting took place.[4][5][6][7][8]Thank you Wikipedia, because I really didn't want to go through that whole story again.
While on a private errand, Zimmerman saw Martin walking inside the gated community where he was visiting his father and his father's fiancée. Zimmerman called the Sanford Police Department to report Martin's appearance and behavior as suspicious. Shortly afterwards, there was an altercation, which ended with Zimmerman fatally shooting Martin once in the chest at close range.[9][10][11][12][13]
When police arrived on the scene, Zimmerman told them that Martin had attacked him, and that he had shot Martin in self-defense.[2][14] Zimmerman was bleeding from the nose and had a wound on the back of his head.[15][16] EMTs treated Zimmerman at the scene, after which he was taken to the Sanford Police department where he was questioned for hours,[16] taped a video statement, and was released without being arrested.[15] Police said that they had not found evidence to contradict his assertion of self-defense.[17][18][19][20] According to media reports, the lead homicide investigator recommended that Zimmerman be arrested, but the state attorney's office was responsible for the decision not to arrest and charge Zimmerman the night of the shooting.[18][19][20][21]
The circumstances of Martin's death, the delay in charging Zimmerman, and questions about Florida's Stand Your Ground law have received national and international attention. Allegations of racist motivation for the shooting contributed to public demands for Zimmerman's arrest.[22][23] A Special Prosecutor was appointed to take over the investigation and on April 11, 2012, she chose to file charges of murder in the second degree against Zimmerman.[24][25] Zimmerman then turned himself in and was placed in custody.[26][27] On April 20, the judge approved Zimmerman's bail on a $150,000 bond.[28] He was released from jail on April 23 and is required to wear an electronic monitoring device until trial.
Anyways, this story has created a whole new kind of race war despite any (yet) proven evidence of racism to begin with. And ever since Zimmerman was placed on bail, a lot of people have been starting to form Twitter lynch mobs in response. Publicly declaring that they themselves will murder Zimmerman if they see him or requesting someone else to do so.
WHY CAN'T WE AS A HUMAN RACE EVER LEARN FROM PAST MISTAKES???
We quote past leaders on our social networking accounts for a quick "like" or "retweet" but then we refuse to follow (or understand) the actual philosophical meaning. Did Martin Luther King Jr. never exist? Does Mahatma Gandhi ring a bell? Must more die before we put our heads down in shame once again? Will we just ignore this period in our history books just like we did most other American mistake we've made collectively in the past?
And I'm not writing this because I'm taking one concrete side. There are obscene radicals on both ends of this dual-burning candle. And they'll only get worse as more retaliation is brought into the equation.
Do I believe what Zimmerman did was right? Absolutely not. Should he be out on bail? Well according to Florida law, yes. I believe the man should get what he deserves as appointed by a court of law. If what he did is proven as racist, then vilify the hell out of him. Otherwise, stand up and vilify those who place the laws that you disagree with to begin with.
Doesn't mean you have to promote the murder of those you personally feel are to blame for Trayvon's death. It means you should get off your computer/phone and stand in front of those you voted for. And if you didn't vote at all, then why are we even having this conversation to begin with? (oh wait... I didn't vote either)
If you have a problem with that then there's an old quote: "Don't hate the player, hate the game." Hate the jumbled justice system that is in need of a massive facelift. Not those who are getting an wrist-slapped ride. Because we all paved the steps there to begin with.
Wake up, America.
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Freestyle Fellowship
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