Reflecting on The Zimmerman Case
A brief review of the facts, as supported by court testimony during trial: On February 26, 2012, George Zimmerman, while serving as a member of a neighborhood watch near his residence in Sanford, Florida, called the Sanford Police Department to report suspicious activity in his neighborhood. The conversation was recorded. While returning to his vehicle, Zimmerman was accosted, attacked, and beaten by a teenaged thug named Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman, while dazed and pinned to the ground by Martin, and in danger of losing consciousness, was able to draw a concealed sidearm and shoot his attacker. Zimmerman had a valid Florida CCW license. Martin died from a single shot. The police arrived at the scene shortly afterward, and Zimmerman was escorted to the Sanford Police station for normal post-event processing and investigation.
Almost immediately, the case was commandeered by racist speculator's far and wide.
Initially there was a profusion of myth, speculation, and innuendo in the media. Then, there was turmoil in the Sanford Police Department following their investigation of the incident.
Conspicuous by its absence was a Grand Jury review of the evidence; charges were being introduced as a 'bill of information' by a special prosecutor!
The red flags really started flapping like a hurricane warning when we tried to reconcile the transcript of the initial conversation between George Zimmerman and the police dispatcher with the prosecution's "Probable Cause affidavit."
Having been around the proverbial zoo long enough to know what kangaroo excrement smells like, it was apparent from the aroma lingering over Sanford that Zimmerman was about to suffer a second beating — this one at the hands of our "justice" system.
Zimmerman's trial began in Sanford on June 10, 2013. Slightly over a month later, on July 13, 2013, the jury acquitted Zimmerman of the charges. However, for more than two years after the verdict, a seemingly vindictive U. S. Department of Justice "investigated" Zimmerman on civil rights charges. In February 2015, the Department of Justice finally admitted that there was not sufficient evidence that Zimmerman had violated the civil rights of Martin.
In response to his acquittal Zimmerman said he felt free to speak his opinion "without fear of retaliation." Here are some of his recent comments:
The burden placed on George Zimmerman, along with the circumstances surrounding this case, are profound and worthy of some vicarious thought — especially if you are a CCW licensee. Andrew Branca's The Law of Self Defense is highly recommended reading.
/fl