as seen on tv
Senator
(Full disclosure: this is my final Zimmerman top post. Please note that I have posted previously- and often – that Zimmerman should have been found guilty of manslaughter, and received jail time. I have also sided with the judge and prosecution who correctly excluded Trayvon’s troubled past from being introduced into evidence. That said, let’s review what the jurors never heard about both Zimmerman and Trayvon, and see what common sense might tell us.)
Trayvon Martin’s criminal activities, while not admissible during the trial, suggest a troubled young man on a collision course with authority figures of all kinds. He was suspended from school twice for offenses which the school failed to report to police as required by law and would have resulted in court appearances. The first suspension was for possession of burglary tools and “dozens of items” of women’s jewelry. The second was for possession of marijuana and paraphernalia, also on school property. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130705151359AAqWO6u
In fact, Trayvon was in the middle of yet another – 2 week – school suspension on the very day he was shot. The school refuses to release any records on what triggered THAT suspension. However, analysis of social media from Trayvon’s relatives makes a strong case that this was a result of a violent attack by Trayvon on his own school bus driver. http://www.examiner.com/article/trayvon-martin-s-ten-day-suspension
Trayvon was high on pot the night he had his altercation with Zimmerman, according to the medical examiner in the case. And the examiner was ready to testify that substance abuse – both that very evening and Trayvon’s chronic use prior – was probably a factor leading to his poor judgment, anti-social behavior, criminal activity, and repeated school suspensions. However, this testimony was not allowed in court. http://www.businessinsider.com/trayvon-martins-marijuana-use-2013-7
Zimmerman is no angel either. He has a speeding ticket (waaaay over the limit), which was only dismissed when the arresting officer failed to show up for court. He was charged with resisting arrest, but it’s not clear what the reason was for the arrest was because those charges were dropped, and Zimmerman pleaded to the sole count of resisting, and received probation. He and his wife both had mutual restraining orders at one point. As with Trayvon, nothing here that would normally result in incarceration. Zimmerman appears to have never used narcotics, as far as the records show
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For both of these individuals, these are the sorts of escapades that usually don’t result in jail time. Both Hispanic and black civil rights advocates would be correct to characterize incarceration under these circumstances as “disproportionate” compared to how a white offender would typically be handled.
That said, one can still reasonably ask – would Trayvon be alive today if his school had properly dealt with the various burglary, narcotics and school bus driver attack situations? Repeated suspensions were clearly not making any impression on Trayvon, who regarded them as a form of vacation, and was stoned on the night he was shot. His behavior was continuing to deteriorate because he didn’t regard consequences for his actions as meaningful or serious.
Conversely, should a concealed/carry handgun permit be granted to someone who has been charged with resisting arrest, and has been under a protection from spousal abuse order (albeit mutual) in his past? Zimmerman’s dream was to become an actual policeman. Is this realistic given his behavior? If someone been forthright enough to tell him “forget it – you’re never going to qualify because you don’t have the right attitude”, might he have moved on in his life rather than stoking his wild west deputy fantasies by carrying a weapon at night and patrolling a suburban neighborhood he regarded as “Dodge City”?
Again, I’m not saying either of these testosterone fueled morons should have been in jail on the night in question. But Trayvon should have had to appear before a judge for his crimes, and Zimmerman should never have had a gun. These outcomes would have greatly increased the probability that Trayvon would still be alive today.
I now submit myself to the opprobrium of "true believers" at both extremes of the spectrum. Have fun with this.
