The Trayvon Martin case exposes the legal insanity of Florida’s “stand your ground” law. It does so because it stands the normal presumption of innocent until proven guilty on its head. Martin was a slightly build 17 year old boy walking back through a gated community to his father’s house. He was black, but that is possibly not important. Zimmerman did not recognise him, and decided he was suspicious. He was wearing a “hoodie” with the hood up – hardly surprising in February on a rainy night, but Zimmerman decided he was suspicious anyway. He rang the police and was told not to pursue Martin.
Zimmerman was a heavily build mature male Neighbourhood Watch Captain, and was carrying a 9mm pistol. He ignored the police department advice and stalked Martin on foot. There was an altercation of some sort and Zimmerman shot Martin dead with a bullet in the chest. The police interviewed Zimmerman who told them he “feared for his life” and so they took no further action for 8 weeks, until public opinion forced the State to act. Was it reasonable to assume a slightly build 17 year old being stalked by a heavily built male did not fear for his life? Martin was totally unarmed. Who had the most to fear?
A telephone call made to police by a neighbour recorded high pitched screams for help, followed by the fatal shot. Evidence is inconclusive about the events, but Zimmerman claimed he was calling for help. We will never know what happened, but the “stand your ground” law was interpreted to mean that the prosecution had to prove that Zimmerman was not in fear of his life, not that a totally innocent 17 year old boy might have been in fear of his, being staked in the dark by a large mature male, and decided to try to defend himself. By that logic, anybody could walk into a potentially confrontational situation (with a wife’s lover?) and claim assault causing fear for life, with the perfect excuse for summary execution.
America's top prosecutor has said an investigation into the "tragic, unnecessary" death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin will continue. The justice department last year opened an inquiry into the unarmed black teenager's death, then stood aside to allow Florida's prosecution to proceed.
Civil rights groups have pledged further protests over the verdict. It isn’t the verdict that was wrong (if morally repugnant to some) but rather the ill conceived “cowboy” State legislation that made it inevitable.
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