On The Zimmerman Case

Like many I was saddened to hear the verdict handed down in the Trayvon Martin / George Zimmerman case.

My thing is, none of this would have ever happened if Zimmerman hadn't taken the law into his own hands and followed Trayvon. I listened to his 911 call and the dispatcher clearly told him that they didn't need him to follow Trayvon. Plain and simple.

But no. Zimmerman felt, as the "neighborhood watch" guy, that he should instantly become a cop and pursue this young man despite the dispatchers already sending police officers to the area. It's amazing to me how one little decision could have impacted the entire situation.

What upset me even more than the verdict was how the two defense attorneys, Don West and Mark O'Mara, gloated the entire time after the verdict. I watched their press conference and they didn't give condolences to the Martin family once. Instead, in my opinion, they seemed to have made it out like Zimmerman was the true victim.

Additionally, O'Mara remarked that if his client were black "he never would've been charged with a crime" despite being advised not to bring race into post-trial discussions. 

Another issue I had was the treatment of star witness Rachel Jeantel, who was Trayvon's friend. After her testimony, many people took to social media to criticize her. 

That included struggling Olympian, Lolo Jones, who's known more for her off-the-field controversies and athletic inconsistency than her successes as an Olympian. In a tweet, Jones compared Jeantel to Tyler Perry's "Madea" character saying, "Rachel Jeantel looked so irritated during the cross-examination that I burned it on DVD and I'm going to sell it as Madea goes to court." 

The tweet has since been deleted but that didn't stop people from admonishing Jones for her actions, especially given the situation Jeantel was thrown into at the young age of 19.

I can go on and on about this case but I think I'll leave it at that for now. I, along with many others, was heartbroken by the outcome. Despite being found not guilty, George Zimmerman will never be free. He'll have to live with this for the rest of his life regardless of whether it was "self-defense" or not.

Reflections will continue to support the Martin family and I ask that everyone please pray for them as they continue to go through this difficult time.