By Paolo von Schirach
Related story:
July 13, 2013
WASHINGTON – George Zimmerman is not guilty. His trial for the alleged murder of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teen-ager is over. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who carried a gun, got into a fight with Martin after following him on suspicion that Martin could be dangerous. At the time, my position, (see link above to a related story), was that the police had acted too hastily in the very aftermath of the killing. They took Zimmerman at his word. They did not properly investigate the matter, and they let him go.
Civil rights leaders seized the occasion
But then the case was reopened. And this happened because of a national onslaught led by the outraged, (under employed, and now less and less relevant), self-appointed national civil rights leaders. They forced the hand of the Florida authorities. A special prosecutor was appointed, and Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder.
And the ensuing trial became fodder for a gigantic political circus. The killing of this young Black man in Florida was fingered as yet another piece of evidence of how Blacks are routinely victimized nationwide, (and often with impunity), by vicious White racists.
As a general proposition, this is totally false. Sadly, a large number of young Blacks males are killed every day in America. But they are killed for the most part by other Black males. Yes Blacks kill a lot of Blacks, every day. For some reason, though, the indignant civil rights leaders prefer to ignore the real data and the sad truth of rampant Black-on-Black violence. And this is because they make a living by perpetuating the myth of a semi-segregated America in which Blacks are still routinely victimized by vicious Whites, while the authorities look the other way.
Well, Zimmerman’s acquittal (by a jury composed entirely of women) may be used by the same shop worn freedom fighters as further evidence that the anti-Black conspiracy continues. (“They let the murderer go free. Didn’t I tell you that the justice system of White America is still anti-Black?”). But, after a lengthy trial in which the prosecution did its very best to prove that Zimmerman murdered Martin, their case is now a bit shaky.
No more citizens-vigilantes
That said, leaving aside the obvious attempts to use this trial in order to make self-serving political points that are mostly fictitious, my position before the trial and now was and is that Mr. Zimmerman, (along with all the others who act as volunteer vigilantes), should stay at home. They should not be allowed to behave like policemen without having the training or the authority to do so. This whole idea of armed volunteers going around neighborhoods looking for troublemakers is insane. No wonder some of these “searches” end up in tragedy.
Let the police do police work
The Trayvon Martin killing most likely was the result of a tragic misunderstanding. And Martin got killed because Zimmerman had been attacked by him and felt endangered. But probably Martin felt endangered because Zimmerman was following him. Whatever happened in this case, and even though the jury believed that Zimmerman killed in self-defense, the unfortunate encounter between Zimmerman and Martin should not have taken place.
Let the police do police work. Let them patrol neighborhoods. Private citizens trying to behave like an auxiliary police force will end causing more deaths like this one.