Situation With Trayvon’s Murder Assumes Look Of Low Comedy – OpEd
By VOR
By Vladimir Gladkov
The shocking story with the murder of black teenager Trayvon Martin, who was killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman is beginning to look like a low comedy.
Despite the outbreak of indignation in the US society the murderer of the black teenager is still free. Although it is clear from the evidence provided by the witnesses and experts that Zimmerman lied to the police, the authorities of Florida have not brought charges against him.
It seems that by acting so the US authorities are trying to undermine Americans’ trust in the US legal system. This is the only absurd explanation of the reluctance of the authorities to arrest the murderer.
On February 26, Zimmerman, a self-proclaimed leader of the local Neighborhood Watch movement attacked a 17-year old black teenager Trayvon Martin, who was returning from a shop to the house of his father’s new family where he temporarily stayed.
Before chasing Martin Zimmerman called the 911 service and told the operator that he had noticed a “suspicions guy” and was going to detain him. As it turned out later the main reasons for detaining Martin were his skin and the hoodie he wore. The record of the conversations with the 911 service proves that Zimmerman used racist remarks when describing Martin. Zimmerman ignored the words of the operator who tried to talk him out of the chase. On trying to detain the teenager Zimmerman shot from his pistol killing the guy on the spot. When police officers arrived at the scene of the crime, Zimmerman told them that he shot Martin in self-defense after the teenager attacked him.
The strangest thing in this story is that despite numerous journalist investigations, video and audio records, reports from the witnesses which proved that Zimmerman had lied, the authorities of Florida are not hurrying to bring charges against him. Moreover it has turned out that the local judicial agencies also lied trying for some reason to protect Zimmerman. In particular, the local police officers said that Zimmerman had not been detained thanks to his good reputation. But according to the local WFTV news agency, in 2005, Zimmerman was arrested for attacking a police officer.
The representatives of different circles of the US society as well as politicians and show biz stars have expressed their support to Martin’s family demanding justice from the authorities. American Congressman Bobby Rush during a session in Congress put on a hoodie expressing his solidarity with the family of the killed teenager and thousands of his supporters.
There were some awkward situations as well. For example, a well-known film director Spike Lee posted Zimmerman’s address in his Twitter. Soon it turned out that it was an elderly couple who lived there. The storm of threats ensued forcing the two to move out.
Meanwhile Zimmerman, who also had to change his residence, has decided to outdo the authorities in their striving for absurdness and launched a website to collect donations in his support. This website can only enrage thousands of people who are demanding Zimmerman’s arrest. In his statement written against the background with the US flag Zimmerman thanks his supporters and promises that the truth will win. He is also urges his potential supporters to be carful and not to use fake website and to transfer money right to his account. The launch of the website shows that Zimmerman is absolutely inadequate person who is incapable of choosing the right tactics for his defense. But what the authorities of Florida authorities are thinking about refusing to bring charges against him is still a mystery. The trial is needed not only to punish the murderer but also to save the reputation of the entire system of the US justice which is shrinking in the easy of the global community.
Based on the repeated and excruciating screams heard a minute or so before the shot is fired, Zimmerman had the opportunity not to shoot Martin. Since he shot him anyway, the prosecutor has enough evidence to bring a murder charge — this is so even if we assume that Zimmerman was initially punched and knocked down. Martin’s “help, help” pleas show that Zimmerman later got the upper hand, and could have waited for the police make the arrest. Instead, he shot an unarmed man pleading for help. This is enough to show criminal intent and a murder charge is therefore in order.
As for race, it had nothing to do with Zimmerman’s decision to shoot — though it may have been a factor in his pursuing Martin at the outset. It certainly was a factor in the perfunctory investigation that followed. Nonetheless, Zimmerman, did not shoot Martin because he was black. He shot him because he was angry. So angry, in fact, that he could not hear Martin’s desperate pleas for help.
Great anger, even when provoked, does not justify the killing of another human being.