Zimmerman not guilty?

[[deleted user]]

Have to say I'm not surprised. I mean this is the United States. The life of a white guy is always going to mean more to this country than a non white one.

But to get off with nothing? I mean hell is literally on earth if you ask me.

I pray for every family involved, and hope both sides can find peace, whether its deserved or not.

[A.D.]

It's very upsetting. I haven't been following the trial as I didn't like the way a lot of people have been reporting it, but I don't think that even Zimmerman's supporters can deny the fact that if he had done what the police told him to do instead of following Trayvon, that beautiful boy would still be alive. Justice definitely has not been served in this case.

[[deleted user]]

I don't think there's ever a right reason to take the life of another person. I have lost the little faith I had left in the law system.

[A.D.]

I agree, there is never a right reason to take the life of another person. The other thing that upsets me is that (and correct me if I'm wrong) I don't think Zimmerman has ever made any kind of apology to Trayvon's parents for the death of their son. Whether he acted in self-defence, as he claims, he should at least apologise or show some kind of remorse for the fact that someone died as a result of his actions. The whole thing is just very upsetting. The stand your ground law has definitely been misused. He would have had no reason to stand his ground, as he claims, if he hadn't followed Trayvon in the first place.

[Crystal]

No matter what the court said he is most definitely guilty of unnecessary killing. He had no business getting out of his vehicle or assuming that Trayvon was up to no good because he was a black teenager. It makes me sad for all of our children that so many in our society are still stuck in this type of thinking.

[A.D.]

Crystal wrote: "No matter what the court said he is most definitely guilty of unnecessary killing. He had no business getting out of his vehicle or assuming that Trayvon was up to no good because he was a black te..."

I know, the whole thing is just upsetting and unfortunately there doesn't seem to be anything that can be done now apart from a civil suit.

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

What I'm upset about is how Trayvon has been the one put on trial and not Zimmerman. Because Trayvon wasn't the "perfect" teenager, somehow he deserved to be murdered. As if seventeen year-old kids don't do stupid things like take stupid pictures or smoke weed (and sadly many do, we have to be honest about that). It seems that this society has become all about blaming the victim and feeling sorry for the perpetrator.

It was raining, why wouldn't he have his hoodie up? He was talking on the phone. Ever watch people talking on the phone and walking? They seldom pay attention where they're going. I've seen people walk straight into telephone poles and keep right on talking. He was scared of some crazy guy following him (like anyone would), why wouldn't he react in fight or flight mode? Zimmerman instigated the entire incident and should have been held accountable for it. And nothing annoys me more than people trying to say it wasn't about race. It was and we should be honest enough to admit we have a problem still.

[Crystal]

TheFountainPenDiva wrote: "What I'm upset about is how Trayvon has been the one put on trial and not Zimmerman. Because Trayvon wasn't the "perfect" teenager, somehow he deserved to be murdered. As of seventeen year-old kids..."

Exactly. From my blog post earlier this morning, "There are so many people who are shaking my faith in humanity. When reporting on the acquittal, Geraldo Rivera said again, "If you dress like a thug, people will treat you like a thug." Unfortunately it seems many in our country agree with him. This is a classic case of blaming the victim, but it is also just plain false. My teenage son practically lives in hoodies. He is not treated like a thug. The key factor is that he is white. The true crime here is assuming that people from specific races that "dress like thugs" deserve to be killed.

Anyone claiming that this event has nothing to do with race is in denial. We have to do better as a society. As a mother, as an educator, as a human being, I want the world we live in to be better than than this."

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

Having been around surfers pretty much all my life, they wear hoodies. This is not a new fashion phenomenon or something. I see joggers and walkers (including myself) in hoodies. My nieces have them in practically every color in the book. The hoodie thing is just a lame excuse for people to focus on so they don't have to examine their bigotry.

[[deleted user]]

I wish I could say there is good in all humanity but it is just not true.

Even my boyfriend is in denial that this is a racial injustice issue. I want to say I can't blame him , but I can no longer use him being white as an excuse for assuming that when white and black is associated in a crime this heinous , that it is not racial.

I definitely think in any race they belong to, you hope there is more good than bad associated with your background. Whenever something bad happens, I always think to myself " I hope they're not black/ Latino. Maybe I'm slightly ignorant for this. But so much negative is associated with us, it doesn't seem level, and it's definitely not equal.

So many people I've realized live in a fantasy world where racism is no longer a factor, because they do not experience it.

But it is alive and well when an unarmed man can be shot and killed by a man attacking him. It is alive when two people can murder you based on the fact they think you're Japanese(Vincent Chen ). It is alive when you can be shot in the back with little resistance , be filmed while dying and still not receive justice ( Oscar grant).

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

I think the reason some white people don't believe this was about race isn't necessarily blindness. It's this sense of "didn't we deal with this stuff already?" during the 50's and 60's. Many thought racism ended with signing all those civil rights laws. They also see racism in stark terms like the Klan/neo-Nazis/etc. They don't understand the subtleties of racism and that the overall system has never been fully dismantled.

[[deleted user]]

I'm trying to school my boyfriend and I know it's not an overnight process XD.

I'm surprised that he could be dating me and be so uncomfortable discussing race.

I can probably help it, but I know that when injustice is involved I choose to see it being racial , because with people of color, it often is.

As a person of color, I have a natural fear of the police. Mind you I haven't don't many illegal things, outside of stealing a pack of lion king trading cards, which I got caught for, and choose not to ever do anything. But out law system and people whom police them often do not have people who look like me's interest in mind.

But there are things as a person of color , I've just been taught opposed to my white male counterpart. I don't say white female, because with the manifold of rapes and murders that are often reported and never prosecuted, women of any race basically have no rights when men are involved.

I don't think it's fair to blame anyone but bigots, racists, or any other human beings that choose to stereotype, but there are so many practices we as Americans do not question.

We need to start opening up when we see injustice in any form. Just because we can't relate to it, doesn't mean we should ignore injustice.

[A.D.]

Guinevere wrote: "I'm trying to school my boyfriend and I know it's not an overnight process XD.

I'm surprised that he could be dating me and be so uncomfortable discussing race.

I can probably help it, but I know..."

I don't think the verdict was about race as within the confines of the law the jury couldn't convict Zimmerman of murder or manslaughter because they probably believed that at the time that Zimmerman pulled the trigger (during the physical altercation that took place) he probably believed that his life was in danger. But the reason why he targeted, then followed Trayvon, and entered into a confrontation with him in the first place was all about race and the negative stereotypes that most people hold regarding young black males.