My blood is boiling.
“We are taking a beating over this,” said Lee, who defends the investigation. “This is all very unsettling. I’m sure if George Zimmerman had the opportunity to relive Sunday, Feb. 26, he’d probably do things differently. I’m sure Trayvon would, too.”
Seriously? Seriously?
What exactly should Trayvon Martin have done differently? Not walked to the store? Not worn a hoodie?
There is something very, very wrong in Sanford, Florida. And I’m beginning to think what happened to Trayvon Martin is related to how the Sanford Police run their department. I’m beginning to think that George Zimmerman knew, if faced with what happened on February 26th, he’d get off… maybe even get a pat on the back, or a medal. And if he had actually shot and killed a “bad guy” he’d probably be heralded as a hero today. And that is a frightening thought. Far too often stories of a heroic citizen gunman are touted as the reason why guns are good, while stories of gun tragedies are dismissed as isolated incidents that shouldn’t be considered in the equation.
The article I’ve linked to is interesting. It looks to me that George Zimmerman was a man on a mission, and that mission turned into an obsession in which he viewed himself as the law. He became a vigilante. He became one the second he ignored the 911 dispatcher’s instructions and got out of his car.
On the released 911 calls Zimmerman says the following:
“These assholes always get away,” he says to the operator. Zimmerman is then heard giving directions to the dispatcher. “Shit, he’s running,” Zimmerman says.
“Are you following him?” the dispatcher asks.
“Yes,” Zimmerman responds.
“We don’t need you to do that,” the dispatcher says.
The line “These assholes always get away” tells me that Zimmerman has already assumed the role of judge and jury and has found Trayvon Martin guilty of… what?
But take a close look at the “Shit, he’s running” comment. While it appears Trayvon’s running signals guilt in Zimmerman’s mind – and I am assuming this based on the negative nature of the expletive preceding his words – there is another explanation for Trayvon’s running.
Simply, it’s what we parents teach our children when it comes to strangers. We tell them to be aware of their surroundings, to be suspicious of people they don’t know approaching them, or following them, and, most importantly, we tell them to run.
Here’s one more thing to consider – One of the stated reasons Zimmerman called 911:
According to 911 recordings released late Friday by Sanford police, Zimmerman said the person was walking slowly, looked drugged and appeared to be looking at people’s houses. [emphasis mine]
So… it seems Trayvon was guilty of “walking slowing” and “running.” I’m really not sure what Trayvon could have done to escape Zimmerman’s attention that night. In my opinion, Zimmerman cast himself as judge, jury and executioner… and the Sanford Police have sanctioned his actions.