George Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, according to a CNN article. Zimmerman surrendered himself to Florida authorities early Wednesday evening and was promptly arrested. He was suspected of shooting Martin in a hate crime. Martin was en route to his father’s fiancée’s house in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26 when Zimmerman, a Hispanic neighborhood watch volunteer, grew suspicious of Martin’s behavior. Zimmerman called 911, informing the dispatcher that a suspicious black male was walking around the neighborhood. A confrontation between Zimmerman and Martin followed, during which Zimmerman shot and killed Martin.When police arrived on the scene, Zimmerman said he had acted in self-defense. He was taken into custody by responding officers, but later released on the grounds that there was not enough evidence to disprove his claim.
Many people consider Zimmerman’s arrest long overdue. It is surprising that with the amount of protests held and commentary exchanged in favor of Martin that Zimmerman’s arrest did not occur sooner. The lack of scrutiny toward Zimmerman during the arrest and the questions surrounding his motives make it clear that the incident should have been investigated much more promptly.
Another surprising aspect of this case is that it is referred to as the “Trayvon Martin case.” Traditionally, widely publicized cases such as this one are titled after the defendant’s name. Martin, however, is the deceased victim. Calling it the “Trayvon Martin case” raises questions about race and why the media do not refer to the “George Zimmerman case.” Another time a criminal case titled after the victim was the Rodney King case in the early 1990s. It is especially interesting to note that similar to the Martin case, the King case dealt with issues surrounding race.
Looking forward, it will be interesting to see how Zimmerman sympathizers respond to his arrest. There has been a notable online presence arguing that Zimmerman should not face charges, questioning Martin’s private life in the process.With this in mind, it will be interesting to see how the race question and self-defense claim continue to pan out. One would like to think that in light of the Martin incident, authorities might respond more promptly to future incidents, particularly those with potential racist undertones. What we do know is Martin’s death sheds light on the fact that race remains a complex and possibly misunderstood issue.
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Yes, in a perfect world, loud boisterous protests and profligate social angst should result in immediate arrest and incarceration of any and all involved. In anything. It is unfortunate that only the North Koreans, Iranians and occassionally the Chinese live in ‘that’ kind of perfect world. All Americans outside the confines of Guantanamo Bay live under the aegis of that pesky little thing we like to call a Constitution. While we can definitely try the accussed (or is that accused?) in the court of public opinion, it is possible that (on the ‘q.t.’) Seal Team Six is somewhere on the horizon waiting to swoop in and take care of the miscreant for us. That way, both the Constitution and the possibility of a really good movie of the week are protected.
Thanks to the Fourth Estate and their homeowners association, who I’m sure have a Zimmerman of their own on neighborhood watch.