The Zimmerman Verdict - Deja Vu All Over Again?

Following both sides of the courtroom arguments from the George Zimmerman trial, it would seem likely that America's most infamous "white-Hispanic" will be found not guilty of second-degree murder. Sensing this, the defense has now successfully pushed for an additional manslaughter charge against Zimmerman. This struck me as a bit odd as it's usually the defense who will plea down to a lesser charge.

With the imminent conclusion of the trial, people continue to speculate what type of reaction will follow the jury's verdict. Police departments in Florida have already begun preparations in the event riots should break out after a Zimmerman not-guilty decision. One local police department has even started running public service ads encouraging people not to go burning the city down. And the Miami-Dade PD has been readying "First Amendment Zones". Isn't the whole country a First Amendment Zone? 

Adding to this craziness, our politically correct society often walks on eggshells during times like this. So, instead of saying "riot" or "senseless violence", we candy-coat it it by calling it "civil unrest" or a "mass protest". It's almost like we're supposed to excuse, or even accept, this criminal nonsense.

And let's not forget that the Sanford Police Department originally determined that there wasn't enough evidence to charge George Zimmerman. It was only after the media stirred up a story of a "white man" gunning down a innocent black teen, along with heavy political pressure, that Zimmerman was even put on trial. Also, note that there was no traditional Grand Jury indictment of Zimmerman. This process was bypassed by the special prosecutor in this case. Technically, this is legal because Zimmerman was "only" being charged with 2nd degree murder. However, there is little doubt that political pressure was the real reason that the special prosecutor decided to bypass the Grand Jury. When the President himself chimes in on the case and says that "if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon", you know that things have gotten political. The point that I'm trying to make is that, due to public outcry and pressure, George Zimmerman was indeed put on trial. So, shouldn't we let justice take it's course and accept the outcome at this point?

This bizarre scenario brings back recent memories of both the Rodney King and OJ Simpson incidents. Along the same lines as these two infamous trials, race has been a major factor in the Zimmerman trial. The media stirred things up from the beginning by describing Zimmerman as a "white man". This automatically perked up the ears of the usual race hustlers. And throughout the trial, there have been numerous attempts to portray Zimmerman as an aggressive racist. Personally, when I see the defense playing the race card, it tells me that they probably don't have much of a case. Let's face it, OJ Simpson walked away from a double murder because the defense team made the LAPD (most notably, Mark Furman) out to be racists. Ironically, Simpson, a black man, murdered two white people in this case.

After the verdicts of the LAPD/Rodney King and OJ Simpson trials, we saw two completely different reactions. When the four LAPD cops were acquitted of police brutality against Rodney King, all hell broke loose around LA. The media doesn't like to report it, but 53 people were killed and over 2000 were injured in the LA riots of 1992. Who can ever forget the images of Reginald Denny being pulled from his truck and having his skull bashed in by four thugs. Where was the public outrage on that graphic display of senseless violence and blatant racism?

At the conclusion of the OJ Simpson trial, there were also concerns about violent reactions in the event that Simpson was found guilty. Of course, Simpson wasn't found guilty. And as a result, there were no reports of violence. In fact, many blacks reacted quite differently and actually celebrated. I saw it firsthand. You would have thought that the Orioles had just won the World Series. What the hell was there to celebrate? The guy had just walked away from a double murder!

So, here we are, once again, trying to predict what will happen at the outcome of another racially charged and highly publicized trial. Although, we've seen opposing scenarios in the past, you can never quite predict how these things will pan out. If Zimmerman walks, will there be a violent outburst in Sanford reminiscent of LA in 1992? Or if Zimmerman happens to be found guilty, will this be reason to strike up the band and start dancing in the street?

Ideally, I hope there's a satisfactory outcome for all. But somehow, I don't see that happening....

kw