In a disgusting if not surprising development, George Zimmerman has been found not guilty of killing Trayvon Martin. For coverage, see here.
Discuss, post links, etc below.
EDIT: This is a troll-free thread. If you’re coming here to gloat over the verdict, to use the verdict as an excuse to trash women or feminism, or post racist garbage, don’t. If you want to argue that the verdict was just and/or we live in a post-racial society, go somewhere else. None of us are in the mood for that bullshit.
“You too, huh? My initial urge was to snap back about this really not being the right time for that kind of crap. The laws invoked in this case are shitty laws that need to be changed, but even taking that into account if anyone thinks this would have gone the same way if the races had been reversed I’m going to have to quote the old cliche about there being a fool born every minute at them.”
I agree. This verdict just makes me sneer more at people who think we live in some post-racist society. And even more so at those idiots who say that black people have “black privilege.”
I’m a writer and even so I’m not sure if I can come up with words to express just how much contempt I feel towards people like that.
And to clarify on my earlier comment (since it seems a bit ambiguous): what I’m getting very annoyed by is this absurd and completely misguided focus on saying “Well, legally it was the right ruling!” among some people I know. As if somehow if it’s legal then everything is completely fine.
It’d be one thing if they followed it with “… which shows our laws are WRONG,” but they never do, do they?
Things like this, honestly, are why I have very little faith in our law system. In fact, it’s hard for me to be fond of any law system out there (not only because of my political views but also because they’re just as bigoted as our other social institutions.)
“It’d be one thing if they followed it with “… which shows our laws are WRONG,” but they never do, do they?”
One guy I know said that the verdict makes sense legally, and I definitely disagree, but at least he made it clear that he thinks Zimmerman was wrong.
News like this is very depressing, but I’m just trying to tell myself that we can all change this. Things like this aren’t permanent, and to paraphrase someone on Feministe, one of the biggest lies told by oppressive systems is that they can never be dismantled.
Okay I am trying to avoid over-commenting but
This is what I am saying, is what I am saying. Thank you for saying it better than I did.
Bwahaha, why am I not surprised that the manboobz losers are upset with this (straightforward, correct, evident) verdict.
You people are hopeless degenerates. There’s just no getting through to you, no matter what the topic-du-jour is.
“I can’t believe there are actually people fixated on the “legal correctness” of this verdict.”
I’ve already tussled with one of those. Fuck them and the horse they rode in on.
I feel sick.
“You people are hopeless degenerates. There’s just no getting through to you”
Yeah, yeah. That means jackshit, coming from a chucklefuck who’s laughing about the acquittal of a man who murdered an unarmed 17 year old kid.
Go play in traffic, troll.
“Straightforward, correct, evident” – yeah, I think it’s appropriate for you to fuck off now.
Today sucks. Here is David Attenborough saying “Boo!” to a sloth, if that helps.
Also, one time my father saw me wearing a hoodie and actually fucking told me that I should be careful or else I’ll be killed just like Zimmerman.
I need a break from awful people in real life.
I’ve emailed the Dark Lord.
@cloudiah
The funny thing is, I didn’t even think this was going to be different, I just thought that this was so beyond the pale, that the justice system wasn’t racist enough to let it slide. Yet, here we are.
@J
I don’t think it’s possible to be melodramatic about something like this. If I saw someone rending their clothes in the street over this verdict I’d probably just give them a hug of solidarity.
@anonymous
Yes, yes, totally evident. And I’m sure your hand will move just as fast on your genitals should it ever be a Zimmerman at the other end of the barrel.
anonymous, you are a terrible person, who sees a 17-year-old murdered and thinks “Well, how can I use this against feminists?” I hope you get a heaping dose of self-awareness some day, and it stops you cold.
This should be a troll-free thread.
Yeah, so, the verdict was legally correct. What does that mean? It means it’s okay to stalk an unarmed black teenager with a gun, then either confront him or freak him out to the point that he confronts you, and shoot him. It means all of that is 100% legal.
And you’re saying you’re OK with that, you’re not interested in talking about changing the law? Right. And now you’re going to get upset that someone called you a racist.
“This should be a troll-free thread.”
I second this.
Degenerates – the people who don’t like it when kids are murdered for the terrible crime of being black and carrying candy.
Upstanding citizens – the trolls who revel in other people’s pain.
Go fuck yourself with a rusty chainsaw, anon.
Briznecko, people suck and I hate them. And that woman needs to give her head a shake to dislodge her cruelty.
As for this…”Bwahaha, why am I not surprised that the manboobz losers are upset with this (straightforward, correct, evident) verdict.
You people are hopeless degenerates. There’s just no getting through to you, no matter what the topic-du-jour is.”
How singularly brave of you to come here anonymously to tell us so. What a refreshing constant.
Thirded. Though, I think it speaks to how fuckin awful this verdict is that people blatantly trolling barely evoke a shoulder shrug from me. That being said anon, I would not be disappointed to hear that you stepped on a rusty nail while walking away from your keyboard to get some kleenex.
@Sittie, that’s the problem with self-defense laws. They don’t care how the situation came to be. They only care that, in the moment, you were legitimately fearful for your life. To quote Emily Bazelon’s article at Slate ” The jury could have faulted Zimmerman for starting the altercation with Martin and still believed him not guilty of murder, or even of manslaughter, which in Florida is a killing that has no legal justification. If the jury believed that once the physical fight began, Zimmerman reasonably feared he would suffer a grave bodily injury, then he gets off for self-defense.”
Again, not that any of this means that the verdict was just in any way. Legality and justice are often totally different things (Japanese internment, slavery, everything the Soviets did, and so on). Not knowing the man, I can’t be sure if he’s evil, but he’s done something monstrous, and his defenders are inexcusable. There are people out there tonight celebrating that a man shot an innocent teenager and faced no legal penalties.
Because teenagers with Skittles are so terrifying.
If this is the way this thread is going to go down then I’m out.
He fucking stalked that boy and it gets called self defence? Bullshit.