Hysteria over what seems to be a particularly egregious crime often leads to a wrongful conviction. The world has seen this many times, but it always seems to forget that lesson when another incident causes outrage, as has the shooting death Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.
The death of an unarmed kid is an obvious tragedy. But no matter how misguided George Zimmerman, the man who shot Martin, might seem, it’s important to keep in mind that everything that occurred that night is not yet known. That’s why the calls from some corners for vengeance before all the facts are known are disturbing. A rush to judgment from stage left is no more palatable than a rush to judgment from stage right, from which they more often come.
Miami Herald columnist Glenn Garvin made that point today, when he wrote:
“I’ve read tens, maybe hundreds, of thousands of words on the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, the South Florida teenager whose shooting death last month at the hands of a neighborhood watch volunteer has become a national symbol of continuing American racism. But in all those words, there are three that haven’t come up that seem worth remembering to me: Duke lacrosse team.” Read more here.
Wrongful Convictions Blog 
Whilst I share your lofty sentiments about deconstructing this tragic death, shorn of ‘race’, prejudice and the slanting of opinions; I ‘think’ the response by the police in setting the machinery of the law in motion – to allow justice take its course – has been rather slow, and at best fitful. That is what has provided this gap that people are cashing in on. Let’s hope justice will prevail at the end. And pretty soon!
Martin,
I couldn’t agree more. You cannot – I repeat CANNOT – try these cases in the media. There is no way “Joe Citizen” can know all the complexities and intricacies of these things. Those of us who are in innocence work know these things are NEVER clear cut. They’re always 10,000 shades of gray.
And I would dearly love to put Nancy Grace on a rocket into outer space.
Phil Locke
I understand what you are trying to get across, but rather it be a racial thing or not I don’t know. What I dont understand is him not getting arrested? They are talking about the stand your ground law, but please explain how this case became a stand your law thing? Zimmerman was stalking this kid, And the reasoning was supposedly that he looked suspicious? Common sense to me is to find out just what a 27 year old is doing stalking a juvenile to begin with? Not to arrest him is sinful, It’s like saying to the world “It’s ok to go out and stalk and kill whoever you don’t like” The stand your ground in this should not even apply. I know a man that literally got charged for murder 30 minutes after calling 911,. He was defending himself and his home from an intruder. This guy was stalking the kid for a reason and that alone should have made the cops arrest him and find out. Much less not arrest him for murder? I don’t get it.