This is a case that makes me absolutely bewildered.....
1) "Zimmerman is a racist" Irrelevant. If his actions were justified, then they are justified. Everyone has the right to hate anyone they want for any reason they want, so long as they don't act on it in an illegal manner.
2) "Martin is a racist" Irrelevant. He could have been wearing a sign that said 'I hate Crackers & I am a racist'. No one has the right to kill him because of it.
A white kid could wear a KKK outfit with a sign saying 'I hate N*** & I am a racist'. No one has the right to kill him because of it.
The only part of this case where race is relevant is the reaction of the police after the killing.
3) "Zimmerman was/wasn't being attacked by Martin before he shot him" Irrelevant. Zimmerman chased someone. Any reasonable person would feel threatened & thus, Martin had the right to defend himself.
Zimmerman was armed with a lethal weapon. Martin had the right to defend himself by any means necessary
4) "Crazy ass cracker" Irrelevant. See above.
5) All of Rachel Jeantel's testimony. Irrelevant. See above.
6) Martin's DNA. Irrelevant. See above.
All that is relevant is already established as fact. Zimmerman, while armed:
1) Chased
2) Shot
3) Killed
a teenaged boy that was simply walking home.
There is absolutely nothing that could have happened between #1 & #2 that can justify Zimmerman's actions.
Zimmerman created a life & death situation independently & unnecessarily the moment he gave chase while carrying a lethal weapon.
If an armed man chases someone, that person has the right to do whatever they can to survive, be it fight or flight.
If someone has a gun, or any lethal weapon while they are chasing someone--if the person being chased has an opportunity to grab it, not only is that perfectly justified, but I would argue that it is the only reasonable thing to do.
If Martin had a knife, he would have been justified in using it.
If Martin had a gun, he would have been justified in using it.
Martin's life was in danger. He is within his rights to do whatever he needed to do to survive.
