The People Versus George Zimmerman - Not Guilty, but No Winners

When I learned of the not guilty verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman, my first reaction was one of sympathy for the family of Trayvon Martin, which was dealt a life sentence of pain, never to know precisely what happened on that fateful night because the only individual that is alive to tell the story is the person that shot their son to death.

From all that I have read, I believe that Mr. Zimmerman stereotyped the victim as a troublemaker and potential criminal, assuming that he was "up to no good" in roaming around what Zimmerman saw as his neighborhood.  He confronted Martin and a fight ensued, a conflict which resulted in a death because Zimmerman had a gun, something which neighborhood watch participants are not to carry.  The jury, which sifted through a mountain of testimony and evidence, obviously concluded that Zimmerman acted in self-defense, that it was his voice heard on tape crying for help.  Its verdict must be accepted.

The outcome in the case creates no winners.  The Martin family has lost a son under the worst circumstances and George Zimmerman, who will always be believed guilty of murder by many, can go nowhere within this country without being recognized and disparaged.

The nation, which has followed the case with intense interest, is left to wonder what would have happened had George Zimmerman left police work to the police as a dispatcher had asked him to do.  It is a sad day for all involved in the case.