It’s been a few days since the verdict. Some protests, with a few that turned violent. Not quite the large scale riots some were afraid (and some seemed hopeful) would occur. Now the Justice Department has announced its own new investigation to determine if Zimmerman violated Martin’s civil rights.
There has been some great analysis of the trial itself over at Legal Insurrection, and Michael Bane did an excellent post-verdict analysis.
Here’s my own takeaways:
1. There is a large segment of the population that will latch onto the racist narrative and will use any and all tropes to retain that narrative in the face of contravening evidence. I could argue against the “racial profiling” trope or the “He should have stayed in the car” trope, or the “Zimmerman is a liar and the only one who could tell the truth is dead” trope, but there’s no point. It’s very much like arguing with any other flavor of conspiracy theorist, from anti-vaxers, to 9/11 Truthers, to moon landing hoaxers. The difference is that this will see wider belief and become part of our fight to preserve self-defense in its current form.
2. As much as I hate it, this case has reinforced that it is utmost I look after my own. That suspicious person walking in the neighborhood? I might call the cops, but I can’t afford to do anything that might escalate it to a deadly-force encounter.
3. This case will most likely cost someone their life. Not in some form of retaliatory shooting, but because someone will let themselves be killed rather than chance that they are the next to be dragged in front of the racial lynch mobs drummed up by the professional racists and their sycophantic media. It might be someone who doesn’t pull the trigger, but more likely someone who decides against arming him/herself.
I personally believe the jury made the correct call based on the evidence presented and an understanding of self-defense. I also believe we will be fighting the urban legends that come out of this trial for years to come.