On July 13th 2013, George Zimmerman was acquitted for second-degree murder and manslaughter. He had admitted to shooting and killing Treyvon Martin. Yet, under Florida’s laws surrounding justifiable homicide, the act of killing in self-defense also known as the “stand your ground” law, Mr. Zimmerman was not found guilty.
Many people in New York and across the country were outraged by the acquittal of Mr. Zimmerman. However, the laws in New York are different than those in Florida. In New York, for a person to get away with justifiable homicide, they need to have attempted to retreat from the conflict; manslaughter has to be the only possible action left. Only then is it “justifiable.” Down in Florida, a person in danger does not have to attempt to retreat, they just need to be in danger. This is known as the “stand-your-ground” law. Since the attempt to retreat is not mandatory, the act of killing in self-defense is no longer an action that comes as a last-resort. This is where I believe Mr. Zimmerman got off.
George Zimmerman should have been convicted. He openly admitted to shooting Mr. Martin. Zimmerman told his side of the story while Mr. Martin’s story was never presented. This is where the truth gets hazy. Everyone called to the witness stand “swore to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” However, two opposite views have emerged, and are both “true.” Now that Mr. Zimmerman has won his case, his story about the crime becomes fact from a legal standpoint, but the truth will never be known.
Following the verdict of the Zimmerman trial, protesters marched on the state capital demanding a special session of legislature to repeal the “stand your ground” law. The final vote to go into a special session for the “stand-your-ground” law was 108 against the session, and 47 for the session. So for now, the laws will remain as they are: Mr. Zimmerman is not legally guilty. But no one knows how long the people of the United States will be angry about the outcome of the trial. That is just a fact of life.
