Much has been spoken and written about the verdict in George Zimmerman's trial and the death of Trayvon Martin. Because it does not fall within the issues of the indigent criminal justice system or capital punishment, I have generally not linked to very much coverge. An exception was President Obama's comments last Friday.
"A Verdict, Shame and a Gun," is Jeanne Bishop's essay at Huffington Post. You've seen some of her work noted here in the past. She is a public defender and human rights activist. She is also a victim's advocate, having lost a sister to murder years ago. She brings extraordinary perspective to all that she does. Here's the beginning:
I am a public defender, so I looked at the George Zimmerman trial mostly through the eyes of a criminal defense attorney. It was all about the evidence, proof beyond a reasonable doubt. At the end of the trial, I thought the jurors should acquit. I wasn't surprised when they did.
An acquittal is not a vindication of all the defendant did; it does not erase the tragedy of the harm that occurred. To my lawyer's mind, it simply meant that the State had failed to meet its heavy burden of proof. I understood the outrage that greeted the verdict, but I didn't feel it myself.
That changed when I heard this: George Zimmerman wants his gun back. The 9mm pistol he was carrying the night he killed Trayvon Martin, the gun that took a young man's life. Zimmerman wants that very same gun back. He wants it back even though he is free to buy another weapon, a new and different one. That is as much an indictment of his character as anything his trial brought out.
Earlier news of Jeanne Bishop and her advocacy is at the link. You can also find out more about Bishop and her writings at Huffington Post.
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