As our nation attempts to move on from the outcome of the George Zimmerman “not guilty” verdict, there are undoubtedly those who have lost faith in the American justice system. In the court of law, according to all the technicalities, it is difficult to find fault in the jury’s decision.
With legalities aside, however, this was a case that was seemingly — for lack of better wording — black and white. And the facts of reality and morality remain: one individual had a gun, and one did not. One individual approached and provoked, and one did not.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said that, “Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice, and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress.” We have reached that point. “The point in history,” once declared by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, “at which we stand is full of promise and danger. The world will either move forward toward unity and widely shared prosperity — or it will move apart.”
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I had lost faith in humanity throughout the course of the Zimmerman trial, and more so in the hours that followed the verdict. Yesterday, in spite of that, as thousands of people all over the country took to the streets, highways, bridges and landmarks, alike, I was reassured that hope still remains for us. Individuals morphed into masses, of all races and backgrounds, uniting for one common purpose.
As images of the thousands marching began to surface, I found myself overcome with emotion. Those displays were symbolic, historical in a sense. And although I personally don’t feel justice was served — as do I have the right — I don’t find Trayvon Martin’s murder to be for not; citing yesterday’s events. For I strongly believe in any advocation that can unite our divided nation.
Regardless, people will hold on to their positions, as they pertained to this case, no matter what moral points are proven. Thus, I pose this question to Zimmerman supporters: Have you at least considered the moral element of the entire event? After all, it was Aristotle who once said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
Signed,
Sirelle