Answering the question as to whether or not I think the case was handled properly provides little challenge when considering the basics: a young man was killed, the person who killed the young man was tried by a jury, and the accused was acquitted of the crime. In essence, the criminal justice system worked when viewing this case from that overarching perspective, but when we consider how we got from the death of Trayvon Martin to the acquittal of George Zimmerman, I am of the opinion the case was not handled properly and this brings me to the challenge of explaining "Why not."
Neither Zimmerman following Martin, nor Martin walking through the neighborhood, constituted a crime. Although I am of the opinion that Zimmerman should have ceased following Martin when the dispatcher told him to do so, the fact he continued is not a crime as he was not legally obligated …show more content…
By presenting the case to a Grand Jury, I believe the political backlash could have been avoided. Had the Grand Jury chosen to indict, Zimmerman could have argued self-defense in front of a jury, as he eventually did so successfully. Conversely, had the Grand Jury chose not to indict Zimmerman, it would have been the collective opinion of a body of local citizens making that determination as opposed to a State's Attorney who was easily portrayed to be motivated by personal opinion. Reference
French, David. "Conservatives and the Trayvon Martin Case: Has the right rushed to the wrong judgment?" Commentary, June 2012, p. 51+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A291355219/OVIC?u=tel_a_bethelc&xid=682d6bf9. Accessed 28 July 2017. Trotta, D. (2012, April 3). Trayvon Martin: Before the world heard the cries. Reuters. Retrieved from:
Neither Zimmerman following Martin, nor Martin walking through the neighborhood, constituted a crime. Although I am of the opinion that Zimmerman should have ceased following Martin when the dispatcher told him to do so, the fact he continued is not a crime as he was not legally obligated …show more content…
By presenting the case to a Grand Jury, I believe the political backlash could have been avoided. Had the Grand Jury chosen to indict, Zimmerman could have argued self-defense in front of a jury, as he eventually did so successfully. Conversely, had the Grand Jury chose not to indict Zimmerman, it would have been the collective opinion of a body of local citizens making that determination as opposed to a State's Attorney who was easily portrayed to be motivated by personal opinion. Reference
French, David. "Conservatives and the Trayvon Martin Case: Has the right rushed to the wrong judgment?" Commentary, June 2012, p. 51+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A291355219/OVIC?u=tel_a_bethelc&xid=682d6bf9. Accessed 28 July 2017. Trotta, D. (2012, April 3). Trayvon Martin: Before the world heard the cries. Reuters. Retrieved from: