Menu
- Deadly rural roads and securing a safe ride home (12/17/24)
- The fall of Assad: A sobering lesson in pragmatism (12/13/24)
- Finding transparency in TEEOSA (12/12/24)
- In with a heavy hand, and out with a whisper (12/10/24)
- Applauding leadership that listens: a triumph for local representation (12/6/24)
- Are elected officials above the law? (12/4/24)
- Shopping tips to reduce holiday stress (11/29/24)
Editorial
Mob rule vs. rule of law in the Trayvon Martin case
Thursday, April 12, 2012
What's the difference between mob rule and the rule of law?
The Trayvon Martin killing is blurring the lines.
For those in the trenches, the Florida case probably feels like the former. For those with a vested interest in allegations of racism, the latter may be a hinderance.
If there's a villain in the case, other than perhaps the shooter in question, it's the broadcast editor who first cut out the 9-11 operator's questions to make George Zimmerman sound like a racist. That turned a tragic case into a national scandal.
According to reports, Trayvon Martin, 17, was returning from a convenience store with a bottle of iced tea and bag of candy when he was confronted by Zimmerman, armed contrary to Neighborhood Watch guidelines and acting against the police dispatcher's directions.
Zimmerman said Martin attacked him, and was shot in an act of self-defense. Police said he was bleeding from the nose and had a wound on the back of his head.
Nevertheless, he was handcuffed and taken to the police department, where he was released after questioning, because police said they didn't have enough evidence to contradict his assertion of self-defense. The lead homicide investigator reportedly said he did not believe it was self-defense and wanted to charge Zimmerman with manslaughter, but the state attorney's office, keeping Florida's Stand Your Ground law in mind, said there was insufficient evidence for a conviction.
Following the public outcry, triggered in part by the inaccurate reporting cited above, a special prosecutor announced Wednesday that Zimmerman would be charged with second-degree murder.
Zimmerman didn't do himself any favors by going public on the Internet and cutting off his attorneys. And, Florida authorities are in the difficult position of breaking new ground in connection with the Stand Your Ground law.
But the needless fanning of racial flames by irresponsible reporting has overshadowed the tragic loss of a young life.
The rule of law depends on honorable people in positions of power doing their best in the interest of justice. That's all we can hope for in the Trayvon Martin case.