By now everybody has heard that Zimmerman was found innocent of murder and manslaughter by his jury. I have little to say about the trial or the ruling that hasn’t already been said by much more qualified individuals than myself. With that said, I do have something to say about the reaction many have had to the verdict.
After the verdict was released social media sites exploded with threats against Zimmerman’s life and riots. I think, by far, these reactions are the worst thing to come out of the Zimmerman trial. Regardless of your opinion about this case you should be able to accept the jury’s ruling without resorting to violence or the threat thereof.
Even if you believe Zimmerman is guilty of murder or manslaughter, killing him or destroying some poor schmuck’s storefront isn’t going to change anything. Nature is cruel, it often necessitates situations that cannot be corrected. Taking Zimmerman’s life won’t bring back Martin’s.
Violence is cyclical. Zimmerman killed Martin, whether you believe his actions were self-defense or murder are irrelevant to the fact that one man is alive and another is dead. If you kill Zimmerman then all that has been accomplished is adding another corpse to the pile. In turn Zimmerman’s family will likely seek vengeance for the death of their kin. On and on the cycle goes until there are no people left.
The only way the cycle ends is when somebody decides there has been enough bloodshed and refuses to further add to the problem. Let’s rise above barbarism; nothing will be accomplished through more death or riots.