Martin/Zimmerman Case

Since this was all over the news, even supplanting more important stories I figured I would try to explain my view.
First of all, I don't see what was so special about the case that warranted it the media attention it got.  Many similar cases happen all the time and you never hear about them.   People picked sides early on before there was enough evidence to even make a judgement.  They relied on emotional arguments and on top of that made it a race issue.  It was tragic that someone died, but it would also be bad to condemn someone without all the evidence.
The fact that people started rioting because of the verdict is telling, I'm not sure of what except that our society is very messed up and actually perpetuates racism.  Don't throw a tantrum when you don't get your way, it proves nothing and is in fact counter productive.  Violent mobs are not the same thing as peaceful protest.  This is all perpetuated by how the media and a number of public figures emphasized this case and used race baiting as their tool.  As well as the fact that initially the photos the media chose of each were misleading each being years old,  to get the desired results.
Whether or not you think the ruling was just you must realize we have due process and people are innocent until proven guilty.  Maybe Zimmerman was guilty maybe he was justified I actually can't say.  I didn't follow the case as closely as many because as  previously stated there were more important issues out there, but even if I had I should remain objective.  I do think it would have been bad any way you look at it since the incident probably could have been handled better on either end.
I do think that both parties may have had fault, Zimmerman seemed overzealous and acted like a wannabe cop but Trayvon seemed like he wanted to act tough.  That's the impression I got from what I saw.   Zimmerman did have a right to self defense if he was attacked.  This was a key point of the case as self defense is key to our system.  This case did more specifically deal with Stand your ground which might be worth examining, but if you are opposed to the law, try to change the law rather than going after cases involving it.  We must be allowed to defend ourselves and many saw this case as effecting that.  One more thing. this relates back to the race issue, Hispanic is not considered a race, many people were emphasizing that Zimmerman was half Hispanic.  However this point should be moot since race should not have come into it in the first place.  This emphasis on race is what keeps racism alive, I'm not denying that racial profiling occurs but to claim that was the only reason before all the facts are in Zimmerman got off is failing to see the whole picture.  It may have been a factor but don't make assumptions unless it can be proven.
I do think there are problems in our system that relate to someone having a better lawyer having a better chance to win but that isn't even what most people were focusing on this case.  Overall, I think it was a distraction from the important issues.  Don't get me wrong I think it was unfortunate and tragic Trayvon died but we must approach everything rationally.  Some of these people show a lot of hypocrisy, where was their outrage with OJ Simpson?
Justice can fail us and be corrupted and that can be frustrating but there is a right way and a wrong way to handle it.  I reiterate though, if you don't like how it turned out, trashing the city is not the answer.  There are many ways to protest or try to change things that are more constructive.  If the point is to say that Trayvon was discriminated against because he was black, then it is the black people forming a mob, does that really help the case that blacks shouldn't be thought of as violent?  In reality it just gives more ammo to those who make the claim of black violence.  Individuals should be judged by their actions not race.  That goes for everyone.