Trials Past and Present

Monday morning.  Blue skies and sunshine.  But no guarantees with the weather.

 

Same with jury trials.  I once served as third alternate on a medical malpractice jury.  Although the odds were long,  I believed, even then, that anything’s possible, and therefore I might become a juror who gets a vote.  So, I listened to all the tedious details including an endless bombardment of medical terminology. Good thing I didn’t nod off because I did get a vote and, in fact, was sequestered overnight.  I was driven home by a sheriff’s deputy who never let me out of his sight as I packed an overnight bag, stood at my back door while I took my dog Annie outside.  Any neighbors who might have seen me arriving home in the back seat of a police car never mentioned it.  We found the doctor not guilty.   Even though the case involved a tragedy, it seemed clear to me that the physician did the things that were his responsibility to do.  No negligence. 

 

I say this as prelude to a confession:  I’ve been using far too much time watching the George Zimmerman trial.  Had no plan to watch it and no burning interest in the proceedings.  So I thought— until I sat watching as I waited for a phonecall.   I'd forgotten that one of the things I inherited from my father is a fascination with the law.  It’s a little like being on a diet and suddenly being presented with a delicious caramel cake; I could go the rest of my life without eating cake again, but there it is, mine to savor.   Same with this trial. 

 

At first I managed to watch it as a juror might, rather than bringing a preconceived judgment.  Other than judging the death of this young man to be a tragedy.   I didn’t know all the facts.  Still learning new ones every day.  And drawing conclusions.


Some thoughts and impressions so far:

 

George Zimmerman had volunteered to become the “neighborhood watch” for the development where he lived.  He was fascinated by criminal justice and law enforcement and had applied for a job he did not get with the sheriff’s office.

 

Zimmerman gave a detailed televised interview a while after the event and in it said he had never heard about the “stand your ground” law.  Knew nothing about it.  During the trial a professor/attorney who taught Zimmerman in a criminal justice class testified that he had covered the “stand your ground” law.  He also said he remembered George Zimmerman well because he was one of his best students.  In fact, Zimmerman got an A in the course.  Very significant testimony and favorable to the prosecution.   

 

In that same TV interview (with Sean Hannity and with his attorney present), Zimmerman indicated zero remorse for what he had done, nor sorrow for the loss of a life, period.  He said to Hannity that he had no regrets about what happened that night and what happened was God’s will.  The lack of remorse or sympathy for the family is deeply troubling to me.  And Zimmerman is showing almost no affect during the course of the trial. 

 

Another thing was that the 911 operator had told Zimmerman not to pursue Martin when he reported an unfamiliar young man in a hoodie walking through the neighborhood.  All indications have been that he did pursue Martin.  Zimmerman's account has been that Trayvon Martin was the aggressor who pummeled him with blows.  The medical examiner testified  there were no bruises or cuts on Martin's hands when he examined the body.  That doesn't seem to be compatible with Zimmerman's story.

 

Trayvon Martin’s mother testified this morning and was impressive in her composure and courage.  Asked whether her younger son had tattoos on his body, she answered yes. Two tattoos.  One of praying hands on his shoulder, with his grandmothers’ names on them; another tattoo on his wrist bearing his mother’s name.   A real badass, right?

 

His older brother, a rising senior in college, looks very much like photos of Trayvon.  He testified after his mother.  He was composed and seemed earnest in his testimony.  I imagine the jurors saw the resemblance and thought about the fact that Trayvon would never reach that age or get to attend college or pursue whatever dreams he might have had.

 

 The medical examiner has just said that Martin did not die instantly but was alive— after a straight shot to the heart—for one to ten minutes—and surely in pain after being shot.  In going through every step of the autopsy testimony, it’s becoming less and less plausible to me that Martin engaged Zimmerman in a serious fight, if any fight at all.

 

Again, this trial is about a tragic and, I believe, unnecessary death.  I think the “stand your ground” law is problematic and serves to fuel fear and anxiety.  What’s far harder to change than any law is fear itself.  Especially in those who fear people who look different than they do.  People who dress differently.  People who act differently.  Fear is far more dangerous than a gun—but when fear is activated in someone carrying a gun, it can be deadly. 

 

Regardless of how this case turns out, a big question remains:  How can we stop the epidemic of fear in this country?  And where do we begin?