Zimmerman Is Acquitted and America Breathes a Sigh of Relief

The verdict was not a surprise – when there are sharply divergent, credible accounts as to what happened, a fair jury had no choice but to find George Zimmerman not guilty.  Proof beyond a reasonable doubt – as it should be – is a heavy burden, indeed, upon the prosecution.  In my view, the State of Florida didn’t come close to meeting it.

Yet it is a mistake to read too much into the result of the heavily-publicized trial.  Not guilty does not necessarily mean innocent.  Did George Zimmerman’s following of a young black male wearing a hooded sweatshirt (a “hoodie”) invite a confrontation?  Perhaps.  Did an attack by an unarmed Trayvon Martin, as alleged by the Defense, warrant the use of deadly force  Zimmerman?  Maybe. 

Thus, the use of the word “vindication” bandied about by Fox News commentators was a bit much.  Over at MSNBC, the always predictable Rev. Al Sharpton was fulminating over the perceived miscarriage of justice as another illustration of blacks’ inability to receive justice in American courts.

But such outrage was minimal within black communities.  And there were no riots as had been the case 20 years ago after the acquittal of white police officers accused of beating Rodney King in Los Angles.

It would be comforting, indeed, to think that’s another example of improved race relations in America.  Blacks, with the exception of the Sharptons and the Jesse Jacksons and their ilk, are less inclined to see racial animus in human conflicts involving members of different races.  The lack of violence, with the exception of Oakland, California, in the wake of the verdict may be the most noteworthy aspect of the trial. 

Certainly leftists, from President Obama on down, saw racial prejudice in the events in Sanford, Florida.  And the media was receptive to the message.  Why else subject a trial involving an ordinary private citizen to seemingly around-the-clock coverage?  And the sympathy to the prosecution was not confined to MSNBC.  Perhaps that was why Fox News shows (Hannity, in particular) felt compelled to be cheerleaders for George Zimmerman.  I don’t consider that a justification, though.  Conservatives shouldn’t counter the excesses of the Left with those of their own.