George Zimmerman was found not guilty. He goes free. Trayvon Martin is still dead.
Mr. Zimmerman got his wish. He wanted to be a police officer. He yearned for it. He ached for it. He acted with the air of authority and entitlement of a police officer the day he stalked and shot Trayvon Martin dead.
He acted like former BART police officer Johaness Mehserle after the shooting of Oscar Grant and retreated. Both went into seclusion after each killed an young, unarmed black man. Mehserle fled to Tahoe, and then eventually resigned from the force so that he would not have to answer questions about his actions. He ultimately received what could barely be called a rap on the knuckles after a trial.
But Mr. Zimmerman hit the big time. Like the officers that beat Rodney King senseless, he got off free as a bird. The jury must have concluded that he acted in self-defense. Another way of looking at it, they gave Mr. Zimmerman a pass, the way that juries frequently give passes to police officers no matter how egregious their behavior.
Therefore, Mr. Zimmerman has gotten his wish. He has transcended the blue shield without having gone through an academy, without having earned a badge. Mr. Zimmerman has become a police officer, presumed innocent, free of guilt. Free of guilt.
Meanwhile, Trayvon Martin is still dead. And his relatives now have to rest uneasily for the rest of their days.
How will George Zimmerman sleep for the rest of his? I wonder.
© 2013, gar. All rights reserved.