Who is guilty in the Trayvon Martin case?

     The sentiment among most people is that Trayvon Martin was up on trial— on trial for being African-American— and not George Zimmerman for being a murderer. What this means is that the question is no longer "did Zimmerman have to kill Martin?" or "was Zimmerman racially profiling Martin?" but it is now "did the court process racially profile Trayvon Martin?" In addition to that question, may we also ask if the court, and a large portion of America, also conducted themselves in a racist manner?
     When we are told by the 18th Judicial Circuit court of Florida that George Zimmerman is found "not guilty", what that means in our legal system is that there was not enough evidence to find him guilty, not that he wasn't guilty. Though many are frustrated and angered that the case didn't end the other way, we have to realize that a verdict finding Zimmerman guilty is not necessarily a verdict in favor of Trayvon Martin anymore.
     Let's face it, George Zimmerman could be guilty and he could not be guilty, but that's not what the case was about. It was about whether or not he had the right to engage in deadly force based upon the color of his attacker's skin. Yes, if he was attacked— by anyone of any color, for that matter— then he had the right to save his own life. As for whether his actions were warranted and as for whether or not the story was as he told it, that is the job of a court to decide. But to take those as a given and question Martin's level of danger for being black is abhorrent to say the least.
     So as insensitive as it may sound, we shouldn't be making this about the character of a man who was possibly acting upon instinct or possibly acting out of pure malice; we should be making this about how the court conducted itself, how the media conducted itself. For how can we know the truth behind the case, behind the man on trial if the court can't even consider the victim a human being?

     There are three very important things that everyone should see in light of this case. The first is the video to the left; it's a segment from ABC's show "What Would You Do?" It's shows how people will react to suspicious behavior in different circumstances. The second, is the video segment below from the film "A Time To Kill". You can also find the text version here: A Time To Kill Closing Argument. The final link that is so important for everyone to read, can be found here: Questlove, drummer of rock/hip-hop group The Roots, gives his take on the Trayvon Martin case. This essay deserves its own review and article and, to be honest, it should make the front page of every major newspaper in the United States.