In a rather interesting example of just how pervasive social media has become in our modern society, the legal defense team for George Zimmerman has started a weblog and Twitter account. Being the distinctly not-a-lawyer as I am, my initial, knee-jerk reaction to that information is to immediately decry it as a Very Bad Idea (TM) and run screaming for the hills.
However, the folks in charge of this particular webpage are, in fact, lawyers, and Mr. Zimmerman’s lawyers to boot, and they make a pretty compelling case for why they decided to do what they did:
First, we contend that social media in this day and age cannot be ignored. It is now a critical part of presidential politics, it has been part of revolutions in the Middle East, and it is going to be an unavoidable part of high-profile legal cases, just as traditional media has been and continues to be. We feel it would be irresponsible to ignore the robust online conversation, and we feel equally as strong about establishing a professional, responsible, and ethical approach to new media.
Per the same post, their goals appear to be:
- Discrediting and eliminating fraudulent websites and social profiles
- Disputing misinformation
- Discouraging speculation
- Acknowledging the larger significance of the case
- Providing a forum for communication with the law firm
- Providing a voice for Mr. Zimmerman
- Raising funds
…And I dare say they are doing a fairly decent job of meeting those goals while abiding by their all-too-understandable self-imposed limitations.
One important thing to remember as we sit here marveling at the reality that Mr. Zimmerman – who has not yet been convicted of any crimes – is not only living in fear for his life, but unable to safely express himself in public without a lawyer’s "filter" between him and the rest of the world, is that his situation could become any of our situations. Oh, sure, I like to think that most of us would not have done what Mr. Zimmerman apparently did that fateful night, but do you really think the case – and, more importantly, the public’s reaction to it – would be appreciably different if it was a 100% cut-and-dried example of lawful self-defense? The lynch mob screaming for Zimmerman’s head does not give a damn about the laws, or the facts, or the reality, or even what the court will eventually decide – they only care about satisfying their own personal blood-lust over the perceived murder of a black "kid" at the hands of a (not-so-) white "aggressor".
‘Course, when the narrative is flipped on its head, that same lynch mob is strangely silent, which only goes to show who the true "racists" are in this particular scenario.
I sincerely hope that none of my readership (myself included) ever have cause to employ their firearms to defend their life or limb, but should you have to do so, and should you be successful, Mr. Zimmerman’s situation indicates that your trials and tribulations will only be starting, and only some of them – arguably the minority – will take place within an actual court room. It is unquestionably unfortunate that our society has allowed race-baiters and violent rabble-rousers to run rough-shod over it, but this is the world we live in today, so we might as well plan accordingly.
I felt like cringing too at first, but maybe this is their best course of action considering the circus the media has made out of the case already.
“Oh, sure, I like to think that most of us would not have done what Mr. Zimmerman apparently did that fateful night,”
Not to derail too much, but assuming the 911 call he made wasn’t a part of some elaborate scheme to murder a random person, what he did (following someone in public he thought was suspicious) doesn’t in itself seem all that unreasonable. I keep wondering how screwed he’d be if he hand’t called, it’s bad enough there were no witnesses to how the fight started.
Is the solution to this to not care if you think something is suspicious? I’m not saying he should think himself a cop, but there has to be a middle ground between the two.
I would be a lot less sanguine with the situation if it were not the lawyers themselves in charge of the accounts… given that, I can only assume that they are competent enough not to screw over their client.
At least I hope they are.
Regarding the specific instance, there is a fine line to be drawn between “being aware of suspicious characters in your neighborhood” and “following them closely enough to get into fisticuffs”. Calling the cops was the one thing he definitively did right – hell, I have called the cops on three separate instances of “suspicious people” in our neighborhood in the <3 years we have lived here – but following them closely enough to get within arms’ reach? He did something wrong.
Linoge wrote:
If he was following too closely then yes definitely. According to him he lost sight of Martin and was on the phone with 911 for a minute or two after that, then hung up. Then the confrontation happened. I wasn’t there so I don’t know whether to that believe Martin doubled back or was hiding, or whether Zimmerman found and pursued him once more.
Obviously he’s not going to admit that he started it, but it is a possibility. If it’s true, I don’t know what he could have done differently other than not care.
Frankly, it really doesn’t matter what the verdict is or how it’s delivered, Martin Zimmerman’s life is destroyed. It cannot return to normalcy.
Let’s recount: he’s been branded over and over a racist murderer by a segment of the population that no longer changes its mind about anything despite being wrong almost all the damn time. The judge could declare tomorrow that Zimmerman is innocent of any and all wrongdoing beyond a shadow of a doubt, and the people calling for his head will revert to the lizard side of their brains and shout “He racist!” for the next decade.
I firmly believe that even *if* the legal system delivered proper justice (though the fact that there’s a hearing on this at all assures me that “justice” is dead), Zimmerman has been failed. His life will be in shambles, all because some little punk wasn’t getting his “respect”, or whatever the hell they call it these days.
@ the dude:
“because some little punk wasn’t getting his “respect”, or whatever the hell they call it these days.”
See, I’ve read so many comments from people saying that Martin had no reason to attack Zimmerman, but I’ve seen many kids do exactly this. I’m not saying Martin was one of them necessarily, but at that age and disposition there doesn’t have to be much of a reason at all. I don’t think it’d be odd for there to be no other motive than that.
Pyrotek85 wrote:
The OC community has adopted a “best practice” of “carry an audio recorder whenever you carry your sidearm, so that encounters with the police (or random belligerent strangers) can be recorded.”
I would suggest that there is (or should be) a similar best practice for Neighborhood Watch, especially if going armed: carry an audio recorder (and/or some audio/video glasses) and start recording if anything questionable starts.
And keep recording. It’s possible that Martin waited until he saw that Zimmerman had ended his 911 phone call (i.e. closed his cell phone) to confront him (if that’s what happened).
@ Pyrotek85: Somewhere along the line, the two men got close enough for one to beat the other against the ground, and the other to discharge his firearm at sufficiently close range that the slide was unable to cycle. You are right, though – we do not really know who made the situation get that close range.
While both parties were where they were lawfully able to be, intentionally following folks – which Zimmerman has basically admitted to doing – rarely seems to end well.
@ the dude: That is pretty much my whole point, though it was poorly expressed – due to those idiotic morons who have already made up their minds and want Zimmerman’s blood regardless of his guilt or innocence, this case (and probably every case like it in the future) has taken on aspects that we have never really encountered, or at least addressed, before in this fashion. I mean, really, a Twitter account for an ongoing case? Is that what it takes to get something approximating “justice” these days?
@ John Hardin: Unfortunately, the trick is to remember to start recording.
The good news is almost everyone has an audio recorder on them these days, what with their “smart phones” being able to fill in that role in a variety of fashions.