At this point, we still don’t really know what happened between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin on the night of February 26. I’ve guessed, based on the available evidence and the behavioral tendencies of young men, that Zimmerman genuinely believed Martin was up to no good and was likely armed, and that Martin reacted negatively to being followed by a stranger on a rainy night in unfamiliar territory, and that a deadly confrontation resulted from both men’s misinterpretation of the other’s actions and motives. But that’s just a guess, and it doesn’t explain everything, such as who initiated the confrontation or why Martin’s body was left unidentified for three days after his shooting.
Among the things we do know, is that the protests and attention to the case have drawn in the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, and the entire Zimmerman family has been subjected to thousands of death threats. They have gone into hiding and can no longer maintain normal lives or jobs. Some have speculated online that Zimmerman himself may have fled the US for some place where Spanish is spoken and there is no extradition treaty with the US.
Apparently, Zimmerman is still in the US. He has launched a web site, here, to cover living expenses and pay for his possible legal defense.
The special prosecutor announced on Monday that she will not hand the case to a grand jury, but will continue her investigation.
Update: The Zimmerman family have broken their silence on another front, asking Attorney General Eric Holder why the government has taken no action against the New Black Panthers. That group has put a $10,000 “dead or alive” bounty, which the family says is a hate crime. Yet the Holder DOJ has taken no action against NPB at all.
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