Just In Case George Zimmerman Walks Free?

The above is the title of an opinion piece Russel Simmons wrote recently and I have to say, I’m a little confused. What the hell does he mean, if?

George Zimmerman is absolutely going to walk free. There is no question he is going to walk free, if not at this trial then after appeal. The text of the Florida law, pretty much makes it impossible for anything other than Zimmerman walking free to happen.

This morning, the prosecution in the case asked, and was given the chance to add a manslaughter charge to the indictment and that does not bode well for their confidence. I’m pretty sure they can read as well as I can and they know they didn’t make the case they needed to in order to lock up a murder 2 charge.

But here’s the thing, that’s does not indicate a failure on the part of the prosecution team. I know a lot of people are blaming them, but that is unfair. They did the best job they possibly could. They simply had no chance.

Recall, the only reason that there is a trial going on in the first place is because the Sanford police department and the larger Sanford justice system was pressured by the public into caring, a least a little bit, that an unarmed child was shot in the street. it took three months for Zimmerman to even be arrested. Without the public pressure, that would never have happened. George Zimmerman would never have spent any time in the police station at all.

My prediction is that Zimmerman is going to go home.  Duh.

But that can’t be the end. Yes, it will be horrible. Yes, the state of Florida will have, once again, made it clear that people of color have no value by statute. This is not news.

The question now is, what are we going to do about it? Florida residents, I’m not one of you anymore, for a lot of reasons one of which is the explicit lack of value that the state placed on me as a human being. But you are still there. You are still able to step in and help the people of your state. Do you want to live in a place where Jim Crow is reviving? o you want more young men to lose their lives and have their be no consequences to the killer?

What are you going to do? I’ll ask again: