S. Samuel
While the country continues to mourn the death of teenager Trayvon Martin and accept the fact shooter George Zimmerman did not receive jail time, reports claim the former Florida neighborhood watch worker could be back in court in the near future.
According to reports, Zimmerman could be hit with a civil suit and civil rights suit.
Florida jury has pronounced George Zimmerman not guilty of murdering Trayvon Martin. But a court could still hold him accountable for the death. Martin’s family so far has only commented that it wants the public to respect the Florida court’s verdict. Two options, however, are available: A civil suit, or a civil rights suit. Though they sound similar, they are very different. A civil suit allows one party to seek monetary damages against another for causing physical or emotional harm, regardless of the outcome of a criminal trial. A civil rights suit involves criminal charges for violating someone’s civil rights, which are protected under federal law. (CNN)
Zimmerman had his fate read to him last night after days of emotional testimonies.
In a case that touched off a national debate on race and guns, George Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges in the shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager killed during a confrontation on a rainy night in Florida last year. “There’s to be no outbursts upon the reading of the verdict or afterwards,” Judge Debra S. Nelson warned the packed courtroom in Seminole County awaiting the verdict from the jury of six women who began deliberating on Friday and worked a 13-hour day Saturday. (Los Angeles Times)
A massive boycott campaign urging people to not support Florida-based companies has also surfaced.
“Florida’s “Stand Your Ground Law” killed Trayvon Martin’s opportunity for justice. Stand Your Ground must be repealed and corporations based in Florida that profit from our patronage must stand with us against Stand Your Ground or we will make them pay in their pockets. Economic embargos and boycotts have worked to debilitate America’s unjust laws like Jim Crow and alienate and starve countries like Cuba. A focused, targeted and public economic embargo of Florida-based corporations will force them to take a stand against Stand Your Ground in their own interests, The following post list the top Florida-based corporations who rely upon your patronage and support.” (Boycott Florida)
Various people upset by Saturday’s night’s announcement have started putting together petitions to rally in the memory of Martin.
Young men or women despite race or background should be able to walk down the road and not have to worry about being pursued or killed after standing their grown. No one will ever know what exactly happened that night. However, if you believe that the laws that allowed Zimmerman to be not guilty of the murder of Trayvon should be changed or repealed sign this petition and do not visit Florida for vacation or any other reason that could be avoided. Imagine Miami Memorial Day weekend without the supporters of the Martin family. What if families visited the house of mouse in California instead of pumping Millions of dollars into Florida tourism? Like Martin Luther King Jr. and the Bus boycott of the 1960s we can make a change with the power of our dollar and our voices. Maybe we can even prevent the folks of Miami-Dade from waiting over two hours to vote and hanging chads. (The Petition Site)
