I read that Zimmerman was acquitted. I wish I could offer an
opinion, but I can’t since I wasn’t in the courtroom to hear the evidence. It
strikes me, though, than an old grievance might be about to rear its ugly head
again in America.
And I have a couple of questions. Why were there only six jury members? Is that
normal in America?
We have twelve over here. And why were they all women?
There was a bizarre story from Brazil about a grazing cow that somehow
wandered onto the roof of a shack. The roof collapsed and the cow landed on a
man asleep in bed, crushing him to death. This is one of those stories which
straddle that horrible line between the truly tragic and the unintentionally funny.
And it must have been a bit of a shock for his wife sleeping next to him.
And then I read that more British servicemen committed
suicide in the past year than died in Afghanistan. Campaigning families
claim that this proves a lack of official support for servicemen, and they may
well be right. What the statistic doesn’t show, however, is a comparison
between the percentage of servicemen who took their own lives and the
equivalent percentage for other professions. I was once told, for
example, that dentistry has the highest percentage of suicides. And that’s the
problem with statistics. You need to
view the figures from all angles if you’re to make a valid judgement, and all too
often they’re not given.
4 comments:
There's no federal rule in the US that the jury has to have twelve people in it. It's up to the jurisdiction, I think. As for why all women, I don't know - I think that's just how it worked out.
Unfortunately the old grievance has never really gone away, despite how much some people like to think it has. However, I have mixed feelings about the outcome of the trial. I blame Zimmerman 100% for the death of Martin. Zimmerman is either a monster or a fool, or perhaps a little bit of both, for what he did. But legally, the burden of proof rests on the prosecution. If the prosecution didn't do its job in convincing the jury beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman is a murderer, the jury can't convict. The guiltiest man in the world would go free if there wasn't enough evidence to convict him.
Like you said, of course, we weren't in the courtroom, so maybe the jury's decision was based on something else other than lack of evidence. Who knows? Regardless of whether legal justice was carried out, people will still feel that moral justice was neglected.
The burden of proof being on the prosecution is the same here, and it’s a principle I wholeheartedly endorse. Nevertheless, I have a sneaking suspicion that a southern jury might have been less likely to acquit if a black man had shot an unarmed white teenager, however flimsy the prosecution’s evidence. Maybe I’m being cynical?
And the reason I queried the all-female make up the jury was this: As I understand it, the historical tradition of racial stereotyping of black men, especially in the South, gave women an added reason to be afraid of them, and therefore be more favourably inclined towards a white man who they could perceive as ‘protecting’ them (even subconsciously.) I don’t know how juries are selected in America, but it strikes me that a mixed jury would have been better, if only to avoid the obvious suspicion. At least, it’s obvious to me, but maybe I’m a little too inclined to suspect conspiracies.
No, you're not being cynical. In fact, just recently in Florida, a black woman named Marissa Alexander was sentenced to 20 years in prison for firing a warning shot into a wall to scare off her abusive husband. A lot of people have been comparing her case with Zimmerman's.
Jury selection depends on the state. I think a lot of people thought that perhaps the women would feel more sympathy toward Trayvon, who was a child. But I think there were many other factors in play besides the jury's gender. For one thing, five out of six were white.
You know, I try to understand everything; and I do understand a lot of things that most people write off as simply 'perverted' or 'evil.'
But some of the decisions made in the name of justice - decisions made in a calm environment where the light of reason should prevail - leave me bamboozled.
Did you hear about the woman in China whose young daughter was kidnapped and sexually abused by a gang of men? She subsequently campaigned for harsher sentences than the men were given, and was sent to a labour camp for causing trouble. Admittedly, the sentence was eventually overruled and she was compensated to the tune of around $500. Maybe $500 is a lot of money in China...
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