Crimes don’t compare
The writer of the Aug. 20 letter “Hypocrisy on crime” seems to ignore all the evidence of the George Zimmerman case, including the words that came directly from Zimmerman’s mouth. He followed Trayvon Martin because he thought he was up to no good. There is even evidence and testimony that proves he instigated the fight, evidence that at least half of the jury found more credible than Zimmerman’s version of events. Zimmerman was found not guilty because of the Stand Your Ground law. Even if you attack someone in Florida, as long as they fight back you can claim self-defense after you shoot them.
As if changing the facts to make Zimmerman appear like an innocent bystander were not bad enough, the letter writer would have us believe that it’s hypocritical that the national media are not covering the murder of David Santucci (Aug. 14 article, “Murder shakes S. Main district”).
The letter writer asked, “Where is Al Sharpton? Where is President Barack Obama?” They are off doing their jobs because the Memphis Police Department did theirs and arrested the murderers immediately, instead of more than a month after the crime was committed. We won’t need the so-called civil rights activists because it’s not going to be more than a month before police start gathering evidence to convict the murderers. That is the big difference! It’s not that hard to figure out, so I have to wonder about the people who talk about hypocrisy.
It’s about Zimmerman being treated as innocent because he seemed white, whether he has Latin blood or not. It’s about Trayvon Martin being treated like a criminal because he was black, when he was a just a kid walking home from the gas station. It’s about the fact that it took so much time and outside pressure before the Sanford Police Department arrested Zimmerman, and all of the evidence that was lost due to that.
Santucci’s mother will know justice. Though she lost her son, she will have some closure knowing his murderers will never walk the streets again. Martin’s mother will never have that, thanks to Stand Your Ground and the Sanford Police Department.