American
Vigilante Justice: When Amateurs Play Sheriff (SueddeutscheZeitung, Germany)
"Many Americans feel safe only
when they are permitted to carry a loaded weapon. ... The Zimmerman case shows
where this can lead: Amateurs with wild suspicions can patrol neighborhoods,
overestimate every threat, and ultimately propagate the very insecurity they
set out to contain."
The jury acquitted George
Zimmerman, but that doesn't mean he is without fault. He pursued a stranger at
night, simply because he was a Black kid wearing a hooded sweatshirt.
Instead of listening to police
and keeping his distance, Zimmerman took matters into his own hands. When it
came to blows, the control freak lost control of his opponent - and perhaps
also of himself - and he shot Trayvon Martin dead.
America has argued vociferously
over how much of a factor skin color played in this case, but there is another
theme that has most often went unnoticed: the dangers and excesses of vigilante
justice. Many Americans feel safe only when they are permitted to carry a
loaded weapon.
Posted By
Worldmeets.US
The Zimmerman case shows
where this can lead: Amateurs with wild suspicions can patrol neighborhoods,
overestimate every threat, and ultimately propagate the very insecurity they
set out to contain.
The acquittal was consistent
with the proceedings: In the end, it couldn't be ruled out that recreational sheriff
Zimmerman acted in self-defense. It is an understandable legal outcome, even if
painful for supporters of the deceased Trayvon Martin.
To their great credit, they
remained overwhelmingly peaceful the night after the verdict, having heeded the
central lesson of this case: more vigilante justice will only brings further
chaos.
