Sanford Clash

The Trayvon Martin case will never be resolved because of sloppy police work. The reason for that, as unfortunately happens all too often in the United States, is racism, especially in this case, where the victim is black and the perpetrator is a “white” Latino.

Well, Well

The special investigators in the Trayvon Martin case have released their report and we now know just as much as we did before. Yes, there was a fight between Martin and the self-styled neighborhood watch patrolman, George Zimmerman, in that gated community in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman thought Martin looked suspicious, allegedly feared for his life and, in the ensuing physical altercation with him, subsequently shot the youth to death. He justifies his action by invoking Florida’s dangerously loose interpretation of the right to self-defense.

There’s very little else apparent in the heavily censored, 183-page report submitted by the special investigators. They can’t precisely reconstruct the progression of events and don’t know who it was who screamed for help, since one witness contradicts the next. They can’t say whether Zimmerman was justified in thinking his life was in danger. He exhibited minor injuries, something not surprising if they were wrestling on the ground. The only thing certain is what one police officer said several months ago: Zimmerman could have avoided the confrontation. The police dispatcher talking to Zimmerman on the phone even advised him not to continue following Martin.

A Botched Investigation

Could the special investigator’s report have been more productive? Absolutely, had the Sanford police begun a proper homicide investigation immediately after the fact. Instead, they chose to believe the account given to them by the “white” Latino: the black youth in the hoodie appeared dangerous and posed a threat to his life. As is too often the case in the United States, racism occluded any sort of competent investigation. The victim was just a black kid. It was only thanks to public pressure and President Obama — America’s “white” black president — that special investigators finally arrived on the scene, albeit many weeks too late.

Anyone who ever read the book “Homicide” or watched “CSI” on television knows that usable evidence left at the scene of a crime or on clothing worn by those involved is usually of little help after such a long time. And neither do statements made by witnesses get more relevant with the passage of time. The only thing that persists is the parents’ grief and anger against a justice system that has failed so miserably yet again. How long is this supposed to continue in a nation that will soon consist of large blocks of minorities that are at best distrustful of one another?