A Lesson George Zimmerman Never Learned
However, this case was different. I was and continue to be enthralled on many levels.
My anger toward Zimmerman and his supporters persists. Regardless of what the jury’s "not guilty" ruling indicates, Zimmerman’s inappropriate racial profiling, unnecessary gun-toting, and his obvious hypermasculinity (which allowed him to ignore the 911 dispatcher’s advice for restraint) are deserving of some sort of just punishment.
This Zimmerman case reminds me of my involvement in a criminal chase. I have shared this following story from time to time with my students and long before the Martin-Zimmerman incident. I wish Zimmerman had heard it before he played sheriff in pursuit of Trayvon.
I once was in the vicinity of a mugging by a pathetic, forty-something crook--who stole the purse of a senior in a McDonald’s parking lot. I had heard the victim scream, “he took my purse.” Without much thought, my own machismo kicked in and I began to give chase after the perpetrator. The foolish mugger fled across an open 100-yard parking lot. I had a clear view and was quickly gaining ground on him.
In telling my students this story, I usually ask them at this juncture what they think