Stop the lynch party. George Zimmerman is not the culprit.
George Zimmerman should not be railroaded, just as Trayvon Martin should not have been shot.
Who is the culprit? A law, which allowed a non-law professional out on a crime beat such as a neighborhood watch patrol. Most people would not consider a neighborhood watch patrol to be a crime beat. It was that night!
Everyday, at sunset, hundreds of these para-policemen hit the streets on neighborhood watch patrols. These patrolmen are driving their own vehicles, with no identification. They wear nothing which identifies them as neighborhood watch.
And believe me, these people are armed. They fear for their lives, just as much as a policeman. They are armed with tire irons, billyclubs, tasers, mace, pistols, rifles, etc. The individual para-policeman arms himself with whatever he feels comfortable.
We now have an armed, unidentified, individual patrolling the streets, looking for criminals. It is just a matter of time before someone gets hurt. Will it be an innocent neighbor, or the patrolman?
In the case of Trayvon Martin, he saw an unidentified, menacing person and tried to flee.
In the case of a frightened George Zimmerman, he saw a menacing suspect in a hoodie, and fired. Whether he fired by accident, or on purpose, is something even he will probably never know.
Stop the lynch party! Do something constructive and prevent another tragedy from occurring.
Require that all patrolmen be in marked uniforms. These could be something simple as vests.
Require that all patrol vehicles be marked as "Neighborhood Watch". Simple magnet signs would work.
Require that all neighborhood watch patrolmen be trained.
There are only two items upon which these para-policemen need training.
#1. - Never leave your vehicle!
#2. - If the para-policeman encounters suspicious activity, CALL A REAL POLICEMAN!
A note to our professional police force, remember that it is better to have a thousand mistaken phone calls than one tragedy.
