Letters: July 31

Posted 7/31/13

Letter defending Zimmerman overlooks facts

Your “from our readers” disappointed duo from Mt. Airy rendered unusual expertise on Florida's “Stand Your Ground” law. However, their article …

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Letters: July 31

Posted

Letter defending Zimmerman overlooks facts

Your “from our readers” disappointed duo from Mt. Airy rendered unusual expertise on Florida's “Stand Your Ground” law. However, their article is incorrect regarding 210 lb. George Zimmerman being held down by a significantly larger Mr. Martin. I am dismayed by this false statement. Teenager Trayvon Martin was much smaller and lighter than George Zimmerman. Check the facts.

The fight they had that night was the result of armed Mr. Zimmerman's unauthorized stalking and confronting of unarmed Mr. Martin who was walking home from an errand to a store.

Sure, Mr. Zimmerman got roughed up, but no pictures or descriptions were shown at the trial to show how badly Mr. Martin was beaten up before he was killed by Mr. Zimmerman, not wounded.

Who was on top, and who yelled, should have been irrelevant. Did the local police assist Mr. Zimmerman by not charging him? The Mt. Airy duo forgot to mention these facts also.

Recently, Juror B29 has publicly stated that George Zimmerman “got away with murder.” She and two other jurors were talked out of their early “Guilty” votes. The judge's 16-page “Instructions to the Jurors” was confusing to some of the jurors resulting in differences of opinions. The prosecutor's closing arguments did not help. These “instructions” should be carefully examined to determine if any bias was written therein – grounds for a retrial.

I believe the prosecution's strategy was faulty from the beginning. I doubt they would do any better in a retrial.

Joseph C. Wylie

Lafayette Hill

 

Local missed the mark on Zimmerman

I wish to express my thanks to David W. Banov and Sharon M. Reiss for their July 25 letter to the Local regarding the Zimmerman trial. The writers did an excellent job of summarizing the true facts of the case – facts suppressed or distorted by the mainstream media. It was inexcusable of President Obama to attempt to influence the jury by remarks he may have made. And further, it is a violation of the deepest and most cherished legal principles, that this Administration continues to persecute a man found innocent by the terms of our justice system.

The Local’s statement that “yes, racism was at work” was a slander against the justice system and the jurors who decided the case. But unfortunately, the Local’s little piece of pandering has proved to be ironic: By playing the white liberal guilt trip against the black racism card, it has helped to fan the flames of race war. This is careless and irresponsible journalism in the extreme. The Local has no business attempting to comment on national events if this is the best it can do.

Caryl Johnston

Germantown

 

Everyone's a racist?

We need to have a national conversation on why racists are outraged at the acquittal of an innocent person.

Joseph Ferry

Erdenheim

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