When did Americans stop being good Samaritans? How is it that a young man can be chased through a neighborhood by a man wielding a gun, have some sort of skirmish and wind up being shot, yet no one saw anything until after the fact? Have we become this callous or fearful of the world around us? Safety is important; however, the safety of others should be as important.
Trayvon Martin is dead. There is no way to change that. The question is: Could it have been prevented? Had there been witnesses within sight, would the trigger have been pulled? I wonder if George Zimmerman would have been as full of self-righteous zeal about apprehending Martin if more people had been present. Having taken the law into his own hands, Zimmerman had free reign to handle Martin however he saw fit. Perhaps an audience would have slowed him down a bit.
The beauty of no one taking the initiative to save a life, is that it leaves Zimmerman with the ability to describe the scene and events however he chooses. The only other witness to see anything was handled by Zimmerman. Do I think it was cold-blooded murder? Yes. Do I lay some of the blame for opportunity on the rest of those around the situation? Yes. Practically everyone in this situation failed Trayvon Martin. Unfortunately, Trayvon payed the ultimate price for this lack of humanity on many peoples' parts. Whether he had personal problems in his life, had made bad choices in life or was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, somebody should have cared enough.
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