Blargeo:
While I donot share your characterization of Chief Chika Onyeani's reaction
to the Not Guilty Verdict rendered to George Zimmerman by a Florida jury, I wish to support your appeal
(which I assume is the goal of your commentary) that we control our emotions on this tragedy.
Only the 6 members of the jury plus the alternate knew exactly what went on
in the jury deliberation room. Hence it is not possible to tell who was being intimidated
or not intimidated and by whom.
The job of the jury is an onerous task at the best of times--considering that ordinary lay men
and women ( a jury of the defendant's peers) are plucked from their ordinary daily lives
and saddled with the difficult task of first understanding the evidence put before them by the prosecution
and the defense attorneys, put the evidence in the context of the applicable laws, which many adults are
at pains to understand at the best of times and then finally make a decision on guilt or innocence..
There is nothing within a jury deliberation that would force anyone to go along with the majority and sacrifice
his or her conscience just to go along with the majority. Any juror on the panel could have stood her ground
and have the case declared a mistrial due to a hung jury.
In order for the jury to have found George Zimmerman guilty, the crown would have had to prove the case
for his guilt beyond all reasonable doubts. Wherever there is any reasonable doubt in the evidence,
the jury was expected to give the accused a benefit of the doubt.
The defense surely exploited the issue by creating many 'reasonable doubts' in the minds of the jury including
the following:
a) beyond the initial stage of their encounter in which GZ had profiled TM as a black kid who was up to no good and deiced toi start following
him doubts were raised by the defence
on the following issues
--who attacked whom, was it GZ or TM who started the fight
--whose voice was heard shouting for help on the 911 phone call;
the mothers of the accused and the victim claimed it was their sons voice
that was shouting for help ( I wondered why the Prosecuting attorneys did not consult an expert in voice analysis
to confirm whose voice on the tape before the trial begun.
--once the fight started between GZ and TM, who was having the upper hand and who would have needed help
--could the crown prove that the shooting was not inself defence (even if most adults would consider this unlikely)
--what was the exact relative position of the victim TM relative to the shooter -GZ when the shot was fired.
The defense attorneys in the GZ trial had a much easier hurdle to overcome than the crown which is to create enough doubts in the
minds of at least one member of the jury. They succeeded in doing just that and more.
The crown on the other hand had a more difficult hurdle to overcome--namely to prove beyond all reasonable doubts that
GZ intentionally killed TM ( a task that would require deciphering what was going on in GZ's brain at the moment he fired
the shot that killed TM. An impossible task for anyone!
On the basis of the relative performance of the defence attorneys Vs the crown attorneys, it is quite apparent to any unbiased
observer that the the crown did not step up to the plate and that they did not provide sufficient eveidence to warrant a conviction
against GZ --based on the evidence presented in court. The defense team, as usual won by default, because the crown was unable
to prove its case beyond all reasonable doubts--not minding the fact
it is the same defense team that had successfully created enough doubts in the case in the minds of the jury members.
There is no need to vilify any member or members of the jury. Cases are not decided on emotions but rather on available facts that
are presented to the jury. What the jury did in the GZ case is what jurors are expected to do in all criminal trials.
When the evidence is in doubt--give the benefit of the doubt to the accused! The jurors gave GZ the benefit of the doubt'
even though he might be guilty in the minds of many observers --of either second degree murder or manslaughter!
That GZ was found not guilty does not mean that he is innocent--only that there was insufficient evidence to lock him up
for the rest of his life!
Bye,
Ola
---- Original Message ----
From: blargeo.dekeye <blargeo.dekeye@gmail.com>
To: usaafricadialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Mon, Jul 15, 2013 11:06 am
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - BBC Program on Zimmerman Verdict
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-- From: blargeo.dekeye <blargeo.dekeye@gmail.com>
To: usaafricadialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Mon, Jul 15, 2013 11:06 am
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - BBC Program on Zimmerman Verdict
Chika,
You have shown your hand as a racist too and it makes you no better than the jurors that did Martins a second time injustice. Infact your language portrays you in a worse light, it shows you as a conceited and condescending sexist.
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-- You have shown your hand as a racist too and it makes you no better than the jurors that did Martins a second time injustice. Infact your language portrays you in a worse light, it shows you as a conceited and condescending sexist.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
From: Chika Onyeani <afrstime@aol.com>
Date: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 22:27:38 -0400 (EDT)
ReplyTo: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - BBC Program on Zimmerman Verdict
BBC Program on Zimmerman Verdict
July 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment
BBC Program on Zimmerman Verdict
I have agreed to be interviewed on the BBC where I am interviewed frequently, at 11 pm, New York Time today, which is 3 am British time. I am emotionally angry and sad that an unarmed black teenager, minding his own business, was gunned down and his killer acquitted by almost all-white jury, with a buffoon of a so-called black/hispanic woman whose passion and obviously profession is making children, eight children and working at a nursing home. The idiot doesn't even know how to close her f**king damn legs, let alone knowing how to decide on a murder conviction with the white women intimidating her.
Listen to the BBC at 3 am GMT.
Chika Onyeani
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