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Letter to the Editor: What Does the Trayvon-Zimmerman Shooting Say About America?

The fact that police allow George Zimmerman to walk free after shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin sends a message that criminals can shoot someone anytime and walk away free by claiming self defense.

 

I think it's a travesty for America that we allow George Zimmerman—the 28-year-old man who killed the black teenager Trayvon Martin—to just walk around free.

About a month ago, on Feb. 26, Zimmerman shot and killed Martin in Stanford, Fla. Martin was unarmed and screaming for his life when he was shot. Zimmerman pursued Martin after being told by the police not to. Zimmerman's excuse was self defense—you have to be kidding me!


You can just shoot someone, tell police you did it, claim self defense, and then just walk out the door with your gun and not be arrested? That is just plain crazy!

Allowing Zimmerman to walk free without an arrest sends a message to all black people that, in America, someone can come up and shoot you and just walk away—and it's not just a message heard by black people.

I'm white and this incident tells me that I can be shot like that by anyone who doesn't like me for any reason, and all they have to do is claim self defense to walk free. It makes me wonder if this is a sign that we have collectively gone insane?

I'm Gilroy resident Marc Perkel—and I approve this message!

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Mary Ann KannelyPuente May 21, 2013 at 04:30 pm
Also, it would take some work but couldn't the books be divided up and put into the classrooms? OrRead More is it because they were bought as library books with the library grant they have to stay in the library. It will be very embarrassing to tell book vendors that Luigi Aprea does not have a library anymore.
Mary Ann KannelyPuente May 21, 2013 at 04:26 pm
I don't know why the parents club can't run the library. They would have to be trained with theRead More computer library program but I'm sure there would be parents that would be willing to do that. It is very sad that just because we can't hire a librarian that the students have to loose out. That does not seem fair to me. I thought the students were supposed to come first and not be denied services due to a budget shortfall. We were promised that the budget would not effect the classroom. I guess in this case the union is more powerful than necessary. So all those books are going to collect dust. How sad and unacceptable.
R. Gabriner May 13, 2013 at 02:37 pm
Nice work Blanca. An excellent student in our program. Dr. Robert Gabriner, Director, EducationalRead More Leadership Doctoral Program San Francisco State University
Raymond Ruiz April 13, 2013 at 10:54 pm
It just don't matter how she dresses,whoo her parents are or aren't. Nobody and I mean Nobody hasRead More the right to rape or force a femsle to have sex with her,and then to make matters worse,they posted pictures of her on facebook ! Better we as a community should be asking,what would possess the young guys to do something like this ! That is why We have Our teenagers and kids passwords or no internet period ! As a parent my heart goes out to het and her parents !
Tamra~Kathleen April 13, 2013 at 05:51 pm
The offensive comment we're discussing shows a complete lack of respect for women that permeates ourRead More culture. That this person actually thought this poor young girl had culpability for her attack is a symptom of our societies disregard for women. I'm actually glad he made the comment so we can look at and discuss the problem.
Berto April 12, 2013 at 07:27 pm
From one of the interviews I watched online, it seems that many Saratoga High students knew whatRead More happened at the party and had seen the pictures. How is it that arrests did not follow the assault and the suicide for over 6 months? Could it be that the students who knew information about the felony chose to remain silent? I hope that is not the case; we will surely find out as the details of the case are revealed in the media over the next weeks and months. In the meantime lets make sure we are teaching our kids about the responsibility of living in community and caring about others. God forbid that any of the students have to live with the knowledge that they could have prevented the suicide, or with the knowledge that they helped cover up such a heinous crime.