More Victims

Another story that has caught my attention lately concerns the shooting of Trayvon Martin. I have absolutely no idea what actually happened between the guy who shot him and the young man who died. And I'm not likely to until the case comes to trial and the evidence, such as it is, is heard in its entirety.

I wouldn't be surprised if the evidence pointed to a cold-blooded slaying of a defenceless young man based simply on the fact that the victim looked dangerous in the eyes of the man who pulled the trigger. Equally, I wouldn't be surprised if it became clear that the killer genuinely thought he was acting in self-defence and was being gravely threatened. And I wouldn't be surprised at an unfortunate interim position between these extremes.

Sadly, I'm also not in any sense surprised that so many commentators have already decided what happened based solely on their political affiliations. But I'm hopeful that the system of justice in America can be seen to deliver a detached rational verdict centered upon what can be known about what took place. That won't help the grieving parents too much though. In that sense the case is already lost.