Martin - Zimmerman | Arrests | Florida Statute | Criminal Investigations
A tragey has visited the city of Sanford, Florida, and espeially the families involved in this very public circus. A young man is dead, and a mob is hounding and hunting an innocent man accused of no crime. The mob is bent on exacting a pound of flesh be owed (
Pound of flesh ), regardless of facts or solid evidence.
Sanford, Fla., explains why George Zimmerman was not arrested
Sanford, Fla., explains why George Zimmerman was not arrested - BlogPost - The Washington Post
"...the letter, signed by Sanford City Manager Norton Bonaparte Jr., says. “By Florida Statute, law enforcement was PROHIBITED from making an arrest based on the facts and circumstances they had at the time.” (Caps are theirs.)"
We are a nation of laws and NOT mob rule. The Founding Fathers and the Framers would be horrified, and maybe hypocritical, over the current display of a majority demanding law be put aside. The people who founded our nation were often mob-ish in action, but believed the system they set up would keep their not so better natures from running rough shod over the rights of individuals, and over the rule of law: Principles over personalities and emotions.
People are clamoring for an arrest of a man who is not a suspect in a crime. The US Justice Dept is said to be assisting in an investigation of a death. This means they are NOT there to assist building a case. That would be a criminal charge looking for a justification/scenario/cause. Evidence is what our system of justice demands during investigations. Investigations are NOT initiated solely in order to charge and convict people. They are initiated as searches for evidence and truth, truth being very subjective. Lack of evidence equals no charges brought.
Maybe a federal statute can be looked into, if state statutes cannot be brought to bear. But there needs to be evidence a crime was committed. This display of the mob using emotion to demand justice is nothing more than a modern day lynch mob.
Even if this man Zimmerman is eventually found to be accused in a court of law, this story is turning into a sad period in the history of Criminal and Civil Justice in American democracy.
