Zimmerman Found NOT GUILTY of Murder or Manslaughter

George Zimmerman has been found not guilty by a 6-person, all-female Florida jury of 2nd degree murder and not guilty of manslaughter, despite the uncontested fact that he shot and killed unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin with his concealed firearm in February 2012.

A recap of the whole sad affair:

Zimmerman was not charged for 44 tumultuous days in which the case generated large protests in several cities, turned a hooded sweatshirt like the one Martin wore into a symbol of solidarity, and drew the attention of President Obama, who said, “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.”

As debate over race, guns and Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law swirled, a special prosecutor appointed by the governor announced April 11, 2012, that Zimmerman was being charged with second-degree murder – a move that his supporters said was meant to quell the public outcry.

Zimmerman pleaded not guilty throughout the case to the charges against him.

When the trial unfolded a year later, prosecutors argued the volunteer neighborhood watchman was a wannabe cop who “profiled” Martin as the teen walked back from buying Skittles at a 7-Eleven, and then followed him against the advice of the police dispatcher he called to report a suspicious person.

[...]

The defense told jurors that Zimmerman was just doing his civic duty when he was ambushed by Martin, punched in the face and slammed repeatedly into concrete before he fired a single shot that pierced the teen’s heart.

“That’s cement. That is a sidewalk. And that is not an unarmed teenager with nothing but Skittles trying to get home,” O’Mara said.

Here's a poignant reaction to the verdict from MSNBC contributors Melissa Harris-Perry and Joy Reid:

They do an excellent job of providing an answer to the question "why do people think this case is about race?" by discussing the reaction of parents of black children compared to parents of non-Black children to the verdict.