The high-profile nature of the trial of George Zimmerman, who was found not guilty on Saturday of killing a Florida teen, has spurred each of the national news papers to take a position on the verdict and what should happen in its aftermath.
New York Times: "While Mr. Zimmerman’s conviction might have provided an emotional catharsis, we would still be a country plagued by racism, which persists in ever more insidious forms despite the Supreme Court’s sanguine assessment that “things have changed dramatically,” as it said in last month’s ruling striking down the heart of the Voting Rights Act. (The Justice Department is right to continue its investigation into whether Mr. Zimmerman may still be prosecuted under federal civil rights laws.)"
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Washington Post: "Guilt was not proved beyond a reasonable doubt, and Mr. Zimmerman is free to resume his life even as his attorney lamented that it 'will never be the same.'
"That also is as it should be. Mr. Zimmerman could have done what police told him to do and stayed in his vehicle. No one would have heard about him — and Trayvon Martin could have been able to get home on that rainy Sunday evening."
USA Today: "Zimmerman's fate was determined as it should have been, based on the evidence in a court of law, not the court of public opinion. But just because a verdict is legally justified doesn't make it morally satisfying. Trayvon Martin's death remains an avoidable American tragedy — one that Zimmerman set in motion."
Wall Street Journal: "Mr. Zimmerman made many mistakes that February evening, not least failing to heed police advice not to pursue Martin. Despite his acquittal, he will pay for those mistakes for years as he defends against a possible civil suit and must wear a bullet-proof vest to protect himself from threats of violent revenge that he has to take seriously."
