Deeper Questions from the Death of Trayvon Martin

Trayvon Martin Protest - Sanford (Photo credit: werthmedia)

More details on Trayvon Martin’s death have been released. I’ve added them as edits to a recent post about the victimization the african-american community is feeling. Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson have recently led demonstrations. Bloggers all over the world are speaking out. News media have exhausted the facts and are well into the opinion phase.

We have enough to ask some hypothetical questions:

If Trayvon Martin attacked George Zimmerman, slamming his head into the asphalt repeatedly as witnesses claim, was Zimmerman right to defend himself with deadly force?

If Zimmerman provoked Martin in some way, does that nullify Zimmerman’s right to defend himself?

If Zimmerman is not charged, or found guilty, how should we expect our leaders, black and white, to respond to the backlash that could very well occur?