Opinion

Jury duty

The defense rests. And whether George Zimmerman is guilty of second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin is something we’ll leave to the only folks qualified to judge: the jurors who have sat through the case and listened to the lawyers and witnesses for both sides.

Not everyone may be so inclined. Of late, the speculation in much of the media has been that acquittal for Zimmerman could spark civil unrest. In this regard, remarks made on CNN by Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith that he “fears” violence have been quoted widely.

But also out of context. In fact, the new chief has been doing just what someone in his situation ought to be doing: walking the neighborhoods of Sanford, talking to residents, reaching out to clergy and coordinating security plans with local sheriffs. It’s also worth noting that when he did tell CNN about his fears of violence, what worried him was not the reaction in Sanford but of “people from outside of the community coming in” to stir things up.

The chief’s observation is a good one. In the early days of this case, before Zimmerman was arrested, we did see some ugly things — including a tweet by filmmaker Spike Lee disclosing what he (incorrectly) thought was the address for George Zimmerman’s parents. As with Lee, the hints of violence came from outside Sanford.

In short, George Zimmerman has been fully prosecuted. The jury will soon decide whether the state has made its case. And with Chief Smith we believe the citizens of Sanford are more than capable of dealing with the jury’s verdict absent the intervention of those from the outside hoping for trouble.