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Did you guys see the thing (posted by George Takai, where I get all of my news) about the woman in Florida who was just given TWENTY YEARS for firing WARNING SHOTS at her allegedly abusive husband? She used the same "Stand Your Ground" defense that Zimmerman used. Hmmm.

@meganmp: are you effing kidding me........

@bluestriped bee: He was not shot in the head. He was shot in the chest. The bullet pierced his heart and blood gushed for as many as 3 minutes or of his body. His death was painful.

@MrsTiz: Ditto...the verdict is appropriate because the state did not properly make their case. Truth-be-told we will never know the real motives (unless we choose to believe Zimmerman) but self defense is hard to argue against beyond a reasonable doubt.

I agree with the verdict - but like you agree that no one should be celebrating because a life was still lost. Hopefully the media will shut up about this now...rather than try to stir up riots...

@septemberlove: Ya - today will be a no tv kind of day...I just cant handle media at all anymore!

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I plan on having that talk even with my brown daughter. I think the message that was sent was that brown kids are not worthy of the same rights as white kids and I think the fall out from this is that people will think they can be more aggressive with black kids. I need to protect my baby from that!

@septemberlove: I'm not sure how Rev. Al is begging for a riot. Sounds like he's sharing his feelings about how justice wasn't served for Trayvon.

I agree that the prosecution did not prove their case. They needed to focus more on intent and the events leading up to the altercation.

But for me, the decision doesn't make Zimmerman any more or less guilty than he was before. Only he knows deep in his heart what happened that night and his true judgment will come when he stands before his maker, not in a court of law.

@meganmp: @Mrsbells: I saw that too but the situation was pretty different according to the prosecution. She actually got away from him and came back with a gun and fired these "warning shots." If that's truthfully how it happened (didnt really follow that case, just read a little about it after) thats way different than the GZ case... The sentencing laws are interesting though.

@Mrsbells: The other day while I was getting my hair done I was chatting with my white stylist and her coworker, another white stylist about the trial. They both greatly disliked that TM was able dead, but offered excuses for why GZ profiled him.

They said TM was practically a man. I remember my bro and I his friends at 17. They are teens: immature, lanky, awkward etc. I said we throw out wether someone is a teen or a man when it's convenient. Media uses "boys will be boys" to excuse bad behavior from even older teens, college students. Let's not paint the black 17 yr old teen as a man, just because YOU find him scary.

They also said what if TM had a gun. GZ didn't know that. WTH! Let's deal with the facts TM didn't have a gun, didn't own a gun. And GZ didn't know anything about him exceot that he WWB. Walking While Black.

Lastly, they brought up the hoodie as if that is suspicious clothing. I said if I have a son he will look like Trayvon and both of them told meI hopefully i willI teach him not to wear a hoodie. Really?! Mark Zuckerberg wears a hoodie. Check out any college campus and you will see hoodies and pajama bottoms as the "school uniform." I have a hoodie and when it's raining outside, like the night of TM's muder, I put the hood up to offer protection from the rain.

Different rules. So, so sad.

@MsLipGloss: I know he is Hispanic. His race doesn't change bias. Many people hold prejudices within their own community and toward other communities even when they are considered a minority. GZ's race certainly doesn't change the outrage that again another black young man was pegged as a criminal and is dead shortly thereafter.

Living in Florida I am more aware of the biases held in the Hispanic community be it colorism, country of origin, station in life or length their family has been in the US. Many of my Hispanic HS classmates self-identified as white. My HS Spanish teacher Ms. Jiminez used to speak ill of these students under her breath.

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: yep, it is the sad reality...

@septemberlove: I don't know what you're watching but I haven't seen Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson "begging for a riot." Everything I see is talking about being peaceful and reactions to what many see as justice not being served.

The reality of the matter is that people aren't trying to start a race war with the talks of if Zimmerman had been black and Trayvon white but are discussing how stereotypes continue to affect black and brown boys and men. I wrote that I hope I never have a son because raising a black boy in America is not something my heart can take.

@MsLipGloss: Being Hispanic doesn't change his profiling of Trayvon Martin being suspicious. Hispanic is not a race, it's a culture. I know plenty of Hispanics, especially Cubans in Miami who identify as White.

@MsLipGloss: he is white. Whites can identify as Hispanic, but Hispanic is not a race.

Wouldnt it be something if everyone could get to switch races for a while and gain a better understanding of what it is like on the other side. I think that would really change our perceptions of what is fair

@septemberlove: I respectfully disagree. Inciting violence would be "go get a gun and harm people"

Remember all those tea partiers calling for second amendment remedies? THAT is calling for violence. Asking people to think about what would be like if roles were reversed is asking people to think about the other side of things.

@mrsjazz: I know it's bad to say, but I was glad I had a daughter. Like you, I just couldn't take it if she'd have been a boy. I'll still talk to her though of course.

I don't think discussing racial inequalities in the justice system incites more violence more than a verdict like this bolsters some white "cowboys" who say things like "these a&^holes, they always get away" (GZ's words) to act more violently towards groups of people they assume are criminals.

For people who think the media has created a racial crime where none was; there never is a good time to talk about the racial inequalities in our justice system. Talk about it after a case like this - you're inciting violence. Talk about it any other time and you're race baiting. The fact is there are huge racial inequalities in our country, in our justice system, in our media; everywhere. And it isn't going to get any better until people start to talk about it all the time, and do something about it.

There have been several studies about Stand Your Ground laws (even if this case wasn't explicitly one), and racial bias. This article is pretty good at summing up the data comparing white-on-white homicide and white-on-black homicide. A white person using SYG is 350% more likely to be found not guilty of murdering a black person than a white person who kills another white person and uses SYG. http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2013/07/13/stand-your-ground-laws-increases-racial-bias-in-justifiable-homicide-trials/

@yoursilverlining: WOW, that is depressing. Although unfortunately not altogether surprising. Ugh.

@grizz: completely agree. I don't have a son but I am still so sad for his family.

@mrsjazz: I feel the way you do, I am so thankful right now that I have a daughter and at the same time frightened for her. This verdict is essentially saying that black kids don't matter, that they don't deserve justice.

I also feel saddened that people think that the media is inciting racial violence or a race war. A black kid was racially profiled, stalked and murdered. His attacker got off scot free. If ever there was a time to talk about racism and the negative effects on us I is now.

People who have never experienced WWB can never understand what it feels like to be constantly followed, searched, denied entry to places etc all based on the colour of your skin. I draw the line at murder. Oscar Grant, Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell, Trayvon Martin...if we don't discuss it now, then when? Kudos to Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson for continuing to fight.