What many blacks and liberals will never publicly acknowledge is
that Trayvon Martin's death was a consequence of his own criminal
conduct ("'Life has got to be of some value,'" July 21). For a
multitude of reasons, people make other people angry every day. Yet
no one has the right to physically assault someone simply because
that someone has said or done something to make him angry. The
prosecution in the George Zimmerman murder trial referred to Mr.
Martin as a "child," as if he were seven instead of 17 years old.
The national media repeatedly referred to him as an "unarmed
teenager," as if a well-built 17-year-old could not possibly harm
someone with his fists or by pounding his head onto a concrete
sidewalk.
If, after punching Mr. Zimmerman, Mr. Martin had been shot while
fleeing, that would have constituted second-degree murder or
manslaughter. But that is not what happened. The evidence is
irrefutable that Mr. Martin initiated and perpetuated the physical
confrontation. He certainly wasn't shot before he attacked Mr.
Zimmerman. He certainly wasn't punched by Mr. Zimmerman — either
before or during the attack — because there were no marks on Mr.
Martin's face or body to indicate that he was struck even once.
Clearly, Mr. Martin did all the punching. He committed assault (with
his fists) and battery (with the concrete sidewalk) because Mr.
Zimmerman committed the mortal sin of making him angry.
Mr. Martin's death was clearly a case of justifiable homicide based
on self-defense. But Mr. Martin was black and Mr. Zimmerman isn't,
so Mr. Martin is automatically portrayed by the mainstream media as
the victim and Mr. Zimmerman as the racist aggressor. The simple
truth is that many blacks and liberals are psychologically incapable
of acknowledging black fault. To do so would deprive blacks of their
special status as perpetual victims and liberals of their purpose in
life.
David Holstein, Baltimore
https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/readers-respond/bs-ed-martin-
guilt-letter-20130723-story.html