# Will there be race riots if Zimmerman is found not guilty? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 29, 2013, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201 "2013-06-29T14:00:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/161 "2013-07-14T11:07:33Z")
Riot is a matter of scale. It was violence, quite unnecessary at that, but not widespread enough to be a riot. The AP portraying what happened as “largely peaceful” is extreme bias. If that had been the Tea party responding to a Zimmerman conviction or something they would not have portrayed the same event as “largely peaceful”. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/162 "2013-07-14T13:48:42Z")
I look forward to the “will black people riot” threads we’ll get the next time something like this happens. > [@adaher](#): > > The AP portraying what happened as “largely peaceful” is extreme bias. If that had been the Tea party responding to a Zimmerman conviction or something they would not have portrayed the same event as “largely peaceful”. It sure is sad to see the racism white people face in this country. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/163 "2013-07-14T13:51:29Z")
Somebody’s going to chase down Zimmerman, shoot him in the heart, then say he was afraid of him and was “standing his ground.” ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/164 "2013-07-14T15:03:50Z")
That person will be going to prison. Especially if he’s black. I said the same thing about OJ and he’s alive and kicking. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/165 "2013-07-14T21:34:05Z")
“The fundamental danger of an acquittal is not more riots, it is more George Zimmermans.” – [Jay Smooth](http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023246782) ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/166 "2013-07-14T22:28:29Z")
That just demonstrates people’s ignorance. George Zimmermans get acquitted a lot. This case was wholly unremarkable except for the race angle, which was manufactured. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/167 "2013-07-16T13:37:58Z")
Sigh. Stupid bastards in LA. Otherwise the protests have been mostly peaceful. Florida especially has handled this really well. > [@](#): > > A peaceful protest of the verdict in the Trayvon Martin verdict in Los Angeles unraveled into violence late Monday after a large group broke off and began smashing store windows, vandalizing cars and attacking bystanders, authorities said. > > More than 300 LAPD cops flooded the Crenshaw district in southwest L.A. after some 150 people splintered off from a prayer vigil and Leimert Park and blazed a trail of anarchy along nearby Crenshaw Boulevard, according to local reports. > > Read more: [Peaceful protest of Trayvon Martin verdict in Los Angeles flares into violence – New York Daily News](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/zimmerman-protest-turns-violent-article-1.1399750#ixzz2ZDPowgLG) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/168 "2013-07-16T13:49:42Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > That just demonstrates people’s ignorance. George Zimmermans get acquitted a lot. This case was wholly unremarkable except for the race angle, which was manufactured. This case has drawn a great deal of attention to Florida’s SYG law, which will inevitably lead to (1) more people taking advantage of it by shooting, and (2) more people claiming self-defense after they shoot people. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/169 "2013-07-16T13:59:37Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > That just demonstrates people’s ignorance. George Zimmermans get acquitted a lot. You **do** understand why that constitutes a **problem,** do you not? ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/170 "2013-07-16T14:07:19Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > You **do** understand why that constitutes a **problem,** do you not? Why would it “constitute a problem” for a person who has not committed a crime to be acquitted? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/171 "2013-07-16T14:12:47Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Why would it “constitute a problem” for a person who has not committed a crime to be acquitted? Because it annoys morons who tend to emulate Martin by attacking strangers. Welcome back. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/172 "2013-07-16T14:49:17Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > This case has drawn a great deal of attention to Florida’s SYG law, which will inevitably lead to (1) more people taking advantage of it by shooting, and (2) more people claiming self-defense after they shoot people. As I said, ignorance, a case where Stand Your Ground wasn’t a defense draws attention to Stand Your Ground laws. Much as a case about a Latino dude killing a black kid highlights white on black racism. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/173 "2013-07-16T14:50:23Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > You **do** understand why that constitutes a **problem,** do you not? What, that burden of proof is too high? Perhaps we should switch to the Italian system, where if the defendant is unlikeable she must be guilty? Unless you’re implying a pro-Latino bias in our justice system in which case I don’t know how to respond. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/174 "2013-07-16T14:51:11Z")
In practical terms, you are correct. However, in technical terms, it’s not ignorance; the SYG law removed any duty to retreat and thus is at issue in _any_ Florida self-defense case outside a home. It did not change the analysis here, but it still applied. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/175 "2013-07-16T15:01:20Z")
Well, high profile cases create bad law, and Stand Your Ground was a response to high profile cases where citizens acted in obvious self-defense but got in trouble anyway because supposedly they could have run away. I hope the Trayvon case doesn’t result in another round of bad lawmaking in response. Especially since it’s clear to me that Zimmerman was justified in shooting. The fact that his poor judgment led to the confrontation doesn’t diminish that. Regardless of what Zimmerman was doing, Martin had no cause to attack him. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/176 "2013-07-16T15:15:58Z")
We don’t know that. We only have Zimmerman’s versions of events. Regardless, the SYG law and its accompanying immunity doctrines are terrible law and I am fine with a kneejerk repeal. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/177 "2013-07-16T15:18:24Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > As I said, ignorance, a case where Stand Your Ground wasn’t a defense draws attention to Stand Your Ground laws. Much as a case about a Latino dude killing a black kid highlights white on black racism. Did you know that you can be both Latino and white at the same time? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/178 "2013-07-16T16:23:51Z")
The government doesn’t think so. You’re only white if you’re non-Hispanic. That is of course a relic of how we used to treat southern Europeans, and it should stop, but I don’t favor stopping it just because the media wants someone to be white really, really bad so as to fit into a storyline. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/179 "2013-07-16T16:45:53Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > The government doesn’t think so. You’re only white if you’re non-Hispanic. That is of course a relic of how we used to treat southern Europeans, and it should stop, but I don’t favor stopping it just because the media wants someone to be white really, really bad so as to fit into a storyline. Eh? [QUOTE=US Census] People may choose to report more than one race to indicate their racial mixture, such as “American Indian” and “White.” People who identify their origin as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish may be of any race. OMB requires five minimum categories: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201/180 "2013-07-16T16:55:44Z")
When they add up the numbers though, they lump Hispanics in together regardless of race. Next to white, they put “non-Hispanic”. I agree, they should count all white people as white, but then you find that our demographics aren’t actually changing at all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-race-riots-if-zimmerman-is-found-not-guilty/662201.md?page=10)