Zimmerman Case: Did legal system work? Was justice served?

On Saturday night, a Florida jury of six women found George Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter in a shooting that mushroomed from a confrontation with a 17-year-old Trayvon Martin as he walked home from a store early last year.

Emotions have since run sky high both locally and nationally. From the Sunday evening rally for Martin at Atlanta's West End Park, Cascade Patch reported that those present felt “real fear and exasperation with the justice system.” One woman cried as she spoke while holding her child in her arms, "is there is no where safe for my boy anymore."

Another attendee, a local writer Will Stamped, wrote at his website:

“Were George Zimmerman’s acquittal merely an error, or even a genuine case of “proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,” we would not be out here. We are out here because a lack of justice is pervasive in our society, and a black boy being shot and killed without repercussion is not an anomaly. Tomorrow it will be a police officer, the day after that gang violence. Yesterday, our black brothers and sisters were reminded that—in the eyes of the law—their lives are worth less than those of us with lighter skin.”

Yet not everyone was frustrated with how the verdict was reached. Republican State Rep. Ed Lindsey of Brookhaven, whose District 54 represents a portion of Buckhead, said the jury’s verdict should be respected. In a statement, Lindsey praised the jury:

“The system worked — and I would say the same thing if the verdict had gone the other way. Pray for the young man who died too young and for his family that mourns his loss. Pray for George Zimmerman and his family as they move on.”

Lindsey later tweeted, “The #Zimmerman jury has spoken. Respect it. We must always be governed by the rule of law and not the passions of the moment.”

“While I disagree with the jury's verdict, we must respect it. This case reminds me why my number one priority as Mayor is public safety. I work every day to create a safer city where our sworn police officers are trained and equipped to effectively uphold the law, so that our residents feel secure in their neighborhoods and our diverse communities respect each other. The death of Trayvon Martin shows that we must all work harder to shed the dangerous stereotypes that can have devastating consequences for individuals, families and our society."

But did the legal system work? Was justice served? Are those questions the same, or even more, do we need to acknowledge that there’s not a precise fit between justice and our country’s criminal justice system?

Please feel free to share you thoughts on the case and verdict and in doing so, please demonstrate respect to all and their opinions as they have a right to believe what they choose.