Baron: ‘The justice system failed’

The high-profile acquittal of a neighbourhood watch member in the US after he shot dead an unarmed black teenager should spark a debate on law and order in Bermuda, a Senator and former police officer said this week.

Senator Jeff Baron, the junior Minister for National Security and the chairman of the Inter-Agency Gang Task Force (IAGTF) said: “We should take this as an opportunity to have some meaningful discussions, whether it’s led by clergy or politicians, about the relationships between crime, race, the criminal justice system and how they interplay.”

Sen. Baron was speaking after George Zimmerman, 29, was acquitted of both the second degree murder and manslaughter of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in February last year after a three-week trial in Florida.

He may, however, face separate federal charges under national hate-crime laws.

Zimmerman, who lived in a gated community and who was armed, admitted shooting the youngster, but claimed had acted in self-defence after a scuffle. Mr Martin, who was black, was unarmed.

The youngster was walking back to his father’s house in the area after visiting a convenience store when he was seen and followed by Zimmerman, who called police and said he had seen a “suspicious guy.”

Zimmerman was not originally charged with any offence and released. But after a campaign by Mr Martin’s family and national protests, Zimmerman was eventually charged with second-degree murder on April 11 last year.

The case also sparked allegations of racial profiling and a personal statement by US President Barack Obama.

Sen. Baron said; “My perspective is this is tragic, the death was tragic and the justice system failed the Martin family.”

He added that — while major differences in the laws of Florida and Bermuda made a similar case on the island unlikely — public perception of crime in Bermuda had stoked fear and insecurity.

He said: “What we know is security is both a feeling and a reality — this is a classic example of where a feeling of security and the reality diverge.

Feelings are important

“But when there are people in our community who feel this kind of thing is inevitable, then we have to respond to that.

“These feelings are equally important — where something like the Trayvon Martin case might not be a reality based on our own laws and our own use of force legislation — the feeling in the community is we’re dealing with the marginalization of certain communities.”

He added: “People in our community are beginning to feel safer in their own communities and that’s not just because of successful police action or conviction rates. That’s to do with the policies of engagement.

“When you make the citizens part of the solution, the feeling of security will increase and we have seen that in the latest omnibus survey.”

Sen. Baron added that the use of force in Bermuda had to be “reasonable and proportionate.”

He said: “It’s important to state that because our laws here are, frankly, more appropriate than those in Florida.”

And he added: “A lot of people in Bermuda are stating their outrage over this trial on social media — this is an important topical issue and it’s more about society, including race and class.

“We shouldn’t start and stop with Facebook — it should be a conversation we have and continue to have. The OBA has said we’re going to rebalance our public safety agenda towards community engagement.

“As chairman of the Inter-Agency Gang Task Force, we’re engaging communities to empower them to say how they feel violent crime, gun crime, should be dealt with and give them a voice in how we craft some of our strategy.

“We have an energized and mobilised community who feels a part of the solution. When you create collective solutions with the community on how you respond to horrific incidents like the Trayvon Martin case, you’re setting the scene for success.”