Justice Department: No Federal Charges for George Zimmerman in Killing of Trayvon Martin

[Content Note: Racism; violence; guns; death.]

Federal Officials Close Investigation Into Death of Trayvon Martin:

The Justice Department announced today that the independent federal investigation found insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman for the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida. Prosecutors from the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, officials from the FBI, and the Justice Department's Community Relations Service met today with Martin's family and their representatives to inform them of the findings of the investigation and the decision.

"The death of Trayvon Martin was a devastating tragedy. It shook an entire community, drew the attention of millions across the nation, and sparked a painful but necessary dialogue throughout the country," said Attorney General Eric Holder. "Though a comprehensive investigation found that the high standard for a federal hate crime prosecution cannot be met under the circumstances here, this young man's premature death necessitates that we continue the dialogue and be unafraid of confronting the issues and tensions his passing brought to the surface. We, as a nation, must take concrete steps to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future."

..."Although the department has determined that this matter cannot be prosecuted federally, it is important to remember that this incident resulted in the tragic loss of a teenager's life," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Civil Rights Division. "Our decision not to pursue federal charges does not condone the shooting that resulted in the death of Trayvon Martin and is based solely on the high legal standard applicable to these cases."

You may have noticed that both Holder and Gupta referenced the "high standard" that must be met to bring federal hate crime charges. Here is a little bit more about that:

The federal investigation sought to determine whether the evidence of the events that led to Martin's death were sufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman's actions violated the federal criminal civil rights statutes, specifically Section 3631 of Title 42 of the U.S. Code or Section 249 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code, as well as other relevant federal criminal statutes. Section 3631 criminalizes willfully using force or threat of force to interfere with a person's federally protected housing rights on account of that person's race or color. Section 249 criminalizes willfully causing bodily injury to a person because of that person's actual or perceived race. Courts define "willfully" to require proof that a defendant knew his acts were unlawful, and committed those acts in open defiance of the law. It is one of the highest standards of intent imposed by law.

Emphasis mine. And the fact we all know damn well that Zimmerman caused bodily injury to Trayvon Martin because of his race doesn't matter, because the Feds can't prove it.

George Zimmerman just got away with murder again, nineteen days after what would have been Trayvon Martin's 20th birthday, and two days before the third anniversary of his death.