After Trayvon Martin Ruling, 'Words Not Weapons' Urged in Sarasota

This story was reported and written by Patch Local Editor Merab Favorite.

Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino called a news conference at Martin Luther King Park on Thursday in anticipation of a verdict in the controversial Trayvon Martin case, which is expected to occur on Friday.

“I don’t know what the verdict will be, “ she said. “None of us do. But I also don’t want to allow criminals use this as an excuse to jeopardize our community.”

During DiPino’s speech, she urged residents to refrain from violent acts and instead discuss the verdict with each other. She also asked religious and civic leaders to open the doors of the organizations and allow people to come in and talk about the court case. 

“We ask for words not weapons,” she said. “We ask for unity and not injury.”

Community activist Valerie Buchand, 57, who was born and raised in Sarasota, attended the event. She noted that there were no religious leaders present.

“The community leaders aren’t here,” she said. “So who is going to relay the message?”

The fatal shooting of a African-American Trayvon Martin, 17, by George Zimmerman, 28, a multi-racial Hispanic American, on the night of Feb. 26, 2012, in Sanford has been a widely discussed case nationally.

Zimmerman is currently on trial for second-degree murder in the case. He was serving as the neighborhood watch coordinator for a gated community where Martin was temporarily living when the shooting occurred.  The defense has said Zimmerman acted in self-defense.

Buchand said she was happy to see that DiPino had called the meeting, and that she would like to see more of them. She said she doesn’t want people to tear up their own community.

While the intent of the press conference was noble, some argued that it sent the wrong message. Alton Everett, 66, said when authorities automatically assume their will be backlash from the verdict, it could give residents the idea to commit criminal acts, whereas before they never would have thought of it.

“I’m concerned the driving force behind this is superficial,” he said. “There is an underlying factor here that has been learned. It’s a product built with culpability instead of distinguishing between that behavior.”

However, DiPino said she doesn’t anticipate any backlash in Sarasota. She said she wanted to address the matter ahead of time because of what has happened historically in high-profile cases.