A recent Reuters
profile of George Zimmerman explains the context in which he
shot Trayvon Martin on February 21. It does not provide direct
evidence one way or the other on the question of whether
Zimmerman’s use of force was justified, but it does complicate the
widespread perception of him as a racist hothead and overeager
wannabe cop.

Aside from the fact that he deemed a black teenager “real
suspicious” (based partly on behavior that struck him as odd),
there’s little evidence that Zimmerman is racist. Reuters notes
that he has “an Afro-Peruvian great-grandfather,” was raised in a
multiracial household, and has black friends, including his partner
in a short-lived insurance agency. Another relevant (and ironic)
part of Zimmerman’s history not mentioned by Reuters: Last year,
according to his family, he
distributed fliers at black churches protesting the lenient
treatment of a white police lieutenant’s son who was caught on
video assaulting a black homeless man.

“I’m black, OK?” a neighbor tells Reuters. “There were black
boys robbing houses in this neighborhood,” she said. “That’s why
George was suspicious of Trayvon Martin.” The details about
the rash of burglaries and home invasions help explain Zimmerman’s
multiple calls to the police and his anger at the prospect that yet
another suspect was about to escape on the night he shot Martin.
His frustration may have prompted him to continue following the
teenager after the police dispatcher suggested he stop (although
that point is a matter of
dispute).

The profile notes some previously aired evidence that Zimmerman
was prone to violence: his 2005 arrest for shoving an alcohol
control agent who was arresting his friend for underage drinking
and a restraining order against him by a former fiancee. It also
confirms that, contrary to neighborhood watch guidelines, he made a
habit of carrying his gun (which he originally bought as protection
against an aggressive neighborhood dog) while patrolling the
neighborhood. Although those facts reinforce the impression
that Zimmerman was looking for trouble, the main thrust of the
piece is that he was a good neighbor genuinely interested in
helping others and working with the police to address a crime
problem that had everyone on edge. That motivation got him into a
situation where he made a tragic mistake—one that, depending on the
details of his fight with Martin, may amount to a crime. 

[Thanks to Manny Klausner for the link.]