ACLU: Obama, Holder Should Not Go After Zimmerman

George Zimmerman leaves court with his family after Zimmerman's not guilty verdict was read in Seminole Circuit Court in Sanford, Fla. on Saturday, July 13, 2013. Jurors found Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla. (AP Photo/Joe Burbank, Pool)

The ACLU sent a letter to the Obama administration to not pursue legal action against George Zimmerman, who was acquitted in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin last week, saying that he should not be tried for the same crime twice.

In a letter sent to Attorney General Eric Holder, the ACLU’s Laura W. Murphy and Jesselyn McCurdy, who are with the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office, wrote that “even though the Supreme Court permits a federal prosecution following a state prosecution, the ACLU believes the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Constitution protects someone from being prosecuted in another court for charges arising from the same transaction.”

A jury, she added, found Zimmerman not guilty of manslaughter and second-degree murder, and “that should be the end of the criminal case.”

While Zimmerman was merely a neighborhood watch volunteer and was not a member of law enforcement when he shot Martin in Sanford, Fla., last year, the organization says that the way to move forward is by strengthening the training of law enforcement to prevent racial profiling and excessive force.

“Many wounds need to be healed in Sanford and DOJ should continue to assist the community by providing training and by working with the community to close this sad chapter in its history. DOJ should also commit itself to providing training and technical assistance to state prosecutors involved in cases where race is seen as a factor,” the letter continues.

The ACLU noted that a number of people believe that the Zimmerman-Martin case involved racial profiling, even though there was little evidence suggesting that was the case, meaning average citizens have been influence by the conduct of law enforcement in the past. The points to examples such as the fatal shooting of Amadou Ahmed Diallo in New York by police officers, the shooting of Sean Bell by NYPD officers in 2003, and the fatal shooting of New Orleans residents by police after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

“Problematic practices by public officials can increase the likelihood of bad judgment and actions by private actors,” the letter reads. “Further, the killing of Trayvon Martin has touched off a range of emotions across the country and is another harsh reminder that police actions can be motivated by racial bias.”