The L.A. cops in the Rodney King situation not only had evidence of abuse (although they were swinging the clubs to break bone - leg and arm - because their previous training to put it across the neck resulted in a death), but cops using racial pejoritives, not taking King to the hospital for a substantial period of time, etc.
I don’t know how you are disagreeing with me, unless you are saying that the Rodney King case wasn’t even close. I think it was a close issue as to whether the state met its burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The defense did a good job of raising doubts about the intent of the officers and why they did what they did. Not sure to this day how I come out on that, but I can see how the jury reached its decision. I don’t think it was a racist jury, but certainly a jury more favorable to cops.
As to the feds being able to go after Zimmerman for civil rights violations, I think you are repeating what I said. There is no case. Zimmerman is not clearly innocent, innocent beyond a reasonable doubt of murder and of any intent to deprive anyone of their civil rights.
I wish I could agree with you, but if facts were treated the way they should be, this trial would have never started. For purposes of prosecution, you are who the government and the media decide to say you are. We have a guy still in jail allegedly because he produced a video that caused a riot that got an ambassador murdered. What they charge you with is irrelevant. Fact is they can find something to charge him with and they can paint him in a way that makes it seem reasonable.