( CNN ) -- Like many people , I 've been riveted by the George Zimmerman trial . I call it `` the George Zimmerman trial '' because that 's what it is , but the more I watch , the more I wonder : Should it be renamed `` the Trayvon Martin trial ? '' I 'm not just talking about some of the media 's tabloid-like focus on Martin 's background , his personal history , his school records and -- outside the courtroom -- the toxicology report . I 'm talking about an aspect of the case that never comes up in the media coverage , one that I would argue is key . This murder trial , in and out of the courtroom , has been boiled down to one question : Was Zimmerman in fear for his life and thus justified in defending himself by shooting and killing Martin ? It has been framed this way -- in terms of Zimmerman 's mortal fear -- since the shooting in 2012 . Zimmerman 's assumptions led to death , prosecutor argues . Some people have forgotten that Zimmerman was not even arrested initially . It took more than a month for the special prosecutor to bring the second-degree murder charge . And if not for mass protests across the country , he might not be the defendant in a murder trial at all . The question that has not surfaced in the courtroom -- the elephant in the room -- is this : Did Martin fear for his life after being followed and confronted by a stranger while going to the store to buy candy and a soft drink ? Was he , Martin , justified in standing his ground and defending himself when this stranger , an apparent stalker , approached him in a threatening manner ? Zimmerman did n't identify himself and never said he was part of the neighborhood watch group . Think about it : We 're told over and over that if Zimmerman was afraid of Martin , according to Florida law , he had the right to put a bullet in the chamber of his concealed handgun , get out of his car after being told not to by the 911 dispatcher and follow and confront Martin and shoot him to death . At the same time , we are told that Martin , who had far greater reason to fear Zimmerman , practically and for reasons of American history , did not have the right to confront his stalker , stand his ground and defend himself , including by using his fists . We are told that this was entirely unjustified and by doing so , Martin justified his own execution . Running updates from the Zimmerman trial . The phrases `` stand your ground '' and `` self-defense '' have been repeated endlessly by anchors , pundits , analysts and experts , but rarely applied to Martin . How could this be ? Why is this other question ignored ? Surely it will come up as we approach the trial , I thought . But it has n't . What 's going on here ? How can the Florida law apply only to Zimmerman and not to Martin ? I remembered the sharp , sometimes bitter commentary provoked by Spike Lee 's 1989 film `` Do the Right Thing , '' particularly in reaction to its climactic scenes , when the police murder a black teenager and Lee 's character throws a trash can through the window of the white-owned pizza place . Years after the movie came out , Lee told an interviewer , `` White people still ask me why Mookie threw the can through the window . ... Twenty years later , they 're still asking me that . '' `` No black person ever , in 20 years , no person of color has ever asked me why , '' he said . This speak volumes about race and power relations in this country . Opinion : Zimmerman trial - it 's about race . Here 's what I think : Assuming Martin did engage Zimmerman physically , perhaps if the teen had hit back a little bit harder , perhaps if he had been able to prevent Zimmerman from grabbing his concealed and loaded gun and perhaps if witnesses had come to Martin 's aid , then maybe he would be alive today . That 's speculation . One thing I feel sure of is that if Martin , in fear for his life , had used Zimmerman 's own gun to shoot and possibly kill his attacker , when the police arrived on the scene , they would not have failed to charge him with murder . Why has n't the prosecution team used Florida law to argue strongly for Martin 's right of self-defense , his right to stand his ground against a stalker ? Why not turn the tables on Zimmerman 's exclusive claim to that argument ? It will be interesting to see whether this question even gets posed for the jury at all . It certainly will be front and center as this case is tried by the jury of history . And future generations will likely puzzle over how the term `` racial profiling '' could have been banned by the judge before the trial even began . This country 's racial history , the list of names , like Sean Bell , Amadou Diallo , Oscar Grant and other victims of `` deadly force '' by the policeâ€ ” these represent an even bigger Elephant in the Room . They may have been ruled irrelevant in the courtroom , but they are certainly relevant to those who seek justice in this society . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Miller Francis .
Miller Francis : The problem with the “climate change” meme is that it has been used to justify a lot of bad things. He says question not raised : Was n't Martin the one standing his ground , facing a stalker ? We 're told that by defending himself , Martin justified his own execution , he says . Francis : Prosecution should use stand-your-ground on Martin 's behalf ; it 's about race , justice .