Zimmerman Case

[11_Panama_]

I see a picture of him smoking, Otto. Where do you see drugs? Assumptions is what killed this young man.

[WD-40]

I believe the autopsy showed marijuana in Martins system. But say he was clean. Nothing's changed. Zimmerman was the Neighborhood 'Watch', not the Neighborhood 'Act' nor the Neighborhood 'intercept'. He wasn't trained in that fashion, nor did he have a badge or uniform or cop car to help identify his purpose and disarm Martin regarding the strange Mexican looking dude coming at him and getting in his face. And to answer JAF's comment about what would have happened had Zimmerman waited for the cops to get there, well if Zimmerman waited, stayed in his truck, reported 'where' Martin went (i.e. the father's address), the cops woulda found he was at his fathers house and had likely finished about half the bag of Skittles minding his own business.

On top of that, we wouldn't be here talking about a situation that need not have occurred in the first place had Zimmerman not tried to play Cop.

Keep in mind, I'm not pro Martin nor pro Zimmerman. To me, it's just a sad case that was avoidable.

[ProfessorDreadNaught]

On top of that, we wouldn't be here talking about a situation that need not have occurred in the first place had Zimmerman not tried to play Cop.

I'm sorry WD, but if you'll forgive the pun, your argument is a cop out.

He was a neighborhood watchmen. In my neighborhood, stopping kids from hopping through yards is one of the things I expect from them.

In my neighborhood, when a 28 year old man who identifies himself as a neighborhood watchmen approaches you in the streets at night at NO time during the conversation should fists be employed let alone a gun. That teen aged boy didn't belong hopping fences through the neighborhood. When confronted about it the right thing to do is cooperate with any authority that presents itself and sit and wait for the police if it escalates beyond the watchman.

I think he was doing his civic responsibility and his volunteer job. The response and actions of the boy are what should be regretted and lamented not the acts of a concerned volunteer watchman.

"He took my head and slammed it against the concrete several times, and each time I thought my head was going to explode and I thought I was going to lose consciousness," George Zimmerman told police the day after he shot and killed Trayvon Martin.

"I started screaming for help," but Martin pressed his hands over Zimmerman's mouth and nose, he said. "He told me to shut the f&#k up, and I was suffocating."

Zimmerman told police he was lying on the ground, but his head was on the concrete.

"I didn't want him to keep slamming my head on the concrete so I kind of shifted. But when I shifted my jacket came up…and it exposed my firearm. That's when he said you are going to die tonight. He took one hand off my mouth, and slid it down my chest. I took my gun aimed it at him and fired."

[JAF]

yeah... I keep seeing kid pictures on tv but he was a young man already, smoking drugs and posting it on the internet. On top of that, he felt he was "man" enough to turn around and punch another man in the face several times. Zimmerman probably thought he was going to take his gun, so he acted in defense. But of course, WD is right in pointing out all of this could have been easily avoided and that Zimmerman should have not risked himself by following some guy with a hood if he was not a cop.

It was stated in Zimmerman's testimony that Trayvon did reach for his gun. Take that for what you will, but it was still stated.

[haasd0gg]

I'm not saying bad decisions weren't made... On both sides, I'm sure...
However, the only firsthand report of the incident states that Zimmerman was jumped by martin. There was no evidence to contradict that. Furthermore, neighborhood watch trained or not, Zimmerman was well within his rights to inquire an individual who he did not recognize as to why he was in this gated community. Martin was far outside of any legal right to attack a man.
For those who don't know, many of these communities are close enough that everybody is up in each others business, trashcans in by 5pm, lawn cut every 5 days, yada yada.

[Mandalore]

Without SYG this would more than likely have at least ended up in manslaughter. If this case hadn't been in the middle of such a huge media firestorm then the safe conviction probably would have been reckless endangerment simply because there's no way you could prove without a doubt that Zimmerman had malicious intent. 2nd degree murder was really, really reaching. Legally the case went the way it should have...in my opinion the spirit of our legal system was raped a bit though. As far as I know the neighbor hood watch doesn't have any distinct legal powers and certainly none to engage, it's basically just a self made title as far as I know. He was fine up until he got out of the vehicle and went to engage Trayvon. To be honest if Trayvon had lived I think the case would have went majorly differently simply because the onus of who was engaging in self defense would have shifted to Trayvon. He was merely a child, wasn't he like 14 and weighed like a buck 40? Which brings up another point, how the hell did a grown man who looks to be about 220 have his life "endangered" by someone half his size? Especially seeing as Zimmerman was on bottom, talk to someone whose had to restrain a person on the ground...it's hard as [poo]. That's why you see like 3-4 cops come around when an arrest has to be made. Really all Zimmerman had to do was roll and he would have been completely free. His injuries appeared to be extremely, extremely minor. I've cut myself worse shaving.

Verdict: Prosecution sucks ass, pressured into going for a much higher charge than was probable by the media.

[MATTHEW'S_DAD]

Martin = 158lb and 5'11"
Zimmerman = 185 lb and 5'7"

[Bryant]

Mandalore, you obviously haven't paid attention at all. That media firestorm you're mad about was the only reason he was arrested - because there was no probable cause (it was an illegal arrest).
He was tried for 2nd degree AND manslaughter.
There was no proof that he did engage. In fact there was 4 minutes between the 911 call and the shooting during which time Martin did not go home.
Also, if Martin felt threatened why didn't he go to a close house, or get off the phone with his racist friend and call 911.
He was not a 14, but 17. Suspended from school for marijuana related incident.
He doesn't have legal power to make an arrest, but I think he does have some limited authority inside a private neighborhood. And he definitely has just as much right to be there.

@panama: they did find THC in his system.

[WD-40]

^^^^ Also, I should elaborate more in that most Neighborhood Watch people are ill-trained to engage certain individuals. Some folks are packing a weapon like Zimmerman, but may not have a background on when to use it, let alone how to defend themselves in what we call 'Defensive Tactics' or when to approach strangers who may/may not be armed themselves.

I'm all for Neighborhood Watches. However, I believe it is prudent that they all receive proper training by their local Sheriff's Department/Police Department on the various techniques and experiences of Law Enforcement. Heck, maybe once training is complete, 'Deputize' the watch people that satisfactorily complete the training. That way, even if you have a combative person like Martin show up in 'the hood', they may still avoid a BS Trial like we just saw, as well as the typical Obama Administrations Civil Rights Lawsuit against another white guy. God forbid they would have prosecuted the Black Panthers after they threatened some conservative whites away from poll stations years back.

[(SWGO)Rock]

I have been reading alot of stuff about this verdict. bad call by jury i believe. Everyone that i read on facebook and other places said it was because he was black!

A classic example of the uninformed getting information from the uninformed. Or "blind leading the blind".

i watched the whole trial from start to end. I believe the city covered it up and let him free.