17yr old black kid shot and killed for walking in white suburbia?

[GroobySteven]

It's a tragedy that Trayvon died, but Zimmerman had a right to confront him about why he was in the gated community without being physically attacked by Trayvon. Keep in mind that the whole gated community was private property, including the streets and sidewalks.

Oh dear ... where to start? Go back and read some.

[jamesedwards]

WEll Queens, I see Trayvon as a tall 17 year old Teen, am I correct? Is he a teen or an adult? He's skinny, look at his face book pics, and he has on baggy pants at the store am I correct? He's not a built guy, he was only 17 am I correct?

He could be seen as a threat because he's tall, but here's the ass kicker, you said you see him as a threat, Zimmerman seen him as a threat but one thing Zimmerman had over him was THE MIGHTY GUN, am I correct? Zimmerman seen Trayvon and he seen how tall he was, bet if Zimmerman didn't have that gun I bet he would of stayed in the car. Just as you see Trayvon as a threat.

Now me I don't see Trayvon as a threat maybe because I am 6'1 230 lbs muscle, it is certain short men have size complexes in the world, so to me he's not a threat. The thing is how is he a threat in a store just buying goods? Unless you're talking about he would look like a threat to you as you walked down the street. If that's the case every time I see African descent youth in my hood I should see all of them as threats because they are taller than me. smh

I MEAN LOOK AT HIM HE DOESN'T HAVE ANY REAL MUSCLE MASS HE'S SKINNY, IF YOU DON'T SEE THAT QUEENS THEN I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY.

So there you have it.

I think it does, as a lot of information has just been released.

Once we reach a point where nothing new comes along, which will probably happen in a few weeks after all of this newly released information is digested, I think you're right, it will become mostly a matter of everybody forming their own opinion. At that point this thread will become stale and we'll just have to wait until the trial happens.

Right now, it's interesting to see how different people interpret the same evidence or information. The things that are what they are, instead of things that lead to speculation. For instance, the video of Trayvon at the 7-11 buying the skittles and iced tea is what it is. Just a video of him at the store.

But jamesedward and I have different takeaways from it. I see a person who looks more like a young man than the tiny tot in the little league football jersey or the other picture of Trayvon in an orange t-shirt that has been shown so much in this story. jamesedward, correct me if I'm wrong, I don't want to put words in your mouth, but you see him as a thin guy, maybe even scrawny. I see Trayvon as more of a potential threat because of that video. I could hold off that tiny tot like in a Three Stooges clip. Just put my hand on his forehead while he swings his short arms. But the Trayvon in the video is taller and has more reach. He could land jabs on me if we squared off. jamesedward doesn't see it that way.

So, I think it's still useful, for now.

[jamesedwards]

It's a tragedy that Trayvon died, but Zimmerman had a right to confront him about why he was in the gated community without being physically attacked by Trayvon. Keep in mind that the whole gated community was private property, including the streets and sidewalks.

Do you even know this case? Being you said Zimmerman was attacked, one witness will shut that theory down.

The girlfriend was on the phone and Trayvon said he was being followed, now Tray asked Zimmerman what is he following him for, after the dispatcher told ZIMMERMAN NOT TO ENGAGE THE TEEN!!!

The neighborhood watch rules are 1. Don't carry a weapon, Zimmerman violated that rule we know that because he shot someone. 2. Don't engage people, call the police, he violated that too.

So now that you know that, he has the right to do what?

Ok lets say he does, he was unprofessional in approaching Tray and you don't look like you're stalking some one if you need to ask them a question. I don't even know how many times I have to say this. But Zimm was not professional and is not a professional. He should have waited by the mail box and wait for the police who are professional handle it, no he wanted to handle it and ended up shooting a teen.

If he had the right to follow Trayvon why on earth would the dispatcher tell Zimm "WE DON'T NEED YOU TO DO THAT", They would of told him "GO AHEAD PROCEED BECAUSE YOU'RE THE NEIGHBORHOOD CAPTAIN". The dispatcher don't know that dude from a can of paint.

[theoryman]

If he had the right to follow Trayvon why on earth would the dispatcher tell Zimm "WE DON'T NEED YOU TO DO THAT", They would of told him "GO AHEAD PROCEED BECAUSE YOU'RE THE NEIGHBORHOOD CAPTAIN". The dispatcher don't know that dude from a can of paint.

Liability.

If the dispatcher tells him to proceed, he places the liability on himself and/or the city. They are trained to tell you to back off and break contact. But there is no law saying you must.

BTW, in most areas, a 911 dispatcher is not a LEO. The dispatcher has no authority to give orders... only advice.

--

[giovanni_hotel]

Although Zimmerman's a piece of shit, I don't generalize his actions or behavior to ALL people who look like him.

I shouldn't be, but part of me is still surprised the level of deep seated animus some White people have towards Blacks in general. A Black person commits a crime and suddenly that's supposed to be representative of ALL Black people.

There are White folks on this board who are pure bred racists, TO THE BONE, but it begins and ends with THEM, in my mind. I don't say, 'damn since this asshole is a bigot, all White people are.'

Can't believe some you are saying because other Black people have committed heinous criminal acts, a HUMAN BEING like Trayvon who happens to be Black doesn't rank anyone White person's sympathy.

There are multiple stories over the years not featured in the mainstream media, about Black enlisted soldiers stationed in Japan who have been murdered for being sexually intimate with Japanese women. Should I hate ALL Japanese now, or Asians in general??

I understand the disgust when reading or hearing about in the media that person A committed a crime against person B, but the hate some of you carry with you for all people a particular group is shocking to me.

Hard4janira, you are a deeply troubled soul. The murder of those USC grad students was wrong, the murder of Trayvon was wrong. Why does it have to be one of the other??

As for Trayvon being perceived as a 'threat', even when unarmed, is ludicrous to me.
As a kid I've seen skinny Black kids like Trayvon get beat down by their mother's(!), much less a grown man who outweighs him by 40#.

There's something to be said for some of you having an irrational fear of someone else's skin color.

[maddygirl]

There's racism on both sides of the fence. Unfortunately many people are fighting fire with fire instead of cutting out racism altogether. I'm not justifying any form of racism but I've met a fair amount of both white and black people who feel their racist views are "justified" for different reasons. All I'm saying is people need to drop the whole racial bullshit and focus on what's important, especially in criminal cases.

[hard4janira]

1) If your first comment is true, why are there are so many Black Americans in prison, if they can commit crimes with impunity. Or is it the case that the ones in prison are innocent and its the guilty who go free?

You're correct on that point. They do go to jail (repeatedly), so impunity is not the correct term. What I should have said is they get a pass from the media because everybody expects this behavior out of them I suppose. Where is the media outrage and uproar over the two asian grad students who were murdered while sitting in their car? Where are the accusations of racism and hate crime when there is little doubt they were targeted because of thier race? The fact is black poeple are probably the most racist hate filled people in the country (not that whtie people aren't). I'm just saying that black people exhibit so much anger violence towards other races because they have MASSIVE inferiority complexes that they refuse to admit. Who else advocates the killing of Korean grocers because they are EARNING money in black neighborhoods? Black people are a fucking disaster area in America (I apologize to those of you who have actually clawed your way to respecabiltity - you get a bad rap but you're stuck in a barrel of rotten apples).

2) Trayvon had a strong father figure in his life, something that runs completely against the stereotypes other BMs have used on this thread who follow the Charles Murray school of Sociology that caricatures 'Black families' as fatherless, moms addicted to crack or booze, dependent on welfare, dysfunctional, disengaged with society at lage, involved in crime, drug addiction etc etc.

Wrong. He had a father figure in his life but we can question whether or not it was a strong one. Martin was suspended from school for drug possession and had other behavioral problems in the past. I'd argue his parents weren't doing a very good job at raising thier son. but I probably have MUCH higher standards than his parents (or Barrack Obama apparently).

[giovanni_hotel]

Korean immigrants have been earmarked for special set-aside loans that allow them to open stores in impoverished Black communities, yet Black entrepreneurs who live in the same communities can't get a loan to open a hotdog cart. That's where the resentment comes from. Immigrants come into a Black ghetto, extract the wealth and then go home to their split level ranch home in the vanilla suburbs.

I assumed the Chinese grad students at USC were killed by gang violence, that's why it's not a major story because it's not new.

The Trayvon Martin case wouldn't be on the national radar if Zimmerman had been arrested in the beginning. His being able to walk after admitting to murdering an unarmed teen is why Trayvon's death became a 'cause'. It wasn't, ' oh, a Black kid was murdered, let's elevate his death into a national media story.'

'Black people are a fucking disaster area in America'???
If you get a chance, Hard4janira, look up how many AA live in poverty, how many of them are working class and lower middle class, and how many of them are incarcerated.
Jesus Christ, the bile that comes out of your mouth like it's the God's honest truth.

Just wondering, do you consider yourself a racist?? And are you proud to be one??

[fastingforlife]

There are individuals on this board who are blackmailers. There are individuals who have wished other board members physical harm, up to and including death. But, they love to call eveyone they can a racist, when they are the standard bearers for hate mongering.....how very odd.

[Stavros]

Black people are a fucking disaster area in America

On the other hand, MalcolmX would have said that America was a disaster for Black people; anyway both you and he are wrong. Aside from the fact that Americans come from diverse origins, and are of course all equally American, you seem to be saying that the development of the US economy would have taken the course it has in spite of, not because of the presence of slavery in your country. That is simply absurd, as absurd as me arguing that India, Australia, New Zealand and Canada have been irrelevant to the development of the United Kingdom. You could be given a list of people in literature, in music, in sport, in culture, in politics all of whom trace their roots to Africa though slavery, all of whom should make you proud to be an American. But I cannot tell you what to think or feel, and there isn't much more I can say if you have already made up your mind. There is good and bad in all societies, a tired cliche I know, but it matters if one group of people are isolated from the rest, because in America that runs counter to the very principle of equality and individual liberty on which your state is based.