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

[dderek123]

'Murica Fuck Yeah!

[dderek123]

I would want my guilt to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt if I were on trial, and so would you.

[fred41]

Very well put Trish. Now the family will pursue a civil suit. Which they stand a much better chance of winning. That's how the law works.

A thousand newspapers will be writing about this, but locally - the N.Y.Daily News put it pretty well:http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.1398206

George Zimmerman verdict: Jury's decision unsatisfying but respectable given the circumstances
Although Zimmerman bears moral guilt for the killing of Trayvon Martin, the prosecution fell short of establishing beyond a reasonable doubt the 'ill will, hatred, spite or an evil intent' necessary for second-degree murder under Florida’s penal code..(read on by hitting the link..it's a good article)

It could have easily went either way on the Manslaughter count...(personally, as I may have previously stated, I wouldn't have been at all surprised if the jurors would have been hung on the second count. I believe,that if they had twelve jurors, as they do in most states with a charge of this importance, they might have argued about the second count for an even longer time...and may not even have been able to come to a verdict on it ..though I'm sure the court would have pushed for one)..but ultimately, when the jury focused on what the evidence shows,may have happened in that short period of time on the ground, they didn't think the state met their burden of proof - of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, as charged to them by the court. That's the law.

In my mind,Zimmerman did a stupid thing - being armed, but not really being physically prepared to take on the challenge of single handedly guarding his community against real or imaginary culprits. It seems like Martin may have avoided altercations also, because it does seem, according to the timeline, that he actually came back and confronted Zimmerman....after all that,we will never know what would have happened if Zimmerman didn't have a gun. Would Martin just have beat his ass and left him there to lick his wounds,or would he have been harmed much worse...or would they have just wrestled until the police arrived.
We'll never know.
But someone is dead and because of that , some people will never be satisfied by the jury's verdict. Totally understandable because of the emotions involved...but again - that's the law.

[bobvela]

You are just plain wrog Bobvela.

Really? Care to explain?

Probably a racist to judge by your remarks.

And you probably rape children for fun.

See how easy it is to make things up?

Or would you like to support your claim?

And as for spelling Bobvela, you are a fool... do you not realise the English language has many words spelt and pronounced differently on different sides of the Atlantic.

By the way we spell the word to describe you as arsehole... but it means the same as your own word asshole.

So much name calling but still no specific proof of your claim that I am a racist. Again we see the quality of your arguments. Doubly so in the context of what was said above.

Staggering that such people exist.... if your unarmed son had been gunned down by this murderer perhaps you'd feel differently.

Maybe, however I am raising my son to be smart enough not to do stupid things like getting into fights... especially under circumstances which could lead to his death.

Many people carry weapons... legally or not... and unless you know your target is unarmed or that you can prevent the use of the weapon... you are a fool.

It's the same reason he's being raised to know that while he may have the right of way vs a car... the car will still win any collision and that he should be careful anytime walking across a road.

[trish]

Maybe, however I am raising my son to be smart enough not to do stupid things like getting into fights... especially under circumstances which could lead to his death.

Things like never carrying a box of skittles through a gated neighborhood wearing a hoodie. Who'd a thunk that'll getcha kilt.

It's the same reason he's being raised to know that while he may have the right of way vs a car... the car will still win any collision and that he should be careful anytime walking across a road.

So should he be run over in a cross walk enjoying his right of way, it would be wrong to hold the driver responsible. Just question him and let him go without charges.

[dderek123]

Martin was crossing through peoples yards. Not walking along the street. Zimmerman was suspicious of that and decided to follow him.

[dderek123]

Read this on another forum. Just copied and pasted his post.

"I present to you the facts. I also included my opinion at the end but you can feel free to ignore that part.

Who:

• George Zimmerman: - 29 Years Old - Hispanic Male - Insurance Fraud Investigator - Spearheaded a Neighborhood Watch program after a string of burglaries. - Lives in a gated community in Sanford Florida. - Record of Assaulting a Police Officer

• Trayvon Martin: - 17 Years Old. - Black Male. - Student - Suspended from school for Vandalism - Participated in and refereed illegal MMA fights. - Lives in Miami Gardens, Visiting father's France's house in Zimmerman's neighborhood.

• Rachel Jeantel - Trayvon's Friend. Originally claimed to be his girlfriend. - Was on the phone with Trayvon during the moments leading up to the shooting. - Originally claimed to be 16. That's why she was not featured before the trial. She is actually 19. - Ms. Jeantel has offered a few variations of events. For simplicity we will use the version she gave during the trial.

Where:
Sanford Florida. Gated community where Zimmerman lives as well as Tracy Martin's fiancé.

When:
February 26, 2012 between 7pm and 8pm. It was raining and getting dark.

What:
-Trayvon was visiting his fathers fiancé.
-Trayvon went to the gas station to get skittles and iced tea.
-Zimmerman notices Martin walking through people's yards.
-Zimmerman calls the non emergency line for the Local PD.
-Zimmerman describes Martin to dispatch and requests a police officer.
-Zimmerman says These Fucking Punks always get away.
-Trayvon notices Zimmerman watching him as tells Jeantel it is a creepy ass cracker.
-Trayvon continues to walk through people'a yards.
-Zimmerman gets out his his car in order to follow Trayvon and see why he is traveling through people's yards.
-Trayvon tells Jeantel "The nigga still following me"
-Trayvon begins to run towards his fathers finances house.
-Zimmerman begins to run in order to keep sight of Trayvon.
-Dispatcher hears wind noise and asks Zimmerman what he is doing.
-Zimmerman states he observing the subject and trying to find an address for the PD to intercept Trayvon.
-Dispatch tells Zimmerman "We don't need you to do that"
-Zimmerman stops and loses sight of Trayvon.
-Zimmerman heads back to his car.
-Trayvon tells Jeantel that he lost Zimmerman and he is right outside his fathers finances house.

*Up until this point Zimmerman's story and Jeantel's testimony match. Now the stories diverge.*

Zimmerman's Version: - As he is walking back to his car Trayvon approaches him and asks, "You got a problem?!" - Zimmerman says "No" - Trayvon says "You do now" - Trayvon attacks Zimmerman and smashes his head into the sidewalk. - Zimmerman draws his weapon while Trayvon is on top and fires into his chest killing him.

Jeantel's Version: (From Trial) - Trayvon is outside his Fathers finances house. - Trayvon suddenly says, "Oh Shit" - Jeantel hears Zimmerman say, "What you doing here?" - Jeantel then says she hears a bump and wet grass sounds and the phone goes out.

My opinion: - Jeantel's version doesn't make sense. If Mr. Martin was already at his Father's finances house then the altercation would have occurred there and not over a hundred yards to the north towards Zimmerman's SUV.
I think what happened was Trayvon doubled back and went looking for Zimmerman. After all he didn't feel he was doing anything wrong and would've been pissed that a white guy was following him as wanted to teach him a lesson.


I think we had two hot headed individuals that both had opportunities to walk away.
Unfortunately they didn't and one was killed.
I believe that Zimmerman had every right to simply observe Trayvon and call the police.
Unless we can prove that Zimmerman walked up to Trayvon and started a physical confrontation with him then his claim of self defense should be upheld.
Just because Trayvon was annoyed that a (what he thought was) white guy was following him does not give him the right to use any physical force.
It all comes down to who threw the first punch. Based on witness testimony and the layout of the neighborhood I believe that Trayvon doubled back and went looking for Zimmerman."

[bobvela]

Things like never carrying a box of skittles through a gated neighborhood wearing a hoodie. Who'd a thunk that'll getcha kilt.

Yes, because GZ saw a person wearing a hoodie and visibly carrying skittles and said “I think I'm going to go kill him!”

I'm sorry, but no matter how often they are referenced... the hoodie, skittles & tea are irrelevant to this case as nothing more but an albatross. They existed, but were no more contributing factors than the position of the moon or the date on the calendar.

An uncomfortable truth about this case, is that our neighborhoods would be far better off if we had more people acting like GZ and fewer acting like TM.

No, I'm not saying people should go around shooting hoodie wearing people, nor that people like TM deserve to die. Think for a moment about what lead up to the death of TM without the emotional charging.

On the one side you have a person who took a proactive role in trying to make their community a better place by keeping an eye out for things that didn't seem right, calling them into the police.

On the other side, you have a person who assaulted someone who apparently asked them what they were doing there.

Is it wrong to hope for neighbors who keep an eye out and don't sucker punch?

So should he be run over in a cross walk enjoying his right of way, it would be wrong to hold the driver responsible. Just question him and let him go without charges.

First... I would hope that he wouldn't be 'enjoying his right of way' without taking steps to make sure he was/is safe in the first place. Just because the sign says walk doesn't mean you are safe to walk across.

Second... unlike you, I am not out for blood for blood sake. It would depend on the circumstances involved. Unless there was immediate evidence of alcohol, negligence or malice being involved... no, indefinite detention would not be called for. Unless a crime is strongly suspected (and even then only of certain types) or there is an immediate need to arrest... the police will often release the person involved as they gather more information... which is exactly what they did in the GZ case.

[dderek123]

Racism. When two minorities go to court and one loses.

[buttslinger]

Martin was crossing through peoples yards. Not walking along the street. Zimmerman was suspicious of that and decided to follow him.

Better bring your handgun, yard cutter-throughers are known to be murderers. Better safe than sorry. You never know when you might need to stand your ground.