Trayvon Martin

[Thanatos 2,847]

But you support stalking people who look suspicious and murdering them at the first sign of aggression?

 

First sign of aggression?

 

If Zimmerman is telling the truth, he was on the ground, with Trayvon on top of him beating his head into the concrete, and still didn't go for his gun until he thought Martin was reaching for a weapon of his own.

 

If someone has me on the ground and is beating my head into the concrete, and then reaches inside their clothes, I'm going to assume he's going for a weapon. Not that he needs one to kill me, he can just bash my head in if I can't throw him off. And if I have a gun/knife of my own, I'm going to use it.

 

If Zimmerman's story is true, then he was perfectly justified in using lethal force.

 

The trouble is, I don't know how they're going to figure it out if his story isn't true. You can't, and shouldn't convict a man because of suspicion.

Edited May 30, 2012 by Thanatos19

[blotsfan 2,112]

I'm going by what Chia said he'd do in that situation.

[Duck Fallas 209]

Ignorance really is bliss.

How is what I said ignorant?

[SteVo+ 3,702]

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — A judge has revoked the bond of the neighborhood watch volunteer charged with killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and ordered him returned to jail within 48 hours.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/zimmerman-must-surrender-bond-revoked-185246813.html

[BwareDWare94 723]

Can we stop acting like this wasn't a grown fucking man versus a high school kid? There's no way in hell Trayvon should have been able to beat Zimmerman's ass, not by any stretch of the word. Or maybe people in Florida are pussies, I don't know, but where I come from the grown men would stomp the high school kids, even the muscled up football players. The fact of the matter is, Zimmerman killed a high school kid after both stalking and apprehending him when he didn't need to. Trayvon looked in no way "suspicious." Hood up is not suspicious. Big deal. How long til people just realize that some people dress like this? Hood up is acceptable.

[Duck Fallas 209]

Can we stop acting like this wasn't a grown fucking man versus a high school kid? There's no way in hell Trayvon should have been able to beat Zimmerman's ass, not by any stretch of the word. Or maybe people in Florida are pussies, I don't know, but where I come from the grown men would stomp the high school kids, even the muscled up football players. The fact of the matter is, Zimmerman killed a high school kid after both stalking and apprehending him when he didn't need to. Trayvon looked in no way "suspicious." Hood up is not suspicious. Big deal. How long til people just realize that some people dress like this? Hood up is acceptable.

Haha. The naivete of youth is amusing.

 

I am 33 years old, barely 5'7 and weigh a touch over 180lbs, which is mostly fat. Are you seriously telling me that a high school kid who is 5 or 6 inches taller and outweighs me by 30lbs shouldn't be able to kick my ass? You should also take into account that I have never been in a fist fight in my entire life and probably couldn't throw a decent punch if I tried.

 

Also, I am sorry to break it to you; but walking around at night with your hood up is DEFINITELY going to look suspicious, regardless of your age/race. The only time people won't look your way is if it is raining, otherwise it just looks like you are trying to hide something. This is coming from a man who owns and wears a hoody all of the time.

[Omerta+ 1,206]

I dont know about the rest of you but I am getting tired of all this well white people are still racist shit. Really ? Fist Zimmerman is not white. Second I dont have a racist bone in my body and it irritates the shit out of me when any particular race blames another for an isolated incident.

 

This neighborhood Batman probably would have done the same to a white kid because if he had his hoody up how was he ablt to identify color from following him ?

 

Listen up black people, white people, asian folks, Jews, Christians, Athiests, Man, Women and children. Get the fuck out of the 50's. The only reason that shit still happens is because people start shit where there is none. All the friends I talk to that are black said if this was a suburban white kid nobody would give a shit, it would just be another wrong place wrong time tragedy.

 

I cant believe people actually think this was racially motivated.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Haha. The naivete of youth is amusing.

 

I am 33 years old, barely 5'7 and weigh a touch over 180lbs, which is mostly fat. Are you seriously telling me that a high school kid who is 5 or 6 inches taller and outweighs me by 30lbs shouldn't be able to kick my ass? You should also take into account that I have never been in a fist fight in my entire life and probably couldn't throw a decent punch if I tried.

 

Also, I am sorry to break it to you; but walking around at night with your hood up is DEFINITELY going to look suspicious, regardless of your age/race. The only time people won't look your way is if it is raining, otherwise it just looks like you are trying to hide something. This is coming from a man who owns and wears a hoody all of the time.

 

It doesn't matter that he looked suspicious or not. The issue is not that he wore the hood up on his sweatshirt. lol

 

Do you believe that it is common place for complete strangers to just follow people around neighborhoods because they are wearing their hoods up?

 

You say you wear your hood up all the time... Do you routinely get followed because you look suspicious? Have you had the police called because you looked suspicious walking down the street with your hood up?

[BwareDWare94 723]

Haha. The naivete of youth is amusing.

 

I am 33 years old, barely 5'7 and weigh a touch over 180lbs, which is mostly fat. Are you seriously telling me that a high school kid who is 5 or 6 inches taller and outweighs me by 30lbs shouldn't be able to kick my ass? You should also take into account that I have never been in a fist fight in my entire life and probably couldn't throw a decent punch if I tried.

 

Also, I am sorry to break it to you; but walking around at night with your hood up is DEFINITELY going to look suspicious, regardless of your age/race. The only time people won't look your way is if it is raining, otherwise it just looks like you are trying to hide something. This is coming from a man who owns and wears a hoody all of the time.

 

Your physical stature is irrelevant, because you aren't going to follow some poor kid around with his hood up. Zimmerman had no right to just up and shoot Trayvon Martin. This is the absolute and unequivocal truth.

[.AirMcNair. 1,232]

I'm not sure I understand the whole "well a high school kid can't beat an older man"...most 17/18 year olds I know are fully developed. I don't see how it'd be so hard to believe that someone in high school(juniors/seniors anyway) can beat an older person. What age does it start becoming believable? 20? 21?

 

I'm not saying I think Trayvon did or didn't, but I'm not seeing how the age difference means anything in their fight.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Annnnnd we are back.

Zimmerman told police that he saw Martin walking, followed him in his vehicle, passed him without identifying himself, called the police non-emergency line, lost sight of Martin as Martin ran toward his father's home, followed Martin on foot, and then was confronted by Martin, who attacked him when Zimmerman reached into his pocket for his cell phone to call 911.

 

After reviewing the evidence and interviewing Zimmerman, the police detective concluded that Zimmerman's actions were "inconsistent" with someone who was afraid of Martin, and that Zimmerman had several chances to end the encounter without violence.

 

"Investigative findings show that Zimmerman admitted avoiding a confrontation with Martin while Zimmerman was observing Martin from his vehicle, because, as he told investigators, was afraid of Martin," Det. Chris Serino wrote. "Later in the encounter, Zimmerman exited his vehicle, in spite of his earlier admission to investigators that he was afraid of Martin, and followed Martin in an effort to maintain surveillance of him while Zimmerman awaited the arrival of law enforcement officers. His actions are inconsistent with those of a person who has stated he was in fear of another subject.

 

"Investigative findings show that George Michael Zimmerman had at least two opportunities to speak with Trayvon Benjamin Martin in order to defuse the circumstances surrounding their encounter. On at least two occasions, George Martin Zimmerman failed to identify himself as a concerned resident or a neighborhood watch member to Trayvon Benjamin Martin. Investigative findings show the physical dimension of Trayvon Benjamin Martin, and that of George Michael Zimmerman, coupled with the absence of any specialized training in hand to hand combat between either combatant, did not place George Michael Zimmerman in an extraordinary or exceptional disadvantage of apparent physical ability or defensive capacity.

 

"Investigative findings show the physical injuries displayed by George Michael Zimmerman are marginally consistent with a life-threatening violent episode as described by him, during which neither a deadly weapon nor deadly force was deployed by Trayvon Martin."

 

The following was told by police by Zimmerman, but there are no witnesses to corroborate his account:

 

"While Zimmerman was returning to his vehicle, he states he was attacked by Martin, but only after Martin inquires to Zimmerman, 'What's your problem?'

 

"Zimmerman, instead of attempting to inform Martin of the reason he was following him, stated to Martin, 'I don't have a problem.'

 

"As Zimmerman responds to Martin, by his own admission, Zimmerman reaches into his pocket attempting to locate his cell phone.

 

"As Zimmerman reaches for his cell phone, he stated Martin replies, 'You have one now,' and Martin punches Zimmerman in the face, knocking him to the ground.

 

"Zimmerman stated that he was battered by Martin to the point of almost losing consciousness. He stated he ultimately had no choice but to shoot Martin in self-defense."

 

And the investigators conclusion:

"The encounter between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin was ultimately avoidable by Zimmerman, if Zimmerman had remained in his vehicle and awaited the arrival of law enforcement, or conversely if he had identified himself to Martin as a concerned citizen and initiated dialog in an effort to dispel each party's concern. There is no indication that Trayvon Martin was involved in any criminal activity at the time of the encounter. Zimmerman, by his statements made to the call taker and recorded for review, and his statements made to investigators following the shooting death of Martin, made it clear that he had already reached a faulty conclusion as to Martin's purpose for being in the neighborhood."

 

The investigator concludes with a recommendation that Zimmerman be charged with manslaughter. He was ultimately charged with a more serious charge, homicide in the second degree.

 

http://openchannel.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/26/12420630-police-say-zimmerman-had-chances-to-defuse-situation-before-shooting-martin?chromedomain=dailynightly&lite

[Mathias 394]

Good. Zimmerman's credibility has been tossed out the window in light of recent events involving his stupid, scum, whore of a wife.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

This?

 

ORLANDO, Fla. — On the day George Zimmerman’s wife testified that she and her husband were broke, she had more than $57,000 in her individual credit union account, according to prosecution records.

 

Shellie Zimmerman, 25, is free on $1,000 bail, awaiting trial on perjury charges.

 

Prosecutors allege she lied when she testified at her husband’s bond hearing April 20 that the couple had no savings.

 

And maybe she wasn't lying... She needed that money to buy a couple of bullet proof vests for herself and her husband, at his demand... According to phone records from the jail George was incarcerated in. lmao

[Thanatos 2,847]

I would agree with a manslaughter charge/conviction given the investigator's conclusion.

 

Zimmerman has some very inconsistent story-telling in here. Martin certainly seems like he was far too aggressive in confronting a would-be pursuer, but that doesn't mean he should have been killed for it.

 

At the same time, (again assuming Zimmerman's story is true), once Zimmerman is on the ground getting beat up, and believes Martin is going for a weapon, he no longer believes he has a choice.

[Mathias 394]

I would agree with a manslaughter charge/conviction given the investigator's conclusion.

 

Zimmerman has some very inconsistent story-telling in here. Martin certainly seems like he was far too aggressive in confronting a would-be pursuer, but that doesn't mean he should have been killed for it.

 

At the same time, (again assuming Zimmerman's story is true), once Zimmerman is on the ground getting beat up, and believes Martin is going for a weapon, he no longer believes he has a choice.

 

Zimmerman said Martin was going for Zimmerman's weapon.