Demons killed that boy. This is a sad tale that has been told many, many times. You could hear the demon stalk that boy, disregarding what the 911 operator or police representive told George to do. He was hell bent on taking a life that night. Pure evil. I can understand why the police can't do a whole lot in this case and my feelings say the demon is a long gone. God bless.
Strong lisp.
Taste the rainbow.
how is it self defense when you get out of your car with your gun to pursue and confront someone?
What ever the truth is, the reporter fails to mention the guy who killed him was bleeding from both his nose and the back of his head, and claimed self defense.
FL's "Stand Your Ground" defense when murdering:
The Role Of Gun Laws In The Trayvon Martin Shooting
Florida courts have found that under that statute, "defendant's only burden is to offer facts from which his resort to force could have been reasonable" while "the State has the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in self-defense." This has led to a legal situation wherein it is possible for someone to kill a member of a rival gang in a shootout, claim they were acting in self-defense, and avoid prosecution.
Florida's self-defense law, known as Stand Your Ground, grants immunity to people who act to protect themselves if they have a reasonable fear they will be killed or seriously injured.
"Stand Your Ground is a law that has really created a Wild West type environment in Florida," said Brian Tannebaum, a criminal defense lawyer in Florida. "It allows people to kill people outside of their homes, if they are in reasonable fear for their lives. It's a very low standard."
The shooting also presents a tragic snapshot of so-called "Stand Your Ground" laws, what critics call "license-to-murder."
Such laws eliminate the English Law concept of a "duty to retreat" from dangerous situations outside the home. Without that, an armed citizen has no obligation to stand down in the face of a threat.
The problem, as the Martin case highlights, is that making the duty to retreat "totally irrelevant," as Stetson University law professor Robert Batey has said, means the law gives prosecutors fewer factors to consider when determining self-defense, including, potentially, the extent to which a person claiming self-defense may have aggravated the situation.
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews...ng/#paragraph4
I noticed this was a national story. White on black crime, while statistically rare, always is national news. Still, sad story and the guy deserves the harshest punishment the law will allow.
You quote two lines... As if that is all there is...
So what? Did you miss the "Neighborhood Watch" part?
If we assume that is correct, then he may have wanted to make sure the kid wasn't causing trouble, or stop him if he tried to cause trouble, theft, etc. How the altercation started between the two is unclear, but Zimmerman claims he was attacked from behind as he walked back to his vehicle. This may have happened, it may be a lie.
Have to keep an open mind on these things.
OK, she goes as far as saying he had injuries consistent with self defense. That's it. She doesn't point out the back of his head was bleeding, and a bloody nose.
It does look probable he was attacked from behind to me.
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/edit...nd-law/1220845Quote:
The racial elements of the shooting, Martin is black and Zimmerman is not, add another troubling layer to the lack of an arrest. But it is the "stand your ground" law that gives legal immunity to people who come to an argument with a hot temper and a ready gun.
The Florida Legislature passed the law in 2005 at the behest of the National Rifle Association but over the staunch objections of law enforcement. The law allows the use of deadly force when a person is in a place he has a right to be and feels reasonably threatened with serious harm. Opponents dubbed it the "shoot first" law because people have no duty to attempt to retreat from a threat of violence even if they could do so safely. History has borne them out.
Since the law went into effect, reports of justifiable homicides have tripled, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It has been used to absolve violence resulting from road rage, barroom arguments and even a gang gunfight. In 2008, two gangs in Tallahassee got into a shootout where a 15-year-old boy was killed. The charges were dismissed by a judge citing the "stand your ground" law.
Five years after Florida's Stand Your Ground law was enacted, a 2010 review by the St. Petersburg Times found that reports of justifiable homicides had tripled, and a majority of cases were excused by prosecutors or the courts.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=928000&f=19
16 other states have replaced "castle defense" with "stand your ground" license to kill. American civilization, Shining Beacon on the Hill.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...,1716605.story
Quote:
The Sanford Neighborhood Watch volunteer who shot and killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, did not instigate the encounter but has received death threats and moved out of his home, his father told the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday.
George Zimmerman, 28, has not been arrested, something that has put him and the Sanford Police Department at the center of a firestorm. Critics say Trayvon, who was visiting family from his home in Miami, was a victim of racial profiling.
Zimmerman's father, 64-year-old Robert Zimmerman of Lake Mary, delivered a one-page letter to the Sentinel on Thursday, saying that the depiction of his son in the media has been cruel and misleading.
George Zimmerman is Hispanic and grew up in a multiracial family, the statement says.
"He would be the last to discriminate for any reason whatsoever ...," the letter says. "The media portrayal of George as a racist could not be further from the truth."
The letter does not provide details about what happened Feb. 26 on a walkway in the gated community where George Zimmerman lives and where Trayvon was visiting. But it does challenge one basic assumption of the family's lawyers: that Zimmerman's intent when he got out of his sport utility vehicle was to confront Trayvon after calling police to report a suspicious person.
"At no time did George follow or confront Mr. Martin. When the true details of the event became public, and I hope that will be soon," the letter said, "everyone should be outraged by the treatment of George Zimmerman in the media."
Police have released little information about what happened that night and no details about how Trayvon and Zimmerman came to be face to face.
No one disputes that Zimmerman called police from his SUV, then left it and encountered Trayvon on foot as the teenager returned from a 7-Eleven candy run.
Before an officer arrived, Trayvon and Zimmerman got into a fight, according to police, and witnesses heard one or both calling for help, and Zimmerman shot Trayvon once with a 9 mm handgun.
Zimmerman told police he acted in self-defense. Police found blood on his face and the back of his head as well as grass on the back of his shirt.
That jibes with what Cheryl Brown's teenage son witnessed while walking his dog that night. Thirteen-year-old Austin stepped out his front door and heard people fighting, he told the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday.
"I heard screaming and crying for help," he said. "I heard, 'Help me.' "
It was dark, and the boy did not see how the fight started, in fact, he only saw one person, a man in a red shirt — Zimmerman — who was on the ground.
The boy said he is not sure who called for help. After a moment, his dog escaped, and he turned to catch it and a few seconds later heard a gunshot, he said.
"When I heard the shot, the screaming stopped," he said.
He then rushed inside and told his sister to call police.
In his letter, Robert Zimmerman wrote that what happened that night was "tragic … and very sad for all concerned. The Martin family, our family and the entire community have been forever changed."
George Zimmerman has not talked publicly about what happened, his father said, because that's the advice police gave him. Both Zimmerman families have moved out of their homes, at least temporarily, Robert Zimmerman said, because they've received death threats.
Police on Tuesday turned the case over to the State Attorney's Office, saying they did not have evidence to justify George Zimmerman's arrest on a charge of manslaughter.
Prosecutors will now likely spend several weeks studying the case before making a decision on whether to charge Zimmerman.
Sanford police Chief Bill Lee Jr. told the Sentinel on Thursday night that he has invited the U.S. Department of Justice and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to review the investigation.
"It's an open book," Lee said. "If they want to look at what we did and how we did it and what information we have, they're welcome to it."
The FDLE has received a letter from the State Attorney's Office asking agents to review the case, spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said.
Sanford police on Thursday also challenged a WFTV-Channel 9 report, in which Mary Cutcher said police largely ignored her even though she told them, "I know this was not self-defense. There was no punching, no hitting going on at the time, no wrestling."
Police said they twice tried to interview her without success, and the third time, she wrote a very short sworn statement for her roommate that was consistent with Zimmerman's account.
More than 400 people gathered Wednesday at a Sanford church, where black community leaders and Baltimore evangelist Jamal Bryant again demanded that Zimmerman be arrested.
Some of Trayvon's family members are expected to be a news conference this morning called by Orlando attorney Natalie Jackson, who is representing the family.
Another rally is scheduled for Monday outside the Seminole County Courthouse. And a call has been issued for people to rally March 26 during the Sanford City Council meeting.
Staff writers Susan Jacobson and Jeff Weiner contributed to this report. [email protected] or 407-650-6394.
Statement of Robert Zimmerman, father of Neighborhood Watch volunteer:
“The tragic events of February 26 are very sad for all concerned. The Martin family, our family, and the entire community have been forever changed.
The portrayal of George Zimmerman in the media, as well as the series of events that led to the tragic shooting are false and extremely misleading. Unfortunately, some individuals and organizations have used this tragedy to further their own causes and agendas.
George is a Spanish speaking minority with many black family members and friends. He would be the last to discriminate for any reason whatsoever. One black neighbor recently interviewed said she knew everything in the media was untrue and that she would trust George with her life. Another black neighbor said that George was the only one, black or white, who came and welcomed her to the community, offering any assistance he could provide. Recently, I met two black children George invited to a social event. I asked where they met George. They responded that he was their mentor. They said George visited them routinely, took them places, helped them, and taught them things and that they really loved George. The media portrayal of George as a racist could not be further from the truth.
The events of February 26 reported in the media are also totally inaccurate. Out of respect for the on-going investigation, I will not discuss specifics. However, the media reports of the events are imaginary at best. At no time did George follow or confront Mr. Martin. When the true details of the event become public, and I hope that will be soon, everyone should be outraged by the treatment of George Zimmerman in the media.
Our entire family is deeply sorry for the loss of Trayvon. We pray for the Martin family daily. We also pray that the community will grieve together and not be divided by more unwarranted hate.
The Zimmerman family will have no further contact with the media prior to the resolution of the investigation. It would be greatly appreciated if the media would respect our privacy.”
does minority status confer immunity to racism?
Tough call...racism or a douchebag with a gun.
Seems like if you're packing, situations can evolve into a self-defense/justifiable homicide scenario whereas without heat, you could just walk away.
What a piece of shit. Heard about this and that fucking idiot deserves the death penalty, plain and simple.
FBI and DOJ getting involved because the guy STILL hasn't been arrested.
Would Zimmerman have profiled a white guy as "suspicious"?
would black Trayvon be walking around today if it were he who tracked and shot white Zimmerman?
complete, grammatical sentences?
Reminds me of the time at the softball park a couple of years back. Someone had broken into some cars one night and pretty much put everyone on notidce. A week later I was arriving at the park and heard a redneck getting out of his pick-up telling his buddy that he hoped someone would try and break into his truck becasue he had brought his glock with him to the park. During a break from my first game that night I was sitting in the car and noticed a pick-up park acriss from me with a couple of teenagers in the bed of the pick up truck with their bikes. The father got out of the truck and started to jog while the boys removed there bikes down from the truck. They stood around for a few minutes and before I know it the yahoo who owned the pick-up truck was running with a couple of other guys to the parking lot and cornered these teenagers. They surrounded them and started to threaten them and asked them what they were doing there. Of course the yahoo went to his truck and was about to , I presume get his gun, and I stepped out of my car and told these dudes that these boys had just been dropped off and there dad was running on the track. Not pleased the guys returned to the field. The boys on the other hand thanked me and were totally spooked. Thank God I was there or who knows what would have happened.
The recent legislation allowing for people to lawfully defend themselves and include shooting people who are running away is stupid and opens the door for incidents like this.
Quote:
"This guy looks like he's up to no good, or he's on drugs or something. It's raining and he's just walking around, looking about," Zimmerman told dispatchers, adding, "These @!$%#s. They always get away."
The dispatcher, hearing heavy breathing on the phone, asked Zimmerman: "Are
you following him?"
"Yeah," Zimmerman said.
"Okay, we don't need you to do that," the dispatcher responded.
Common sense says if the kid realized some big guy was following him through a dark neighborhood the kid wouldn't be acting "normal". If neighborhood Rambo hadn't followed this kid and did what he was told that kid would still be alive today...it's that simple. If the guy doesn't go to jail the family should at least bring a wrongful death claim against him. And if it was that kid screaming "help me" on the 911 call right before the gunshot silenced him I think that's evidence enough to bring this dude to trial.
lol Zimmerman fearing great bodily injury from a kid armed with candy and iced tea.Quote:
Police declined to arrest Zimmerman, citing Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, enacted in 2005 and now in effect in at least 16 other states.
Dubbed "Shoot first (ask questions later)" by opponents, the Florida law allows a potential crime victim who is "in fear of great bodily injury" to use deadly force in public places.
This AFTER the dispatcher explicitly tells him to stop following Trayvon. smh.
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/20...rney-announces
Quote:
Trayvon Martin case to go to grand jury, Fla. state attorney announces
According to Zimmerman's father however........Quote:
"This guy looks like he's up to no good, or he's on drugs or something. It's raining and he's just walking around, looking about," Zimmerman told dispatchers, adding, "These @!$%#s. They always get away."
The dispatcher, hearing heavy breathing on the phone, asked Zimmerman: "Are you following him?"
"Yeah," Zimmerman said.
"Okay, we don't need you to do that," the dispatcher responded.
Interesting.Quote:
"At no time did George follow or confront Mr. Martin. When the true details of the event became public, and I hope that will be soon," the letter said, "everyone should be outraged by the treatment of George Zimmerman in the media."
Looks like Zimmerman's dad is going to have some competition from Trayvon's girlfriend who was speaking to him right before his death.
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/20...s-watching-him
Quote:
"He said this man was watching him, so he put his hoodie on. He said he lost the man," the female friend of Trayvon Martin, who was shot to death on Feb. 26 in Twin Lakes, Fla., told ABC. "I asked Trayvon to run, and he said he was going to walk fast. I told him to run, but he said he was not going to run."
Martin, who is black, was unarmed when a neighborhood watch captain spotted him walking home after buying candy and iced tea from a convenience store. Call logs from Martin's phone confirm he spoke with the 16-year-old friend interviewed by ABC News minutes before his death, the news station reported. She was not identified, and spoke through an attorney.
Although Martin initially told his friend he wasn't going to run, he eventually did, she said, but the stranger managed to corner him.
"Trayvon said, 'What, are you following me for,' and the man said, 'What are you doing here.' Next thing I hear is somebody pushing, and somebody pushed Trayvon because the head set just fell. I called him again and he didn't answer the phone."
After that, the line went dead, she said. According to ABC News, other than screams on 911 calls as Martin and Zimmerman scuffled, those were the last words Martin said.
Fuck jail; give him the needle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL72w...ature=youtu.be
Not Racially motivated at all... nope. Definitely does not say "Fucking Coons" around 2:20. Nothing to see here.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/5...artin.html.csp
Quote:
Feds to investigate fatal shooting of Florida teen
By MIKE SCHNEIDER
| The Associated Press
First Published 2 hours ago • Updated 1 hour ago
SANFORD, Fla. •The growing national attention — and outcry — over the case of an unarmed black teen in Florida who was fatally shot by a neighborhood watch captain has culminated with the federal government’s announcement that it will launch an investigation.
Definitely a racist thing to say from an outside perspective, but this guy is down in the trenches dealing with hood-rats all the time, and unfortunately most of them are african-american.
Sad story, but these things happen. Tomorrow a security guard won't pull his gun on somebody and that can of Arizona will be a glock. There'll be no national story for him, though.
The neighborhood Rambo shouldn't have license to get his gun and play cop just because he sees a black kid walking down the street. Goddamn it would be different if the kid were looking in someone's window or something threatening but this is ridiculous. "Land of the free" :lol A kid can't even walk down the fuckin street these days without being hassled.
Cmon, obviously Zimmerman didn't know who that kid was or he would have said so during the 911 call. I think Trayvon just fit Zimmerman's "profile" as someone suspicious. I bet if I were wandering through Zimmerman's neighborhood I would fit his "profile" as well.
lol @ all the posters on ST who pretend to be black all flocking to this news story.
Figures you'd miss the two instances of irony in your post.
Maybe, maybe not. The evidence against him is pretty steep, but people are sensationalizing this a little too much. I think it goes both ways, btw. When a little white girl gets kidnapped the media goes nuts. Mix children (although he's 17) and racism and it's media jackpot
off topic, why was the kid suspended from school?
"He said this man was watching him, so he put his hoodie on. He said he lost the man," Martin's friend said. "I asked Trayvon to run, and he said he was going to walk fast. I told him to run but he said he was not going to run." Eventually he would run, said the girl, thinking that he'd managed to escape. But suddenly the strange man was back, cornering Martin.
"Trayvon said, 'What, are you following me for,' and the man said, 'What are you doing here.' Next thing I hear is somebody pushing, and somebody pushed Trayvon because the head set just fell. I called him again and he didn't answer the phone."
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews...ed/#paragraph2
That's the thing about racism. It is basically "negative ignorance" about a person with a direct wire to hatred. What you choose to do with that hatred depends on the person. Look at DD for example, he obviously harbors some hate about me even though he knows nothing about me other than the fact of my skin color. His "negative ignorance" about me leads him to believe that I do not know who my father is as he previously posted or that I've abandoned my kid as he stated in another thread.
Who's pretending to be a KKK member?
The opinion that black quarterbacks suck isn't exclusive to the KKK. I know several black people who admit black QBs suck.
Just listened to some released 911 calls. Pretty damning for Zimmerman, unless he can explain something that would be very unlikely. Appears he was out to get the kid.
Does this fall under first or second-degree murder for Zimmerman? He didn't cap the kid right off (only during a scuffle), but he did stalk him.
So the police department listened to the 911 tapes and still concluded it was self defense?
Zimmerman went out with a gun ready to shoot, that's premeditation, even if whom he was going to shoot wasn't known. He was locked-and-loaded for [email protected]
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/03/2...fore-shooting/Quote:
“He said this man was watching him, so he put his hoodie on,” she said. “He said he lost the man. I asked Trayvon to run, and he said he was going to walk fast. I told him to run but he said he was not going to run.”
“Trayvon said, ‘What, are you following me for.’ And the man said, ‘What are you doing here.’ Next thing I hear is somebody pushing, and somebody pushed Trayvon because the head set just fell. I called him again and he didn’t answer the phone.”
Ode to Trayvon
I think there's a case to be made for premeditation, but I doubt it will be indicted as first degree murder.
And it has to be a state drawn 1st degree murder charge.
Federal civil right violations (which is where this is going) don't count.
This story just breaks my heart. Not only is this young man dead in senseless violence, but he died fearful of a man following him and apparently yelling for help. For the parent to hear that 911 tape with his voice on it must be devastating.
I also read today that Zimmerman was not even part of a registered Neighborhood Watch- something the police did not bother to find out the night of the shooting.
Beers to you Mr. Zimmerman :toast
I'd love to gun me down a couple darkies
In state that elected criminal fraudster Scott Gov and passes a "stand your ground (aka I feel threatened. You dead, mofo)" gun law, I figure Zimmerman gets off with probation at most.
this gun fetishist will readily shoot along with ya
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/uponsun/tednugent2.jpg
Joe Scarborough slammed the Florida PD and the AG morning on this issue. :tu
http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/246...on-Martin-caseQuote:
State Attorney Norm Wolfinger announced Tuesday that the Seminole County grand jury will convene April 10 regarding the federal investigation into the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.