image courtesy redbubble.com
Over at Legal Insurrection, Bill Jacobson believes that George Zimmerman must be found innocent and I wholeheartedly agree.
Logically, it should be a slam dunk of “Not Guilty” on all charges, since the evidence clearly shows Zimmerman was acting in justifiable self-defense as he was being beaten by Trayvon Martin. Or at least there is a reasonable doubt as to self-defense, which the law requires result in a Not Guilty verdict.
I’ve said it before, this was a case which never should have been brought, and it wasn’t. Not until a carefully orchestrated professionally managed publicity campaign based on false racial accusations, resulting in a Special Prosecutor.
The prosecutors in the case have tried desperately to make this about race yet the only racial overtones have come from Rachel Jeantel and Trayvon Martin.
According the Jeantel, Martin referred to Zimmerman as a “creepy ass cracker” and a ni**a.”
The Obama Department of Injustice inserted itself into the Zimmerman case:
A largely unknown group of Justice Department officials has inserted itself into the local Florida protest movement surrounding the killing of Trayvon Martin, assisting the protestors and attending their meetings and rallies.
While the officials are tasked with preventing racial violence, it appears that in carrying out their duties, they have provided significant assistance to those protesting the killing of Martin, who black, by George Zimmerman, who is half white and half Hispanic.
The officials are members of the DOJ’s Community Relations Service, also known as “The Peacemakers,” a special unit established under the 1964 Civil Rights Act and empowered to act to mitigate local tensions between ethnic groups.
But they apparently do more than that
The Peacemakers are viewed by the protestors as a quietly protective, on-the-ground force, the Sentinel story makes clear.
“They were there for us,” said the Rev. Valarie Houston, pastor of Allen Chapel AME Church, a focal point for the community after the unarmed teen’s death. She met the peacekeepers there for the first time during a March 20 town-hall meeting. “We felt protected,” she said.
One might be less cynical about the role of the CRS but for the narcissist Obama injecting himself into the debate.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KQc_L0MCds[/youtube]And now Judicial Watch has uncovered the activities of the CRS
March 25 – 27, 2012, CRS spent $674.14 upon being “deployed to Sanford, FL to work marches, demonstrations, and rallies related to the shooting and death of an African-American teen by a neighborhood watch captain.”
March 25 – 28, 2012, CRS spent $1,142.84 “in Sanford, FL to work marches, demonstrations, and rallies related to the shooting and death of an African-American teen by a neighborhood watch captain.”
March 30 – April 1, 2012, CRS spent $892.55 in Sanford, FL “to provide support for protest deployment in Florida.”
March 30 – April 1, 2012, CRS spent an additional $751.60 in Sanford, FL “to provide technical assistance to the City of Sanford, event organizers, and law enforcement agencies for the march and rally on March 31.”
April 3 – 12, 2012, CRS spent $1,307.40 in Sanford, FL “to provide technical assistance, conciliation, and onsite mediation during demonstrations planned in Sanford.”
April 11-12, 2012, CRS spent $552.35 in Sanford, FL “to provide technical assistance for the preparation of possible marches and rallies related to the fatal shooting of a 17 year old African American male.” – expenses for employees to travel, eat, sleep?
Former Police Chief Bill Lee was fired for not bringing charges against George Zimmerman. Obama’s CRS apparently helped facilitate the protests that led to Lee’s removal:
On April 15, 2012, during the height of the protests, the Orlando Sentinel reported, “They [the CRS] helped set up a meeting between the local NAACP and elected officials that led to the temporary resignation of police Chief Bill Lee according to Turner Clayton, Seminole County chapter president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.” The paper quoted the Rev. Valarie Houston, pastor of Allen Chapel AME Church, a focal point for protestors, as saying “They were there for us,” after a March 20 meeting with CRS agents.
Separately, in response to a Florida Sunshine Law request to the City of Sanford, Judicial Watch also obtained an audio recording of a “community meeting” held at Second Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Sanford on April 19, 2012. The meeting, which led to the ouster of Sanford’s Police Chief Bill Lee, was scheduled after a group of college students calling themselves the “Dream Defenders” barricaded the entrance to the police department demanding Lee be fired. According to the Orlando Sentinel, DOJ employees with the CRS had arranged a 40-mile police escort for the students from Daytona Beach to Sanford.
“These documents detail the extraordinary intervention by the Justice Department in the pressure campaign leading to the prosecution of George Zimmerman,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “My guess is that most Americans would rightly object to taxpayers paying government employees to help organize racially-charged demonstrations.”
Many have attempted to make this case all about race and to this day the media continues its racial bias (emphasis added):
“Martin was black and Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic.”
It’s atrocious.
The potential fallout from the case is very dismaying. Riots are expected following an innocent verdict:
On Monday, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office released a video calling on the public not to riot in the wake of the George Zimmerman verdict, expected this week or next in Florida. The Sheriff’s Office released a statement explaining that it was “working closely with the Sanford Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies” to coordinate “a response plan in anticipation of the verdict.”
Twitter is abundant with promises of riots:
Kyle 80Proof Golden @ayo80proof
Random… If George Zimmerman is acquitted.. I’m Gonna Start A Riot…
Sandpaper #Grit220 @oljames88
I hope America knows if Zimmerman is found not guilty … some city is going to RIOT!
and worse
Obama, Holder not interested.
Former Chief Lee says that the investigation was hijacked from his department because someone wanted Zimmerman charged:
(CNN) — The George Zimmerman investigation was hijacked “in a number of ways” by outside forces, said the former police chief of Sanford, Florida.
Bill Lee, who testified Monday in Zimmerman’s second-degree murder trial, told CNN’s George Howell in an exclusive interview that he felt pressure from city officials to arrest Zimmerman to placate the public rather than as a matter of justice.
“It was (relayed) to me that they just wanted an arrest. They didn’t care if it got dismissed later,” he said. “You don’t do that.”
When Sanford police arrived on the scene on February 26, 2012, after Zimmerman fatally shot unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, they conducted a “sound” investigation, and the evidence provided no probable cause to arrest Zimmerman at the scene, he said.
and Lee said this:
It was a matter of protocol, Lee said. Arresting Zimmerman based on the evidence at hand would have been a violation of Zimmerman’s Fourth Amendment rights, he said. Thus, the Sanford police presented a “capias request” to the state’s attorney, asking that the prosecutor determine whether it was a “justifiable homicide,” issue a warrant for arrest or present the case to a grand jury.
“The police department needed to do a job, and there was some influence — outside influence and inside influence — that forced a change in the course of the normal criminal justice process,” Lee said. “With all the influence and the protests and petitions for an arrest, you still have to uphold your oath.”
And there’s a thought I cannot get out of my head- if George Zimmerman is found innocent, will Obama and Holder, with his minions at the Department of Injustice who terminated a slam dunk case voter intimidation case for political reasons, try Zimmerman on a trumped-up civil rights charge in an effort to nail Zimmerman for something? It seems obvious that Obama and Holder want a pound of flesh.
Eric Holder was all over this case early:
But late Monday, the Department of Justice said it had opened an inquiry into the shooting. It will run parallel with one announced on Tuesday by the state attorney in Seminole County, who said a grand jury would be convened. State attorneys use grand juries in cases when they cannot make a clear independent call, or when a case is explosive.
And Holder has referred to it in speeches:
“This (violence) is an issue that has — rightly — garnered significant national attention in recent months, as our nation has struggled to make sense of the tragic shooting death of a Florida teenager named Trayvon Martin,” the Attorney General told a crowd of NAACP members. “As this case moves through the legal system, Justice Department officials will continue to communicate closely with state and local authorities to ensure that community concerns are heard, tensions are alleviated, and — as with every investigation at every level — appropriate actions are guided by the facts and the law.”
Obama was quick to politicize the Martin shooting and Holder was equally quick to insert the Department of Injustice into the event, but there are other deaths in which neither Obama nor Holder has any interest. You haven’t even heard of Jacob Chellew:
MABLETON, Ga. – Cobb County police hope to catch the hit-and-run driver who fatally struck 36-year-old Joshua Heath Chellew of Mableton as he walked along Mableton Parkway early Sunday.
It happened just after 1 a.m. Sunday, near Factory Shoals Road and Mableton Parkway. Cobb County police dispatched officers to the 6200 block of Mableton Parkway in response to a call concerning a person hit by a car.
It turns out that Chellew was murdered, not by the driver of the car, but by four “youths.”
MABLETON, Ga. – Cobb County police have arrested four alleged gang members linked to a fatal hit-and-run crash on Mableton Parkway.
The suspects are accused of beating the victim and then forcing him into the path of a car.
The fatal crash happened just after 1 a.m. Sunday, near Factory Shoals Road and Mableton Parkway. Joshua Heath Chellew, 36, of Mableton was struck by a vehicle and later died.
Authorities said Chellew did not know his attackers. A friend of Chellew said that the two had gone to a gas station when several men jumped Chellew.
“They started punching him. They starting beating on him,” said the woman, who asked not to be identified.
Arrest warrants said that the Chellew attempted to escape his attackers by backing into Mableton Parkway. Chellew was then knocked down onto the roadway, where he was struck by the vehicle.
It was a heinous murder. Why is it notable?
Jacob Chellew
His alleged killers?
In Chellew’s death there is no interest from the FBI or the Department of Injustice, or the media.
Of course, while the mainstream press seems to be consumed with the possibility of racism as a motivating factor in the killing of Trayvon Martin, there has been no coverage of this crime by the national media.
In fact, one local paper, The Marietta Daily Journal only reported Chellew’s death as a “hit-and-run,” failing to even mention the mob attack that caused the fatal accident.
Here’s another
Mobile, AL – On Saturday night, Matthew Owens told a group of kids to stop playing in the middle of street, only to have them return with a group of adults who dished out a beating that landed him in the Intensive Care Unit, according to police.
Police say that the group of 20 assailants used chairs, pipes and paint cans to waylay Owens on his own front porch.
The victim’s sister, Ashley Parker, told News 5: “It was the scariest thing I have ever witnessed.” She said the attackers used “brass buckles, paint cans and anything they could get their hands on.”
Parker added that as her brother lie on the ground bleeding, one of the assailants looked back and shouted: “Now that’s justice for Trayvon!”
It turns out that this is quite common:
-Also in April, police in the Chicago suburb of Maywood arrested 18-year-old Alton L. Hayes III, after he and a juvenile accomplice allegedly attacked and robbed a man. Hayes has admitted to the crime and told police he committed the brutal assault because he was angry over the Trayvon Martin case, Cook County State’s Attorney’s office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton told the Sun-Times.
Hayes and a 15-year-old Chicago boy grabbed the 19-year-old victim, pinning his arms to his sides. Hayes then threatened to hit the man with a tree branch and said, “empty your pockets, white boy,” said police.
After going through the man’s pockets they knocked him to the ground, punching the victim in the head “numerous times” before fleeing the scene, according to court documents.
Both Hayes and his co-defendant are black. Hayes was charged with attempted robbery, aggravated battery and a hate crime.
Someone was even thoughtful enough to video the incident
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlprKFftUe4[/youtube]Judicial Watch noted something from a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics:
“Here are more unsettling statistics buried in the DOJ’s new crime report; there has been a large increase in the rate of violent victimizations for whites. Hispanics and younger people. That means white non-Hispanics and Hispanics experienced an increase in violent victimization rates, while the rate for black non-Hispanics was stable.”
Why is there no interest by Obama, Holder or the media? It’s pretty obvious. If you don’t look like you could be Obama’s son or you’re not one of “Holder’s people” you’re screwed. This administration is interested in the civil rights of only some people.
Being found innocent may not the end of the nightmare for George Zimmerman. It may only be the beginning.
Update
As noted , there is something afoot in the Zimmerman trial. The judge apparently senses that the defense made its case and wants George Zimmerman to put his head in the noose.
Is someone pressuring her?
See author page
A man’s life has been destroyed. There never was much question about that.
George Zimmerman? George Zimmerman will probably be approached for a book deal and film rights before the end of next week.
@Greg:
At least you now admit that 17 is a man, not a “young boy.”
Would you prefer that he be forced to live under a bridge? He’ll have to have security the rest of his life. Do you really think that if he had been found guilty, the Sanford PD would have been making a public service announcement to prevent whites from rioting?
What he’ll have to do is come to terms with the fact that he killed an unarmed 17-year-old, who was simply on his way to a friend’s house after a quick trip to a nearby store. That’s what’s left, after all of the legalities are out of the way.
@Greg:
#1, Trayvon Martin was not on his way to “a friend’s house.” He was on his way to where his father lived.
And yes, people of conscience live with having to take a human life. Just ask any veteran. But even you have the right to defend yourself against someone trying to bash your brains out on a concrete sidewalk, Greggie.
I think Zimmerman’s lawyers made an excellent point about how the prosecution usually rolls over public defenders.
Apparently the prosecution tried some of their tactics against Zimmerman’s legal team but to no avail.
This is an indictment, not on this case, but on many cases where black men are sent to prison because their public defenders cannot deal with all the tricks and games of this prosecutor’s office.
Perhaps this went over the heads of people listening to their news conference, but if I caught it, others surely did as well.
@Greg:
Every parent of a teenager – particularly a black teen – who lives in Florida will have to consider what Florida’s broad self-defense laws mean for their childrens’ safety. Armed, self-appointed vigilantes can follow, stop and interrogate your children, and god help them if they don’t respond with the proper hat-in-hand deference, or they are – as some would have it – inviting their own death. There is not one GZ supporter who would be fine with his or her son being the object of suspicion for simply being out in public, the object of suspicion by an armed individual who is not affiliated with law enforcement. There is not one GZ supporter who would be fine with his or her son being angrily followed by an armed individual for simply being out in public. And how they’ve gotten around these simple facts, and essentially ignored them, is by actively desecrating the character and memory of the deceased.
@Tom:
What bullshit. How do you explain all those dead BLACK children in Chicago where there is no “broad self-defense” laws? How do you explain all the black children slaughtered by black gangbangers?
And if parents are so worried about Armed, self-appointed vigilantes then maybe they should know where their kids are at night and not just leave them to fend for themselves knowing their kid has been in trouble and has been expelled from school. Trayvon’s mother didn’t send him to his father because he was an alter boy who gave her not a moment’s worry.
And maybe Al Sharpton should be telling black Americans to take care of their kids. To mentor them and teach them that being a gangbanger is not the way to go instead of trying to stir up the racial pot to increase his bank account balance. Maybe black rap artists need to quit glorifying gansta values and quit talking about hoes and beeches and start creating music that promotes respect for women and respect for getting an education, not a bunch of tats and a grill.
Trayvon Martin was a victim. And everyone around him failed him from his parents, to his community to the black inner city culture to the rap artists that promote a violent life style and yes, even to our own government who promotes the soft bigotry of low expectations.
Read Frederick Douglas and tell me how the inner city black community has lived up to his expectations.
Greg says: “People in this country who look like they could be Obama’s son, or who are are Holder’s people, aren’t getting any special breaks under the American justice system.”
So true. But instead of attacking real racism in the system – the Trayvonites are attacking self defense.
BTW the only proof there is of an assault by Trayvon – a felony which justifies self defense – are Zimmerman’s wounds. However slight. Tray should have stopped punching when John Good said he was going to call 911. He would be alive today. In jail. For assault.
Or he should have just gone home and smoked a blunt and chilled.
Greg you could put your efforts into fighting prohibition. I do. Rockford For Safe Access Because I actually care about the racism in the system. But I’m not a knee jerk about it. I don’t let the race hustlers make up my mind for me.
There is another class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs — partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs….There is a certain class of race-problem solvers who do not want the patient to get well, because as long as the disease holds out they have not only an easy means of making a living, but also an easy medium through which to make themselves prominent before the public. – Booker T. Washington
TOM
SHUT UP, YOU ARE A PROMOTER OF TROUBLE AND INCITER OF THE BLACKS
TO HATE,
HAVEN’T THEY BEEN TAUGHT THAT ENOUGH BY NOW.
AMERICA
I LOVE YOU SO, I FEEL BETTER NOW and I’m sorry to have doubt of your JURY DECISION, you don’t need a PRESIDENT TO GUIDE YOUR DECISIONS, YOU CAN THINK FOR YOURSELVES,
NEVER FORGET IT, IN YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVORS THAT YOUR MIND ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE,
AND SOLID TO FOLLOW YOUR FUTURE WITH THE TRUTH TO KNOW YOU ARE RIGHT, HOPE YOUR CHILDREN KNOW WHAT YOU DONE WHICH WAS TO DO THE RIGHT THING, THANK YOU FOR MAKING SURE THAT AMERICA IS VICTORIOUS IN EVERYTHING THEY DECIDE TO DO, AND NO PRESIDENT CAN SWAY YOUR JUDGEMENT,
THANK YOU,AMERICA
ANGELA COREY, WHY DID YOU PUT MARISSA IN PRISON?
YES SHE IS BLACK AND WAS ABOUT TO BE BEATEN BY HER BULLY HUSBAND,
SHE WAS A MOTHER OF 3 CHILDREN AND PREGNANT ,
SHE TOOK HER GUN AND SHOT ON THE WALL TO SCARE AWAY THAT BULLY
WHO WAS READY TO HURT HER,
WHERE IS THE GUILT?
WHY DON’T YOU SENT HER FREE AND THINK TWICE ON YOUR JUDGEMENT AND
GET YOURSELF OUT OF THAT JOB YOU ARE NOT FIT TO DO WELL,
AND WHERE’S THE OUTRAGE FROM THE AL SHARPTON AND HOLDER AND OBAMA. WHERE ARE THE BLACK COMMUNITY AND THE CIVIL RIGHT
Zimmerman will have Martin’s death on his conscience the rest of his life. He may look back and wish he would have backed off and waited for the police. The moral of Martin’s plight is that you shouldn’t go around attacking people. They may have a gun, a brick, or a knife or they may just be the type of person who can snap your neck. Martin’s family may decide to sue in civil court for wrongful death where they stand a better chance than the prosecution did. The former police chief has been vindicated and he now has grounds for a suit. The interesting part of that is that perhaps we will find out the extent of Obama’s Justice Department’s involvement in a local law enforcement matter. The MSM has once again proven that they are just as inept at being lawyers as they are at being generals, scientists, doctors, economists, and a host of other specialties and that they should report the news instead of trying to make the news. Time will tell if they have lost their touch for inciting riots and violence. This drama may be far from over. It received far more attention than it should have and it was best left at the local level.
@retire05:
Typical of you to bring up a completely unconnected Chicago as an excuse for GZ, and then go on to blame TM’s family, and all of black America, for TM’s death. I was reading the following this morning and couldn’t help thinking how it applies perfectly to your way of thinking: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2013/07/george-zimmerman-not-guilty-blood-on-the-leaves.html
another vet
yes absolutly
@ilovebeeswarzone:
You’re not a very friendly, buzzy little bee, are you? I’m seeing more and more that your drone is also not very original. Bzzzzzzzzzz.
But Tom,
No Limit Nigga did have something to do with his own death. He continued renovating the concrete with Zim’s head after he was asked by two people to stop (Zimm and Good). In most places that is an actionable offense – by police for assault if it stops. Self defense if it doesn’t.
Tray had 4 minutes to go 400 ft to get home. All he had to do was move at the rate of 1.7 ft per second. Not a particularly fast pace. Normal walking speed is about 3ft a second. So if he was near his home as Rachael reported why did he go back to confront George? Did Rachael talk him into doing it? Did he do it to prove his manhood to her? A very dangerous sport.
Tom stop proving to us, what we already KNOW about you OK? Trayvon WENT BACK, and asked for it. FACT. The COURTS agreed, FACT! You don;t like it… AWWWWWWW Try dealing with REALITY for once.. your little “Lib Fantasy Utopia” does NOT EXIST.
Now as to CHICAGO?? OBAMA VILLE?? CRIME VILE?? THUG VILE?? CORRUPTION VILLE?? BLACK MURDER VILLE?? It goes STRAIGHT to the HEART.. of TRAYVON’S ATTITUDE. you know, the one that got him KILLED??? “Gangsta”??? So someone bringing Chicago up, is VERY RELEVANT.. if you have more than two brain cells that is. Well, ok, now i see your problem with it….. LOL!
TOM
don’t disturb me,
I work hard enough on this case,
it drain my brain, so I must rest and refill in a positive thinking.
bye
Yes Bee-Bee…I’m back…it’s now 5:00 PM Sunday in Tucson…and my brain is about to explode from watching “ALL DAY” the Zombies crying INSANLY about the “NOT GUILTY”….as for my comment…”I’m sticking to it” and I could even make another comment about citizen involvement…WHY DIDN’T “THE EYE BALL WITNESS” run to the fight and try to stop it…How long will he live with that thought…DO WE NEED SOME HERO’S ???..ONLY GOD CAN TELL….I’m no hero..BUT I’ve jumped into a few fights…sometime alone sometimes with help…got punched a few times… most fights would STOP…JUST A THOUGHT
Since I’ve been watching this case…I have not heard “ONE” person ask the question…”WHY DIDN’T HE ????”
@jerseyflash:
Well I don’t think I have made that comment. But I have thought about it.
The problem from my point of view. Was Trayvon armed? Am I? If the answer to the second question is no I’m probably calling the cops.
jerseyflash
hi,
you know I thought about it too, I did say that with all the community
there was not one who came to help, him asking for help,one who was helping them,to not be breakin,
and that witness told him to shut up he was going to call the police, and i just remember of something i never mention, that GEORGE ZIMMERMAN answer to his word which was calling the police
and ZIMMERMAN ANSWER
yes but I need help now please help me, all this few moment he was getting bash
still with the neighbor close, unbelievable is in it,
those word did not stayed in my memory, except now,
the guy turn around back to his second floor to call.
I feel that even a bucket of water on them laying down on the grass with TRAYVON on top,
WOULD maybe have change the situation.
bye
@Greg:
Two words
Crystal Mangum
@Tom:
Tom
Sooner or later you’re going to have to come to grips with fact that Martin started the fight, that HE initiated the series of events which led to his death.
Up to the point that Martin slugged Zimmerman NO ONE had done anything illegal.
Martin assaulted Zimmerman.
Period.
@another vet:
How long should he have waited? Until his skull was crushed and he was unconscious?
Seriously?
@Tom:
Stop it.
Martin sucker punched Zimmerman and the rest is history.
Enough with the bullsh*t. Man up.
@drjohn:
You weren’t there, Dr. John, were you? So you don’t know who started the fight. Hint: that’s the reason that GZ was acquitted. You seem to be confusing a “not guilty” decision with “innocent”. Sooner or later you’re going to have to come to grips with the fact that GZ created the confrontation. The jury has spoken, he is legally not guilty, but he’s certainly responsible. Did TM throw the first punch? I wouldn’t be surprised. Let’s see what you would do if a strange man with a gun is following you down a dark street without announcing why. Is following someone down a dark street with a gun illegal in Florida? I guess not. But don’t tell me GZ is not responsible. Don’t tell me that being followed by a stranger at night isn’t a provocation.
@drjohn:
We’ve seen what you consider to be manly, so I’ll take a pass. But feel free to continue getting off on your GZ fantasy. Maybe some day you’ll get your chance to shoot one. My suggestion, move to Florida.
TOM, if Zimmerman was FOLLOWING Trayvon, how is it, he did not “confront” him, until he was on his way BACK to his car.. RETRACING his steps?? For YOU to be right, Trayvon SHOULD have been BEHIND Zimmerman!! So how did he pop up, AHEAD OF HIM??
Unless, as the FACTS show, Z missed seeing Trayvon turn left.and walked PAST Trayvons new path… and Trayvon, seeing his “pursuer” was GONE.. went LOOKING FOR HIM. At THAT MOMENT, WHO stalked WHO, thus CAUSING the CONFRONTATION ?? TRAYVON was after Zimmerman at this point. so HE HIMSELF, caused the confrontation.
A FIVE YEAR OLD can grasp this TOM, what’s YOUR HANDICAP??
@Hankster58:
First of all, in case you’re confused: http://grownupgeek.com/capslock.jpg
I’m not really sure what else can be said. Here we have a message board where I’d wager many commenters feel the world is dangerous enough that they need to carry a gun with them at all times, but good luck getting anyone to concede that if they were followed down the street at night by a stranger, who didn’t respond to a direct question (“Why are you following me?”) and continued following after you literally ran away, that you would consider that a danger and a provocation. “That’s not illegal” is the response, as if that’s the freaking point. We’re talking about a 17 year of who was likely scared shitless. We’re talking about people dismissing the existence of one of humanity’s oldest, most primal fears, being followed, because that way it’s easier to say the guy being followed is to blame.
@Tom:
No, Tom, we’re talking about a 17 year old who was used to fighting and had no fear of some creepy assed cracker.
After Martin told a female friend he was “tired and sore” from a fight, she asked him why he fought. “Bae” is shorthand for “babe.”
MARTIN: Cause man dat nigga snitched on me
FRIEND: Bae y you always fightinqq man, you got suspended?
MARTIN: Naw we thumped afta skool in a duckd off spot
FRIEND: Ohh, Well Damee
MARTIN: I lost da 1st round 🙁 but won da 2nd nd 3rd . . . .
FRIEND: Ohhh So It Wass 3 Rounds? Damn well at least yu wonn lol but yuu needa stop fighting bae Forreal
MARTIN: Nay im not done with fool….. he gone hav 2 see me again
FRIEND: Nooo… Stop, yuu waint gonn bee satisified till yuh suspended again, huh?
MARTIN: Naw but he aint breed (bleed) nuff 4 me, only his nose
The fight followed the mixed martial arts (MMA) format. A day later, Martin would tell a friend that his opponent “got mo hits cause in da 1st round he had me on da ground nd I couldn;t do ntn
Those were texts taken from Trayvon Martin’s cell phone. A “scared shitless” teen would have run home and told his dad that he was being followed. Oh, wait, his dad wasn’t there. Then he would run home and called 911. Oh, wait, he was not the kind of kid to call 911 cause he thought he could take care of the creepy assed cracker himself. You know, make him bleed.
@Tom:
“continued following after you literally ran away,”
No evidence of that Tom. None. Zip. Nada.
The evidence is (if you believe Rachael) that Tray got to Green’s place. So how did Tray get back to the “T”? Tray had to be the one doing the chasing.
As far as we can tell Zimm was watching – as the NEN dispatcher suggested. And stopped watching/following when the dispatcher said he didn’t have to do that. He was past the “T” on his way to the car – judging from the evidence of where the keys and flashlight were dropped – as he said.
But none of that matters. As soon as Tray started renovating the sidewalk with Zim’s head and Zim couldn’t get away deadly force was available to him as an out. He didn’t do that for 40 seconds. That shows a LOT of restraint.
But you want this to be a race case. OK. Did you feel the same about Crystal Magnum? Be patient. Give it time. The truth WILL come out.
Tom,
I see why you are confused. You have the time line totally screwed. Did you follow the trial every day? It sounds like you got your clues from the talking heads. You certainly didn’t get them from the evidence.
@M. Simon:
Where is Tom’s outrage for Defino Mora, or Hoang Nguyen or Joshua Chellew. or Channon Christian or Christopher Newsome? Where is Tom’s outrage for the black teenagers killed in Chicago just this month?
@retire05:
Hell. Where is his outrage for the four blacks killed in Rockford in the last 10 days? Lots of drive bys. The typical MO of gangs. And what supports the gangs with the least chance of getting busted? Prohibition.
@Tom: 129… If he was “scared shitless” why did he talk to a GF, and NOT the COPS??? Why did he not RUN to the safety of his destination?? Why did he GO BACK.. to get in the FACE, of someone YOU say he was “scared of”?? His ACTIONS, are 180 degrees the OPPOSITE of YOUR MADE UP “facts”. Sorry, your arguments, are defeated by the FACTS of the case. Sorry.. LOGIC says you’re full of it.
But you’re free to stay in La La land… By the way.. STREET SAVVY, STREET FIGHTING Trayvon, isn’t the lil skeerdy cat YOU portray him as, by his OWN TEXTS etc….Why do YOU INSIST, on creating a DIFFERENT Personality, than the one the FACTS we HAVE SEEN, Support??
See a shrink.
@drjohn, #125:
That assertion was never conclusively disproved to the satisfaction of the jury, which is not at all the same thing as being proven to be true. Mr. Zimmerman is free for that reason. Not because his account has been certified by a court of law to be totally factual.
People ought to let it go, at this point. The legal system has done what it’s supposed to do. Remaining questions will never be resolved to any greater degree than they are now.
@Greg:
Greg, Greg, Greg,
Evidently you don’t know the law very well. It matters not who started the fight. Although the evidence is consonant with Martin starting it.
But ok. They are throwing punches. And let us say Zim started it for the sake of argument. Once Tray started renovating the sidewalk with Zims head it all changes. Zim told Tray to stop. John Good told Tray to stop. Zim is now FULLY JUSTIFIED in using deadly force because his life/body is in great danger and he cannot retreat.
Trayvon is now dead because he wouldn’t stop the fight as requested.
See what lack of manners can do to your life?
DONALD TRUMP WOULD HAVE LIKE HIM TO GET 30 YEARS IN PRISON?
YOUR WORDS TRANSLATE TO IT,
IT WAS THAT OR ACQUITAL DON’T YOU SEE IT,
AND THE STARS PROTESTING, WHAT KIND OF EVIL IS HITTING THIS COUNTRY,SHAME ON YOU, GEORGE ZIMMERMAN WAS PROTECTING HIS LIFE
HOW DARE YOU ARE WISHING EVIL TO AN INNOCENT PERSON WHO HAD BEEN BEATEN SO BAD,
DONALD REMEMBER WHERE YOU ARE, IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU.
NOW YOU WANT TO PROTECT YOUR ASSSETS BECAUSE YOU HAVE SOME WITH THE BLACKS?
YOU ARE NO ANGEL YOURSELF,
AND YOU JUST LOST YOUR CREDIBILITY.
@Greg:
Nonsense. Only one person had fight wounds outside of the gunshot. Only one person was seen to be being pummeled.
Just how stupid would you have to be to start a fight with a man stronger and six inches taller than you while you have a loaded gun holstered?
Your arguments don’t just strain credulity, they pulverize it.
@Tom:
You are officially an idiot.
I don’t often say anything like that to readers here but you deserve it.
@Tom:
Up to the moment of the fight, no one had done anything illegal. Martin then assaulted Zimmerman. Martin likely would have killed Zimmerman had he not had the gun.
BTW, if I am a scared shitless 17 year old being followed by someone I run as fast as I can to the safety of the Green condo. I don’t turn back and find the guy following me and pick a fight with him.
You’ll remember that Rachel Jeantel testified that Martin was nearly home. That proves Martin had to return to the 28 building looking for Zimmerman.
@drjohn:
It’s not known for a fact that Martin started the fight. There’s only one living person who actually knows the truth of that. No one actually witnessed the events as the defense described them. Several witnesses provided details—many with an admitted degree of uncertainty—that were woven into a picture. That picture created sufficient doubt to make the jury unwilling to convict.
As I said, that’s be best anyone will ever be able to do.
How reasonable would it be for a skinny teenager to provoke a fight with an unknown man that’s 40 pounds heavier, who’s already been seen to be following him for no apparent reason, and who might or might not be carrying a firearm? I’m guessing Martin was afraid. I don’t know for certain what he concluded he should do. Neither does anyone else. Who knows what words were actually exchanged, or how they were interpreted?
People who take Zimmerman’s side should be glad that he was acquitted and leave it at that. Forcing him into a role that he may not want isn’t doing him any favor. It just intensifies the polarization, and pushes him back to the center of it. I doubt if he wants to stay there.
@drjohn:
Legal and moral aren’t synonyms, Dr John. I have nowhere stated that the the courts decision, based on the laws of Florida and the limitations of the available evidence, is incorrect. That doesn’t change my perception that GZ was absolutely in the wrong to set into motion the confrontation through his irresponsible and aggressive actions and posture. How a person cannot understand that is mind-boggling.
We shouldn’t put our fellow citizens into scenarios where not following the script perfectly is a death sentence. This idea that if TM – a person walking down the street – had just done A, B, C and D, in that order, he would be alive today, so it’s his fault, is ridiculous.
@Tom:
So now it is immoral to be a neighborhood watchman? Trained by police and following a dispatchers suggestions? Who knew?
==================
BTW the best discussion of the time line I know of. From about a year ago. There may be some small errors because we know more now.
http://www.wagist.com/2012/dan-linehan/evidence-that-trayvon-martin-doubled-back
http://www.wagist.com/2012/dan-linehan/the-missing-230-and-deedees-testimony
We shouldn’t put our fellow citizens into scenarios where not following the script perfectly is a death sentence.
Continued assault by the No Limit Nigga is a fairly basic error.
Do people now get a pass if they assault you? Well assuming they have the correct skin pigmentation.
Seriously – the ground you are trying to hold is untenable. Why not work Drug Prohibition which is selectively enforced on Blacks according to this former DEA agent:
To my knowledge, this is the first time a neighborhood watch has been associated with a body count.
The actual Neighborhood Watch, which exists under the auspices of the National Sheriff’s Association, was pretty quick to disavow any connections with Mr. Zimmerman. He was not a member of any recognized Neighborhood Watch organization. He was captain of a group he created. I don’t recall hearing that this “group” had any other members. Maybe someone else has more information on that.
@M. Simon: Here is my though about wondering if someone is “ARMED AND DANGEROUS” while “YOU” are watching a person raining down punches in bunches and also watching that same person BANGING a head agains concrete or the ground…”ARMED AND DANGEROUS” should have been’s TM’s mind set before making the ‘WRONG CHOICE”given the fact that he either had 2 or 4 minutes to walk or run the 300 yards to safety
@M. Simon:
Since you seem hungry for my attention, I would love to engage your observation, but of course I wrote nothing of the sort. Apparently my position is so weak, people have to keep inventing new ones to argue against.
Since you brought it up, here’s what real experts thought of Zimmerman’s “Neighborhood Watch”activities.
See Tom – it is like this. The case is being run by the Scheme Team and all they are interested in is another pay day. And so far it seems to be paying well. And you are caught up playing their game instead of dealing with issues where you CAN make a difference.
Check out this comment from another blog on what Crump & Co. are up to:
http://fyre.it/CRKaMh.4
Maybe their T-shirt warning should be printed in reverse, so that it can easily be read in a mirror.