We can discuss all the loopholes of Florida law, but I think the Casey Anthony case brought about some interesting points on proper investigation protocol. This case the same as I have heard they are trying to cover all bases before sloppily handling Zimmerman. That is getting lost in this whole drama and it has shifted directly to race.

 

These are just a couple of articles I read this morning to share.

 

Trayvon Martin: We must stand up for our black sons - baltimoresun.com

 

Zimmerman was on the ground being punched when he shot Trayvon Martin - Charleston Charleston Conservative | Examiner.com

 

Literally thousands of articles contain at least one false statement in the first couple of lines. They usually read "George ZImmerman, a white man," or "shoot by a white man." Zimmerman is described by family as a multiracial Hispanic. His appearance is clearly that of a Latino/Mestizo individual. However, the media wants him to be white because that better fits the political narrative they are trying to artificially create. Many news articles have also claimed the neighborhood is "mostly white." This is also a lie. The neighborhood is only 49% white. It is over half non-white.

Continue reading on Examiner.com Zimmerman was on the ground being punched when he shot Trayvon Martin - Charleston Charleston Conservative | Examiner.com Zimmerman was on the ground being punched when he shot Trayvon Martin - Charleston Charleston Conservative | Examiner.com

To many the answer is both.

From the article:

 

1. The witness reports that George Zimmerman was on the ground and Trayvon is on top of him punching him.
   
2. The witness says that George Zimmerman was screaming and yelling for help.
   
3. Police arrive and find Zimmerman bleeding on his face and the back of his head. He also has had grass stains on his back. All this confirms the story told by Zimmerman and the witness.
   
4. Police play the 911 tape for Trayvon Martin's father, who tells police that the voice screaming is not the voice of his son.
   
5. 
   

 

I still can't help but think that had George Zimmerman not assumed that Trayvon was up to no good by his appearances, and had he not disregarded the 911 operator's instruction NOT to follow Trayvon, and had NOT cornered a teenager in the dark, that there wouldn't be a dead teenager today.

 

So Trayvon fought back at the stranger who tried to stop him after dark in a neighborhood that apparently had a lot of robberies recently. I'd hope if I had a teenaged son that he would do the same thing. So Trayvon overpowered and was hitting back at a stranger who was trying to "subdue" him. I'd hope if I had a teenaged son that he would do the same thing. So Zimmerman was overpowered by the kid that he determined was up to no good...still doesn't give ANY excuse to him shooting Trayvon.

I still can't help but think that had George Zimmerman not assumed that Trayvon was up to no good by his appearances, and had he not disregarded the 911 operator's instruction NOT to follow Trayvon, and had NOT cornered a teenager in the dark, that there wouldn't be a dead teenager today.

 

So Trayvon fought back at the stranger who tried to stop him after dark in a neighborhood that apparently had a lot of robberies recently. I'd hope if I had a teenaged son that he would do the same thing. So Trayvon overpowered and was hitting back at a stranger who was trying to "subdue" him. I'd hope if I had a teenaged son that he would do the same thing. So Zimmerman was overpowered by the kid that he determined was up to no good...still doesn't give ANY excuse to him shooting Trayvon.

 

This was 'gated community'. Everyone who lives in Florida knows what that means - you should be in their only if you are a resident or an invited guest of a resident. This community had one way in and one way out. It has a basic security gate entrance. It is surrounded by a brick wall. Anyone on foot was likely up no good and not going to specific townhouse was not just passing through. And if you live in one of these you probably already have a heightened sense of paranoia. That said, it was very poor judgment to create a confrontation on foot and while armed. If you are armed you have no business getting even close enough to get into a altercation since the other person could gain control of your weapon and turn in against you. Get in your car, follow, make your presence known so that the other party knows they are being watched. But keeping your distance should be the course of action.

A case of both. I say it has turned into a racial thing now.

This was 'gated community'. Everyone who lives in Florida knows what that means - you should be in their only if you are a resident or an invited guest of a resident. This community had one way in and one way out. It has a basic security gate entrance. It is surrounded by a brick wall. Anyone on foot was likely up no good and not going to specific townhouse was not just passing through.

 

Wasn't Trayvon walking back to the condo of his father's fiancee?

This was 'gated community'. Everyone who lives in Florida knows what that means - you should be in their only if you are a resident or an invited guest of a resident. This community had one way in and one way out. It has a basic security gate entrance. It is surrounded by a brick wall. Anyone on foot was likely up no good and not going to specific townhouse was not just passing through. And if you live in one of these you probably already have a heightened sense of paranoia. That said, it was very poor judgment to create a confrontation on foot and while armed. If you are armed you have no business getting even close enough to get into a altercation since the other person could gain control of your weapon and turn in against you. Get in your car, follow, make your presence known so that the other party knows they are being watched. But keeping your distance should be the course of action.

 

It was a gated community but the one entrance and exit is not true. In some of the early articles I read on the case it mentioned that people on foot could walk in and out pretty much as they wanted. The gates only affected automobile traffic.

It was a gated community but the one entrance and exit is not true. In some of the early articles I read on the case it mentioned that people on foot could walk in and out pretty much as they wanted. The gates only affected automobile traffic.

 

 

Here's a view of the community from Google Maps. If you look it up there and zoom in, you can pretty clearly see a white fence running around the perimeter on 3 sides of the community.

I say both justice and race.

Wasn't Trayvon walking back to the condo of his father's fiancee?

 

According to multiple reports he was.

Joe Oliver, George Zimmerman's Friend, Defends Shooter In Trayvon Martin Case

 

"Martin lived in Miami but was with his father on a visit to his father's fiancee's home inside the gated community. "

 

So he was a guest of a resident. I did not know that. That makes this really a stupid situation.

 

Gated communities have themselves been the subject of controversy in Florida since they isolate the residents from the broader community. This one was lightly gated with just a cross bar. Many have large steel gates and taller walls to where it feels like a castle and you can not get in without the code to the gate. They do create sense of isolation. Given that this community had a very mixed racial make-up it seems someone walking along minding their own business should not have created suspicion regardless of their race.

 

Zimmerman still did multiple stupid things. Anyone who is Conceal and Carry certified know if they teach this scenario in training? It just seems so stupid to get into a close range confrontation while armed. I wonder of Zimmerman was C&C trained?

I think we know both, but should it be? Should it be more about justice or should it be more about race, which I feel it has become?

In fact if Zimmerman did not have C&C permit he was breaking the law.

I think we know both, but should it be? Should it be more about justice or should it be more about race, which I feel it has become?

 

I think in this case it's hard to separate. I think the racial aspect boils down to a couple of things. One, would Zimmerman have found Martin to be "suspicious" or "up to no good" if he wasn't black? On top of that is the question of whether he muttered "coon" under his breath as he stalked Martin. I think many of us don't believe Zimmerman would have been so suspicious or trigger-happy if it was a white kid walking through there. Two, many have pointed to a botched "investigation" on the part of the police. It seems a lot of things went overlooked or were handled carelessly. Would Zimmerman's story have been so readily accepted if Martin were white? I know these are unprovable counterfactuals, but for many of us they are relevant in understanding how and why this situation went down the way it did.

 

Once this story broke, many people looked at the information on the case and saw that an unarmed, black 17-year old was killed and the killer was off the hook under Florida law and they were outraged. So, while I think it's about justice, it's hard to remove race from the discussion, particularly when it comes to why justice was denied to Trayvon Martin in the first place. That outrage is what has led to this case being re-examined.

This was 'gated community'. Everyone who lives in Florida knows what that means - you should be in their only if you are a resident or an invited guest of a resident. This community had one way in and one way out. It has a basic security gate entrance. It is surrounded by a brick wall. Anyone on foot was likely up no good and not going to specific townhouse was not just passing through. And if you live in one of these you probably already have a heightened sense of paranoia. That said, it was very poor judgment to create a confrontation on foot and while armed. If you are armed you have no business getting even close enough to get into a altercation since the other person might just be a kid armed with Skittles and a soft drink who is not threatening you or anyone else.

 

I fixed it for you. :thumb: