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You can't defend yourself with force or lethal force if you merely "feel" being threatened. Doing so would land yourself with a second degree murder at least. The following are a few examples:
1. Someone has been following you, no matter how "aggressively" or "closely". If he follows you everyday over a long period of time, it can become illegal as stalking is illegal in some states but you still can't use force against your follower.
2. Someone tells you he will kill you but takes no immediate action before or after.
3. Someone looks at you in a wrong way.
4. Someone curses at you aggressively.
After offering to follow him and being told clearly by dispatch "We don't need you to do that", I would have stayed in my car.
When you follow someone in the dark and they defend themselves, oh well.
Would you expect a woman who was being followed by a man in the dark who was gaining on her not to try and fight back?
Zimmerman was involved in a previous incident where as a customer he saw someone shoplift, despite being told by a store employee to not do anything he tackled the shoplifter in the parking lot.
Zimmerman seems to have issues.
He tackled a shoplifter? how is that a bad thing? I would say he is a good citizen.
Being part of the neighborhood watch (without being paid $$) says a lot about the character of a person.
That would pretty much depend upon what I was doing that led up to it.
If I was walking minding my own business? I would open a can.
The fact is that GZ was stalking the youth whose only crime was to be out walking.
The fact is that GZ was told to stop the pursuit and let the police do their jobs.
The fact is no one knows what would have happened if someone didn't play superhero.
I wouldn't go chasing after anyone, as a neighborhood watcher is not a legal official of the law. Since there was nothing suspicious in his behavior, except for the fact he was Walking While Black in a cracker neighborhood, I'm not sure the police would have been very interested.
Since Zimmerman instigated the contact, it's a moot question, because that's not how it happened.
Of course, the fact that it was a "cracker" neighborhood explains why Martin wasn't shot years ago by another black teen.
You can't defend yourself just because someone has been following you. Regardless your gender, if you shoot your follower, you are going to prison for second degree murder at bare minimum.
I am sorry to say that you have issues not Zimmerman. The store employee has no authority and Zimmerman has no obligation to follow his/her order. Zimmerman did society a great service by catching the shoplifter and you aren't even appreciative.
If the store employee told Zimmerman that he gave the shoplifter the stuff, then I agree that Zimmerman has issues.
Huh? It was a store manager who told Zimmerman not to act.
Zimmerman did not do a any service to anyone. If the person he tackled was injured they can turn around and sue, even though they were stealing.
Zimmerman was turned down by several police depts, he is nothing more than a frustrated wannabe cop.
And yes, if you're walking along in the dark and someone is coming up on you and gaining on you, you're going to defend yourself.
He tackled a shoplifter? how is that a bad thing? I would say he is a good citizen.
Being part of the neighborhood watch (without being paid $$) says a lot about the character of a person.
Because he was told ONCE AGAIN to stay out of it.
You don't see a pattern here? "WE DON'T NEED YOU TO DO THAT".
He says "OK", and than does just what he was told not to do.
BTW, the residents of the condo complex(many of whom had complained about Zimmerman being overzealous) are now being sued by Martin's family.
How would you like to be a condo owner who maybe wanted to sell your condo, forget about it, no one is going to buy a condo in a place where a lawsuit is going on.
The problems this guy caused goes well beyond the Martin family.
That would pretty much depend upon what I was doing that led up to it.
If I was walking minding my own business? I would open a can.
The fact is that GZ was stalking the youth whose only crime was to be out walking.
The fact is that GZ was told to stop the pursuit and let the police do their jobs.
The fact is no one knows what would have happened if someone didn't play superhero.
Huh? It was a store manager who told Zimmerman not to act.
Zimmerman did not do a any service to anyone. If the person he tackled was injured they can turn around and sue, even though they were stealing.
Zimmerman was turned down by several police depts, he is nothing more than a frustrated wannabe cop.
And yes, if you're walking along in the dark and someone is coming up on you and gaining on you, you're going to defend yourself.
Again Z was NOT doing anything illegal and the store owner had no authority to give him any order.
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