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Which is something that you have absolutely zero knowledge of. However, it doesn't matter. "Justified" suspicion or not. Racial profiling or not. At the end of the day, what matters is that Tray Tray initiated a violent attack upon Zimmerman, and ended up getting killed. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
So you admit he could have been racially profiled? About time.
So you admit he could have been racially profiled? About time.
For the sake of argument, let's play your game, and say that Zimmerman did racially profile Taryvon. Now what? What changes? Trayvon STILL initiated a violent assault upon Zimmerman, and was killed as a result.
This might or might not be the case. (See post 119 just above regarding my thoughts on how I might have viewed TM's behavior back in my LEO days.) However, any citizen may call the police about something the citizen feels does not look right. Then it's up to the police to decide how to handle the call.
The evidence supports the likely scenario that:
at the time the dispatcher told GZ they didn't need him to follow TM, or shortly thereafter, GZ did in fact break off from following TM and headed back in the opposite direction, back toward his car and toward the general vicinity of the location where GZ and the dispatcher agreed that GZ should meet officers when they arrived in the area;
TM continued in the direction in which he had been running, with GZ now walking away in the opposite direction, arrived back at the house where he'd been staying, then, instead of entering the house and letting that be the end of it, went back the other way, looking for GZ, and when he found GZ then launched a sudden attack against GZ.
Legally, this made TM the aggressor, as GZ never had actually attacked TM, nor created the imminent threat of attack, and even the merely potential threat GZ had caused by following TM was over at the point when TM went back looking for GZ and attacked GZ.
That is all that really matters legally, not whether Zimmerman did or did not have what a cop would consider good reason to regard Martin as suspicious.
I dont' think anyone is arguing the legal aspects of the case. Legally Zimmerman there wasn't enough evidence to convict Zimmerman. Morally, he racially profiled a kid who was walking home in the rain from the store which eventually led to his murder. Morally, he was wrong whether protected by laws or not.
Regarding the bolded passage, PJA, you really can't possibly know this. You'd have to be able to read Zimmerman's mind.
Based on Zimmerman's brief description of Martin's behavior to the dispatcher, I can't say for sure whether I would have regarded this behavior as suspicious if I had spotted something like this when I worked in law enforcement. Depending on the details, it's possible that I would have. Whether I would have or not would have had nothing to do with the person's race, only his behavior:
It seems odd for someone to be "wandering around, looking about" [GZ's description to the dispatcher] when it's raining and most people would want to hurry straight home and get out of the rain. That's not terribly suspicious in itself, but it most likely would have at least caught my attention.
GZ to dispatcher: "He looks like he's on drugs . . ." There's one where I'd need more detail about what GZ saw that gave him this impression, in order to have any idea whether I might have taken a close look. If I'd had sound basis to believe someone appeared intoxicated, I certainly would have approached the person.
Just a couple of points in GZ's description of Martin's behavior. Again, I'd have to have more detail about what GZ saw in order to have any idea whether I would have approached TM as a suspicious person, but it's possible.
I'm black [I'm not, but to paraphrase the quote] so the only possible reason I might be regarded as suspicious is that I'm black? I'm black so that makes it impossible for my behavior to appear suspicious?
Seeing as how I have yet to hear anything TM did that was suspicious, I can only conclude that he was racially profiled.
Seeing as how I have yet to hear anything TM did that was suspicious, I can only conclude that he was racially profiled.
Please provide the definition of racial profiling that you are using. Make sure it is the actual definition - don't just make up something that is self-serving.
For the sake of argument, let's play your game, and say that Zimmerman did racially profile Taryvon. Now what? What changes? Trayvon STILL initiated a violent assault upon Zimmerman, and was killed as a result.
Please provide the definition of racial profiling that you are using. Make sure it is the actual definition - don't just make up something that is self-serving.
I can tell you right now what that definition was - Martin was black; therefore, he was racially profiled.
Essentially, once a few celebrities stated it was racism, that's all it takes for "proof" for many people out there.
Racial profiling is a form of discrimination by which law enforcement uses a person’s race or cultural background as the primary reason to suspect that the individual has broken the law.
Seeing how Trayvonn was doing nothing suspicious, I can only assume the reason why Zimmerman was suspicious is because he was black...racial profiling.
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