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The moral of the story seems to be in you're a black male don't wear hoodies at night in the rain as you walk from the store.
...or don't sit in your car listening to music in front of a convenience store. These are entirely different situations, but in both tragic incidents, the shooters were the instigators.
Last edited by justNancy; 12-06-2012 at 03:26 PM..
I doubt they would refer to her as a star witness if that's the case. I guess we'll all just have to wait and see. I think it's kind of silly for people to make statements about it being meaningless, unless the judge says so. It reminds me of all those threads about Romney winning in a landslide. We just don't know how it is going play out. I don't think that anyone is not of the belief that Zimmerman got his *** beat. However, some of us still take issue with a person who follows and scares a person then shoots them. If Trayvon Martin was standing his ground, how is it that Zimmerman was standing his? If Trayvon felt that his life was in danger or that Zimmerman intended to inflict bodily harm, why wouldn't he have the right to defend himself. How does a person get away with starting a confrontation then claiming self defense when it doesn't work out in his favor? Too bad Trayvon Martin wasn't carrying a gun that night. If Zimmerman were shot by him and both lived to tell their stories, I wonder how some of you would react.
Those calling Trayvon a thug or accusing him of casing houses, clearly have an agenda. Compassion and respect for human life are not part of it. This whole image of Trayvon Martin walking around all hardcore waiting for someone to approach him just so he can beat him to a bloody pulp is ridiculous. I have put myself in his shoes many times, and I can only imagine how fearful I would be if I were walking alone, at night, in the rain with some wierdo following me. He had rights as well. Some people obviously refuse to acknowledge that and would rather envision the victim as a ruthless killer or an animal.
I want to make it clear that I do not think Trayvon was a thug or casing houses or that he was "a ruthless killer or an animal". I did wonder about his gang ties when the news first came out with photos of him shooting gang signs and talking like a thug. But apparently some of that stuff was not true. Maybe, maybe not, I have not investigated it, it is not really relevant. I do think there was good reason for Zimmerman to have concern he might be casing houses, because other people who fit his description had done so in the recent past.
I disagree with your characterization that Zimmerman was a "a person who follows and scares a person then shoots them." Zimmerman had every right to be walking on the same sidewalks that Martin was walking. That is not an unlawful act. Martin had no more reason to be fearful of Zimmerman than he would of any other person who was walking the same sidewalk.
There is no evidence that Tryvon was standing his ground. All of the available evidence indicates that in the final moments Tryvon was the aggressor and started the physical confrontation. In the eyes of the law that is all that matters.
This is the best detailed analysis of the case that I have seen, written by a defense attorney who has carefully reviewed all of the witness testimony and statements available on the case:
All that matters legally is whether Trayvon Martin's physical attack on him caused him to reasonably believe he was in danger of serious bodily injury or death. Zimmerman's testimony, which is supported by proof of his injuries and witnesses observing the struggle, is that Martin broke his nose and banged his head against cement. He tried to get up and couldn't. Using an objective standard, a reasonable person in that situation would fear imminent serious bodily injury if he didn't react with force.
The state is unlikely to prevail in arguing Zimmerman was the aggressor because to be the aggressor, Zimmerman had to contemporaneously provoke the force Martin used against him. Zimmerman's profiling of Martin and call to the non-emergency number were not contemporaneous with Martin's attack. Even if the state could convince a judge or jury that Zimmerman was following Martin, rather than walking back to his car, rendering his pursuit a contemporaneous act, it is not an act that provokes Martin's use of force against him. Demanding someone account for their presence does not provoke the use of force. Even if it could be construed to be provocation for using force, all it means is Zimmerman had to attempt reasonable means to extricate himself before using deadly force in response. W-6's steadfast insistence that Zimmerman was struggling to get up and out from under Trayvon, right before the shot went off, fulfills that requirement. Zimmerman will say the same. And no witnesses saw anything different.
The problem with this case is that there were not any reliable witnesses (that we know about) because it was rainy & dark. I think Zimmerman is guilty of being an idiot who wanted to play hero, but I don't think his intent was to murder someone when he left his home that evening. However, we just don't know and probably never will. Manslaughter is probably the appropriate charge. There are times I wonder if he approached Martin and, when he didn't get the cooperation he wanted, he threatened him with a gun, but we have no idea if that actually happened. After listening to the audio tapes of his interviews, I feel Zimmerman's credibility is very questionable, to say the least. Still, without evidence, I don't see how the prosecution can convince a jury he is guilty of 2nd degree murder.
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