Zimmerman not guilty in Trayvon Martin death: Florida jury

[Ulysses G.]

I wish that I had some "likes" left for that last post. I ran out completly within the first 5 minutes of starting to read this thread.

Edited July 15, 2013 by Ulysses G.

[Scott]

An inflammatory post has been removed.

[sunny6301]

never bring skittles to a gun fight

[Baloo22]

JT, you may be right about 5'11".

According to the autopsy report, Trayvon was 5'11" tall and weighed 158 pounds, the "ideal healthy weight" at that height being 160 pounds. He was not the skinny little boy with the Skittles that half of America still believes him to be. He was at least three inches taller than Zimmerman and only about 20 pounds lighter.

His home life a wreck, his school life in disarray, Trayvon had fallen victim to urban America's lost boy culture.

This culture, which the media also choose not to see, has been shockingly destructive. Citing Bureau of Justice statistics, black economist Walter Williams in a recent column notes that "between 1976 and 2011, there were 279,384 black murder victims." Of these, Williams estimates that roughly "262,621 were murdered by other blacks."

Trayvon had "statistic" written all over him. In the past year or so, his social media sites showed a growing interest in drugs, in mixed martial arts-style street fighting, in a profoundly vulgar exploitation of "bitches."

Trayvon posed for one photo with raised middle fingers, another with wads of cash held in an out-stretched arm. One YouTube video shows him refereeing a fight club-style street fight. A cousin had recently tweeted him, "Yu ain't tell me yu swung on a bus driver," meaning, if true, that Trayvon had punched out a bus driver.

And the photo of him holding a gun in his bedroom with jewelry on the bed

And the toxicology report that the prosecution withheld from the defense which showed that Martin was very high that evening

And so on, and so on, and so on...

I am hearing all kinds of rumblings about prosecutorial misconduct that frankly sickens me. If true, they should lose their license.

Here is one: "State Attorney Angela Corey fires information technology director who raised concerns in Trayvon Martin case"

[SteeleJoe]

Ok, I do not believe the death was racially motivated. Yes, I believe that the case was politicized from the very beginning and the powers that be will are weighing their options so as to minimize political risk. Be that play one ethnic group off against another or simply defer. US politics is nasty, although you are trying to associate my observation and analysis of these events with my own personal views. Which is obviously quite cynical of a gubbamint that has lied to me since I was a small child in nappies.

]

I apparently wasn't clear despite isolating the part of your post I was referring to. Since you have bothered to reply, I feel obligated to clarify:

"The real question is, what does Holder and the DOJ do? Do they go after Zimmerman with civil rights charges and appease the black community while further alienating the white and hispanic community -or- does he abide by the ruling of the jury and piss off the black community."

My point was that to break things down by race to such an extreme degree (eg assuming any further action taken against Zimmerman will further alienate the "white community" - or that said "community" is already alienated) is absudly simplistic and objectively false.

I have not "tried to associate your observation and analysis of these events with your own personal views.", but feel free to show me where I have.

By the way, I happen to think race was a factor and a sad fact is that it would be so not without cause (I wish it weren't so, but to pretend that in many situations, for many people, a young black male isn't viewed with some degree of prejudice is foolish. And sadly there is a reason for that aside from racism).

I have no doubt the case "was politicized from the very beginning and the powers that be will are weighing their options so as to minimize political risk." Which is to be expected.

[uptheos]

In USA (Florida) what was the process getting down to 6 women from 211 people?

Why are people saying it was unfair to have 5 white women........weren't the jurors selected fairly and acceptable to both parties, before the trial?

Yes, they call a lot more people than they need. Some may actually sit on other trials.

But a sort of lottery is held and a few are chosen - perhaps 12 or 15 or so. Then they are interviewed and each side has the opportunity to object to any and they are dismissed. There is a limit to objections, but this goes on until 6 jurors and a couple of alternates are chosen, agreed to by both sides. The alternates sit with the jurors so that if one juror should, say, get sick, an alternate will take her place and the trial can go on.

So, the jury is fair to both parties and no need to criticize the make up regarding ethnicity, sex, gender etc.

[Lancelot]

Loss of life is always unfortunate; however, how many people would endure their head being pounded on the concrete and not try to defend them selves.

This case was racially charged from the begining, the child hood press photos of Mr. Martin, falsely portraying him as a child of about 12 years old, President Obama opining "If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon Martin and the Black Panters offering a bounty for the murder of George Zimmerman.

The real tragedy in the US is the black on black violence, young black men murdering each other in the thousands for perceived slights, such as "A disrespectful look..."

Where is the outrage and demands for change for ending the culture of blacks murdering blacks? And will the US remain a country that respects the rule of law and the outcome of trial or will the US devolve to a nation that panders to the demands of the mob? Don't like the way the jury decided the trial? Riot, enrich yourself with plunder and kill a few people you don't like- but cloak yourself as a selfless citizen seeking justice.

Sad...

[cup-O-coffee]

Lancelot, you jumped on this before I did. Kudos.

The trail that leads to this is quite interesting when you take the time to read it.

There may be some arguable points, but the pictures and videos of the people saying things from their own mouths and being present in the pictures paints a pretty clear picture of what this whole thing is about.

My sympathies to you George. You did not deserve this, and I encourage you to fight back and open this can of worms wide open with even a quarter of the items listed at this link. Be a real hero, and do this for all the future freaky white crackers out there.

Edited July 15, 2013 by cup-O-coffee

[geriatrickid]

He will make a ton of money and justifiably so. He was wronged by both a dishonest media and a corrupt justice system. A malicious prosecution case is pretty much assured as the prosecution purposely withheld evidence about Trayvon's criminal activities. Any civil case against him will have very little chance of winning because he can invoke the stand your ground law in defense which gives him lots of protection. He deserves some good luck for a change and things are looking up.

I believe that you are being extreme here. Zimmerman wasn't wronged by a corrupt justice system. I think that you will find there are a great many who believe the contrary that he was protected by a corrupt justice system, particularly with the testimony of the detective who went out of his way to undermine the prosecution.

There were grounds with which to bring charges and to have a trial. I fail to see where corruption enters this matter anyway, There is no evidence to support a your allegation of a malicious prosecution.

Zimmerman should not have been pursuing Martin and he killed the kid. He will pay the price for his stupidity at a civil damages trial. The stand your ground defense is for criminal matters, it will not help in a civil matter that assesses responsibility. It will only be an issue of determining the % of responsibility for Martin's death and Zimmerman will pay.

Martin's juvenile record had no relevance, particularly as he was never convicted of burglary, or assault. Oh, yes, allegations were made, but if there was no criminal record that shows a pattern of behaviour, the judge was quite right to disallow the use of such material as it had no relevance. It was George Zimmerman that had the past charges for assaulting a police officer and who had the restraining orders related to allegations of domestic violence. Zimmerman was an adult when he had his run ins.

Martin was a stupid kid. Zimmerman was an adult loser n'er do well. Big difference.

[cup-O-coffee]

He will make a ton of money and justifiably so. He was wronged by both a dishonest media and a corrupt justice system. A malicious prosecution case is pretty much assured as the prosecution purposely withheld evidence about Trayvon's criminal activities. Any civil case against him will have very little chance of winning because he can invoke the stand your ground law in defense which gives him lots of protection. He deserves some good luck for a change and things are looking up.

I believe that you are being extreme here. Zimmerman wasn't wronged by a corrupt justice system. I think that you will find there are a great many who believe the contrary that he was protected by a corrupt justice system, particularly with the testimony of the detective who went out of his way to undermine the prosecution.

There were grounds with which to bring charges and to have a trial. I fail to see where corruption enters this matter anyway, There is no evidence to support a your allegation of a malicious prosecution.

Zimmerman should not have been pursuing Martin and he killed the kid. He will pay the price for his stupidity at a civil damages trial. The stand your ground defense is for criminal matters, it will not help in a civil matter that assesses responsibility. It will only be an issue of determining the % of responsibility for Martin's death and Zimmerman will pay.

Martin's juvenile record had no relevance, particularly as he was never convicted of burglary, or assault. Oh, yes, allegations were made, but if there was no criminal record that shows a pattern of behaviour, the judge was quite right to disallow the use of such material as it had no relevance. It was George Zimmerman that had the past charges for assaulting a police officer and who had the restraining orders related to allegations of domestic violence. Zimmerman was an adult when he had his run ins.

Martin was a stupid kid. Zimmerman was an adult loser n'er do well. Big difference.

You are absolutely correct in your court of law. Thankfully it is not THE court of law. If one takes the time to read things it is not difficult to realize the urgency to speak out or shut up.

Incidentally, Martin's intelligence quotient has no relevance, particularly as he was never convicted of being stupid. Oh, yes, allegations were made in your post, but if there was no criminal record that shows stupidity, we have the right to point out your hypocrisies.

[Chicog]

Florida Prosecutor Angela Corey argued that the tragic case was a test of Florida's gun laws as well as social boundaries."This case has never been about race, nor has it ever been about the right to bear arms," Corey said. "But Trayvon Martin was profiled. There is no doubt that he was profiled to be a criminal. And if race was one of the aspects in George Zimmerman's mind, then we believe that we put out the proof necessary to show that Zimmerman did profile Trayvon Martin.

This is an outrageous statement by the prosecutor, a public official, which should result in her immediate dismissal.It is non-acceptance of the results of the system she's supposed to be there to defend and is incitement to racial hatred. She should know better......and is paid to know and behave better.....and therefore is worse then the rabble outside the court.

There is no doubt whatsoever that Zimmerman started all this because Martin fitted his profile of a young black criminal.

But he wasn't charged with that, otherwise a conviction would have been a piece of piss.

As such her comment is not outrageous - however, it is completely pointless.

[Chicog]

I have no idea about fact, fiction or speculation in the following narrative of Martin's last moments and what was allegedly observed him doing on surveillance cameras.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/06/m-what_the_media_choose_not_to_know_about_trayvon.html

Candidly, none of that's relevant to me except the bs political spin the media put on it to grab attention and get people riled up.

The only thing important here is two numbskulls crossed paths. A wanna be gang banger thug tried to kick his arse and got his own arse shot in the process. Parents should teach their kids manners and not to fight. Even if Zimmerman wrong, Martin acted liked a thug.

Damned right. Martin should have been tugging his forelock and saying "Yays boss, anyting you says boss".

[Chicog]

This thread is a bit pointless when the mod shares the same views as many of the posters and edits accordingly.

[Ulysses G.]

I believe that you are being extreme here. Zimmerman wasn't wronged by a corrupt justice system.

It seems that you know very little about this case or very selectively pick your "facts". The initial prosecutor and the police declined to press charges against Zimmerman because there was so little evidence against him. Because of political considerations, a new prosecutor was brought in, the police chief was fired and the detectives were forced to go along with this charade despite the fact that they believed Zimmerman - the evidence backed him up. On top of that is the fact that the prosecution purposely withheld negative evidence about Trayvon from the defense until it was exposed by a whistle blower (which had nothing to do with the judge's ruling). All of that adds up to malicious prosecution.

Zimmerman had every right to follow Trayvon. There is no law against watching someone that you suspect of criminal activity and it does not give Trayvon the right to viciously attack the older man. The fact that Zimmerman was watching him because he suspected Trayvon of being high on drugs and that they were in his system is very revealing.

Your remarks about civil law are also incorrect. In Florida,the stand your law DOES apply to civil cases and gives the defendant virtual immunity. It makes no difference at all that Zimmerman did not use the stand your ground law in the criminal case that found him not guilty.

Zimmerman broke the law in no way. Trayvon did and he paid for it with his life. As sad as that may be, Trayvon was the one that was responsible for what happened.

Edited July 15, 2013 by Ulysses G.

[losworld]

He will make a ton of money and justifiably so. He was wronged by both a dishonest media and a corrupt justice system. A malicious prosecution case is pretty much assured as the prosecution purposely withheld evidence about Trayvon's criminal activities. Any civil case against him will have very little chance of winning because he can invoke the stand your ground law in defense which gives him lots of protection. He deserves some good luck for a change and things are looking up.

Yes that about sums it up. The media was horribly biased and on an agenda. Come on posting pics of a 12 year old kid when the guy is 17 and muscular? Pretty pathetic what has become of the American justice system. I feel for the mother and father of Trayvon they seem like good people whose son was probably getting into trouble like many teens. Whether you agree with the Florida laws and carrying guns this was a clear cut case where Zimmerman would not even be charged as his laywer Mark O'Mara stated. The prosecution were bumbling and a joke with their cliches and lack of evidence. The defense did a good job.

[Scott]

This thread is a bit pointless when the mod shares the same views as many of the posters and edits accordingly.

I suggest that you comment carefully. Posts that have been removed have been off-topic and/or inflammatory and replies.

Here's the rule you might want to follow:

21) Not to discuss moderation publicly in the open forum; this includes individual actions, and specific or general policies and issues. You may send a PM to a moderator to discuss individual actions or email support (at) thaivisa.com to discuss moderation policy. Members should not block contact with moderators or administrators. Doing so will result in suspension.

And for further clarity, I have no opinion of either Martin, Zimmerman or the verdict.

[cup-O-coffee]

Florida Prosecutor Angela Corey argued that the tragic case was a test of Florida's gun laws as well as social boundaries."This case has never been about race, nor has it ever been about the right to bear arms," Corey said. "But Trayvon Martin was profiled. There is no doubt that he was profiled to be a criminal. And if race was one of the aspects in George Zimmerman's mind, then we believe that we put out the proof necessary to show that Zimmerman did profile Trayvon Martin.

This is an outrageous statement by the prosecutor, a public official, which should result in her immediate dismissal.It is non-acceptance of the results of the system she's supposed to be there to defend and is incitement to racial hatred. She should know better......and is paid to know and behave better.....and therefore is worse then the rabble outside the court.

There is no doubt whatsoever that Zimmerman started all this because Martin fitted his profile of a young black criminal.

But he wasn't charged with that, otherwise a conviction would have been a piece of piss.

As such her comment is not outrageous - however, it is completely pointless.

Is there anything you would care to say to support your statements, or are your statements to be construed as fact at their mere face value?

Did you say George started all of this? Wasn't he paid to be there and perform the duties of questioning suspicious people in his neighborhood?

-------------------------

6:21

Trayvon Martin is seen on the security video through the 7-11 window approaching the store from the direction of the Retreat at Twin Lakes. He had been staying there at the townhouse of his father's girlfriend, Brandy Green. In major media accounts, the helpful Trayvon ventured out in the rain in a mile-plus round trip to buy Brandy's 14-year-old son, Chad, some Skittles and Arizona Iced Tea. Not likely.

6:22

Trayvon, with his hoodie up, grabs two items from the shelves of 7-11. One is the Skittles. The other is Arizona Watermelon Fruit Juice Cocktail. The media avoid the name of the real drink -- possibly because of the racial implications of the word "watermelon," but possibly to avoid probing the real reason for Trayon's trip.

Trayvon, in fact, had become a devotee of the druggy concoction known as "Lean," also known in southern hip-hop culture as "Sizzurp" and "Purple Drank." Lean consists of three basic ingredients -- codeine, a soft drink, and candy. If his Facebook postings are to be believed, Trayvon had been using Lean since at least June 2011.

On June 27, 2011, Trayvon asks a friend online, "unow a connect for codien?" He tells the friend that "robitussin nd soda" could make "some fire ass lean." He says, "I had it before" and that he wants "to make some more." On the night of February 26, if Brandy had some Robitussin at home, Trayvon had just bought the mixings for one "fire ass lean" cocktail.

6:23

Trayvon pays for his purchases. He then appears to point to an item behind the counter, but the clerk seems to reject that option. Trayvon turns from the counter with a couple of dollar bills still in his hand.

6:24

Trayvon leaves the 7-11, but we do not see him walk in front of the store window back towards Brandy's home.

6:25

Three squirrely young men enter the 7-11, all of them with their faces concealed in part or in full. The clerk had to have been nervous. One of the three (Curly) takes off his hat and shakes out his long, curly dark hair. He is likely either white or Hispanic, or, like Zimmerman, a "white Hispanic."

6:27

Curly appears to be holding the two bills Trayvon walked out with. He approaches the clerk and buys two cheap cigars from behind the counter and then a third one as an afterthought.

6:28

Curly is the first of three to exit. The others will follow in a minute.

6:29

Trayvon, turning as he walks, can be seen through the window heading back towards the Retreat at Twin Lakes and Brandy's house.

7:09

Zimmerman calls police while watching Trayvon near the gated community's clubhouse, less than a half-mile from the 7-11. According to "Dee-Dee," the girl Trayvon was periodically talking to on his cell phone, he was ducking in out of the rain. She also said he put his hoodie up for the same reason. In fact, though, Trayvon had his hoodie up inside the 7-11, and he was walking in the rain when Zimmerman spotted him. The walk to this point should have taken 10 minutes.

It took 40 minutes. Some background may help explain why. Earlier that same month, Trayvon had been caught at school holding a bag with marijuana residue and a marijuana pipe. He was suspended for the third time that school year, this time for ten days. Trayvon may have been dealing as well. As one online friend had communicated earlier, "dam_n were u at a nigger need a plant."

Trayvon was partial to "blunts," street slang for cannabis rolled with the tobacco-leaf wrapper from an inexpensive cigar called a "blunt." As a tribute after his death, one friend posted online a photo of a homemade badge honoring Trayvon positioned next to a blunt.

It seems altogether possible that Curly bought at least one of those cigars for the under-aged Trayvon and took those visible dollar bills as payment. Trayvon waited five minutes outside the 7-11 and did not leave until after Curly came out. In the 40 minutes before Zimmerman spotted him, Trayvon could have scraped the tobacco out of the cigar, replaced it with marijuana, and smoked his blunt.

"This guy looks like he's up to no good," Zimmerman tells the police. "Or he's on drugs or something. It's raining and he's just walking around, looking about." Trayvon was on drugs or had been recently. His autopsy showed the presence of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, in both his blood and his urine.

It is possible too that Trayvon was up to no good. "He's just staring, looking at all the houses," says Zimmerman. Trayvon had a history. On October 21, 2011, he received his second suspension that school year. A security guard at his school saw Trayvon writing "<deleted>" on a hallway locker. In looking through his bag for the marker, the guard found 12 pieces of jewelry, a watch, and a "burglary tool."

Zimmerman did the prudent thing by reporting Trayvon to the police. Ever since the Florida real estate bust, the Retreat at Twin Lakes had been troubled by vacancies, foreclosures, and renters of dubious repute. The community had suffered numerous break-ins and home invasions, the perpetrators of which were all young men, most of them black. "We report all suspicious persons & activities to the Sanford Police Department," reads the standard neighborhood watch sign at the community's gated entrance. If Trayvon did not fit the bill, no one did.

7:10

"He's coming towards me," Zimmerman tells the police about Trayvon, who is now walking towards his truck. He makes his first firm identification of Trayvon as "a black male." Adds Zimmerman, "He's coming to check me out. He's got something in his hands." Zimmerman sounds a little anxious: "Please, get an officer over here."

7:11

After Trayvon passes his truck, Zimmerman says, "Shit, he's running." He is heading towards "the back entrance," says Zimmerman. That entrance is in the same general direction as Brandy's townhouse. A question that goes unasked is why Trayvon was running.

7:12

When asked by the dispatcher, Zimmerman agrees not to follow Trayvon, and his heavy breathing ends. "He ran," says Zimmerman. Even if running slowly, Trayvon could have made it to Brandy's house in a half a minute. It was only 100 yards from the truck.

7:13

Zimmerman is hesitant to give out his address. "I don't know where this kid is." He looks around to see where Trayvon has gone, fails to spot him, terminates his call, and heads back to the truck.

7:14 - 7:16

These are the missing two minutes. After receiving a call from Dee-Dee, Trayvon has come back to confront Zimmerman. Their final confrontation takes place 70 yards from Brandy's townhouse and only 30 yards from Zimmerman's truck. No one hunted Trayvon down. Although he has kept the drink and candy on his person, Trayvon does not have a blunt with him.

According to the autopsy report, Trayvon was 5'11" tall and weighed 158 pounds, the "ideal healthy weight" at that height being 160 pounds. He was not the skinny little boy with the Skittles that half of America still believes him to be. He was at least three inches taller than Zimmerman and only about 20 pounds lighter.

His home life a wreck, his school life in disarray, Trayvon had fallen victim to urban America's lost boy culture.

This culture, which the media also choose not to see, has been shockingly destructive. Citing Bureau of Justice statistics, black economist Walter Williams in a recent column notes that "between 1976 and 2011, there were 279,384 black murder victims." Of these, Williams estimates that roughly "262,621 were murdered by other blacks."

Trayvon had "statistic" written all over him. In the past year or so, his social media sites showed a growing interest in drugs, in mixed martial arts-style street fighting, in a profoundly vulgar exploitation of "bitches."

Trayvon posed for one photo with raised middle fingers, another with wads of cash held in an out-stretched arm. One YouTube video shows him refereeing a fight club-style street fight. A cousin had recently tweeted him, "Yu ain't tell me yu swung on a bus driver," meaning, if true, that Trayvon had punched out a bus driver.

Zimmerman never saw the cute little boy that the TV audience did. He saw a full-grown man, a druggy, a wannabe street fighter, the tattooed, gold-grilled, self-dubbed "No_Limit_Nigga."

Media obfuscation may still work in the court of public opinion -- it got Obama elected in 2008 -- but it will not work in a court of law. The truth will out. When it does, the major media will lose a good chunk of whatever credibility they have left, and our nation may lose a good chunk of its urban real estate.

---------------

EDIT

One more note. You say that George started all of this, yes?

In addition to the truth above, did you know that the only reason that Trayvon was even there, staying with his father and father's girlfriend, is that he was on a ten-day suspension from his school for being caught with marijuana trace in his backpack. You didn't know that? Or did you?

Wouldn't you then agree that were Trayvon being the good cherub-like child that the prosecution portrayed him as, then he would have never been in that part of the state and hence he would not have confronted George, who was simply doing his job?

The point is, Trayvon was a walking dead man just waiting to be bagged and tagged. The only thing I find out of characteristic is that it was George who shot him (in self-defense) and not some gang members in self-righteousness. Don;t forget those stats, laddie.

Edited July 15, 2013 by cup-O-coffee

[NanLaew]

Disbar the prosecutors is the view of Alan Dershowitz, I couldn't agree more.

http://www.newsmax.com/newswidget/dershowitz-zimmerman-trayvon-martin/2013/07/12/id/514847?promo_code=F53B-1&utm_source=Debka&utm_medium=nmwidget&utm_campaign=widgetphase1

Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz says the prosecutors in the George Zimmerman murder trial should be charged with "prosecutorial misconduct" for suggesting the defendant planned the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin.

"That is something no prosecutor should be allowed to get away with … to make up a story from whole cloth," Dershowitz told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.

"These prosecutors should be disbarred. They have acted absolutely irresponsibly in an utterly un-American fashion."

This is the real story. God knows if the ones defending the evil racist would have concealed evidence.

Agreed. The prosecution's best shot would have been the unlawful killing of a child but they let that boat sail long before the court date was set.

It's a pity that the enraged 'masses' can't see that it was a flawed prosecution from the get go and absolutely nothing to do with any perceived abuse of 'bad' or prejudicial laws.

Why is it always the case that someone should always be seen to be responsible for someone else's bad judgement?

[Ulysses G.]

Did you say George started all of this? Wasn't he paid to be there

Actually, Zimmerman was a volunteer. He was watching out for the neighborhood for free.

Edited July 15, 2013 by Ulysses G.

[cup-O-coffee]

I have no idea about fact, fiction or speculation in the following narrative of Martin's last moments and what was allegedly observed him doing on surveillance cameras.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/06/m-what_the_media_choose_not_to_know_about_trayvon.html

Candidly, none of that's relevant to me except the bs political spin the media put on it to grab attention and get people riled up.

The only thing important here is two numbskulls crossed paths. A wanna be gang banger thug tried to kick his arse and got his own arse shot in the process. Parents should teach their kids manners and not to fight. Even if Zimmerman wrong, Martin acted liked a thug.

Damned right. Martin should have been tugging his forelock and saying "Yays boss, anyting you says boss".

If that is the only response that you can come up with, then civil rights for Americans of African descent are out the window, and I give a damn.

[cup-O-coffee]

Disbar the prosecutors is the view of Alan Dershowitz, I couldn't agree more.

http://www.newsmax.com/newswidget/dershowitz-zimmerman-trayvon-martin/2013/07/12/id/514847?promo_code=F53B-1&utm_source=Debka&utm_medium=nmwidget&utm_campaign=widgetphase1

Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz says the prosecutors in the George Zimmerman murder trial should be charged with "prosecutorial misconduct" for suggesting the defendant planned the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin.

"That is something no prosecutor should be allowed to get away with … to make up a story from whole cloth," Dershowitz told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.

"These prosecutors should be disbarred. They have acted absolutely irresponsibly in an utterly un-American fashion."

This is the real story. God knows if the ones defending the evil racist would have concealed evidence.

Agreed. The prosecution's best shot would have been the unlawful killing of a child but they let that boat sail long before the court date was set.

It's a pity that the enraged 'masses' can't see that it was a flawed prosecution from the get go and absolutely nothing to do with any perceived abuse of 'bad' or prejudicial laws.

Why is it always the case that someone should always be seen to be responsible for someone else's bad judgement?

Really! You are going to try and prove to a jury that Trayvon was a child, in lieu of all the facts leading up to the shooting? Good luck. You wouldn't make it past the courtroom desk clerk.

Edited July 15, 2013 by cup-O-coffee

[brewsterbudgen]

Really! You are going to try and prove to a jury that Trayvon is a child, in lieu of all the facts leading up to the shooting? Good luck. You wouldn't make it past the courtroom desk clerk.

I don't think it would be difficult to prove that Trayvon was 17.

[Ulysses G.]

Mr. Martin was troubled at school, liked to fight, used drugs and was enamored of the "gangsta" culture. His mother had kicked him out of her house and told him to live with his father. 17 years old is old enough to join the military and fight in a war. He was not a "child".

Edited July 15, 2013 by Ulysses G.

[Ulysses G.]

Don West said it best. The jury prevented a tragedy from turning into a travesty. The travesty would have been if Zimmerman had been convicted.

[cup-O-coffee]

Really! You are going to try and prove to a jury that Trayvon is a child, in lieu of all the facts leading up to the shooting? Good luck. You wouldn't make it past the courtroom desk clerk.

I don't think it would be difficult to prove that Trayvon was 17.

I was not responding to you. NanLaew made that comment. Your comment is digressive. Your comment is also indicative of the prosecution and the people of ill repute that they defended and those people of ill repute whom they allowed to push them into a trumped up charge. Hit a wall and change the subject or the direction until you find an opening, no matter how ludicrous or insane. It's a good thing there was a jury, yes? Or maybe not, in your opinion?

Did you know that the Martins could not have sued George unless he was arrested? Without an arrest, there would be no opportunity for George to be sued by the the parents. This is another factor people don't know about because they are too busy doing other things.

[geriatrickid]

I believe that you are being extreme here. Zimmerman wasn't wronged by a corrupt justice system.

It seems that you know very little about this case or very selectively pick your "facts". The initial prosecutor and the police declined to press charges against Zimmerman because there was so little evidence against him. Because of political considerations, a new prosecutor was brought in, the police chief was fired and the detectives were forced to go along with this charade despite the fact that they believed Zimmerman - the evidence backed him up. On top of that is the fact that the prosecution purposely withheld negative evidence about Trayvon from the defense until it was exposed by a whistle blower (which had nothing to do with the judge's ruling). All of that adds up to malicious prosecution.

Zimmerman had every right to follow Trayvon. There is no law against watching someone that you suspect of criminal activity and it does not give Trayvon the right to viciously attack the older man. The fact that Zimmerman was watching him because he suspected Trayvon of being high on drugs and that they were in his system is very revealing.

Your remarks about civil law are also incorrect. In Florida,the stand your law DOES apply to civil cases and gives the defendant virtual immunity. It makes no difference at all that Zimmerman did not use the stand your ground law in the criminal case that found him not guilty.

Zimmerman broke the law in no way. Trayvon did and he paid for it with his life. As sad as that may be, Trayvon was the one that was responsible for what happened.

I recommend a reading of this summary of information;

http://www.examiner.com/article/trayvon-martin-case-leaked-police-report-raises-more-questions-than-it-answers

We shall disagree as to the intelligence demonstrated by Zimmerman, an adult, as he followed a teenager on a dark and rainy night.

There was no evidence of criminal behaviour by Martin, but Zimmerman chose to follow the kid.

I can understand if a 160lb teenage boy was spooked by a 200lb+ man following him in such conditions.

Older man? Wasn't Zimmerman, 28 years of age?

Vicious attack? Not according to the pathologist who reviewed the medical information. I watched that part of the trial closely. Zimmerman's injuries were not documented on the night of the incident. Zimmrman sought medical care the next day from a GP. Zimmerman declined hospitalization the night of the shooting, and then declined the advice of his doctor to make a follow-up appointment with an ear nose and throat doctor to address the injuries he said were due to the altercation.

What negative information was withheld by the prosecutor? The allegation that the information was withheld came from the now terminated IT manager. The judge has deferred her decision in that specific allegation. Yes, the state did recover images and texts from Martin's phone. There may have been an error when the physical copies were shared with the defense. However, subsequent to the defense raising the allegation, prosecutor Bernie De la Rionda when he questioned witnesses repeatedly made the point that both the state and the defense had the same access to the data source file, and that contained all the evidence. The defense actually recovered far more images and data from the data file than did the state. The IT manager, never claimed that the defense did not receive the source file. Rather he doubted whether or not the defense got the report he generated from the source code. I don't see this as malicious. Rather, I see it as sloppy.

Castle Defense aka "Stand Your Ground" law: According to the legal jurists interviewed, a civil suit will be separate from the criminal proceedings.

Yes, the Florida law does grant immunity from liability. You are quite correct in pointing out my error in not being more specific.. I should have written the stand your ground defense will not be of much use in this case.However, I refer you to the actual law that 776.032 that attaches to 776.013.

I don't think the conditions of 776.013 are met. At the civil suit, the defense team, would most likely have a difficult time using the Castle Defense, but such a discussion is best left for when the civil litigation occurs.

Zimmerman was acquitted because there was reasonable doubt. The jury decided and I accept the verdict. This doesn't mean he was innocent of wrongdoing. He shot a kid and I suspect that we will be hearing a lot more from Zimmerman in the next decade as the ghost of Treyvon Martin haunts his dreams. Losers like Zimmerman usually self destruct over time. He's not going to be able to handle the pressure.

Edited July 15, 2013 by geriatrickid

[geriatrickid]

Don West said it best. The jury prevented a tragedy from turning into a travesty. The travesty would have been if Zimmerman had been convicted.

The travesty is the transformation of George Zimmerman, a man with a history of anger issues as evidenced by his assault on a police officer and the restraining orders effected against him, into a hero.

Edited July 15, 2013 by geriatrickid

[puck2]

..........

Zimmerman broke the law in no way. Trayvon did and he paid for it with his life. As sad as that may be, Trayvon was the one that was responsible for what happened.

This is poor nonsense.

Because it was difficult - better impossible - to improve what happened that night. You cannot say "Z. broke the law in no way". Could Z. improve that he was innocent? No. The rules say the plaintiff had to improve Z.'s wrongdoing. And that was/is the problem in this case. Result, the old Roman rule: in dubio pro reo.

It seems you and many other people don't know about the law and the difference between law and justice.

To win by law depends on what you can improve. Law is the application of the rules, norms etc. This doesn't depend on what is true or just. There are thousends and thausends of examples that verdicts are witin the law (=following the the juristic rules) but are completely unjust because of a lack of evidence, for example. Logical evidence isn't liked very much by the judges.

By the Florida rules/law the verdict is acceptable and reasoned. But it's law and rules are questionable. In most "normal" states of the world they would be inconstitutional.

If you are not a fanatic or racist I recommend reading this fine article "Law and justice and George Zimmerman".

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/07/law-and-justice-and-george-zimmerman/277772/

2 interesting excerpts:

"Trials like this one can never fully answer the larger societal questions they pose. They can never act as moral surrogates to resolve the national debates they trigger."

"This curious result says as much about Florida's judicial and legislative sensibilities as it does about Zimmerman's conduct that night."

Edited July 15, 2013 by puck2

[geriatrickid]

Did you say George started all of this? Wasn't he paid to be there

Actually, Zimmerman was a volunteer. He was watching out for the neighborhood for free.

You sure you never worked in public relations before?

Zimmerman that he was on an errand on the night he shot and killed Treyvon Martin.

Zimemrman was not on neighborhood watch rounds.

[coma]

Armed man chases unarmed teen down, catches / confronts him. Teen does what most people would do in that situation, turns on man and uses some self defense measures of his own. Man's pride is hurt so he shoost the teen dead. I feel Mr Zimmerman instigated the situation and therefore should have been found guilty.