George Zimmerman Found Not Guilty

[sillysally]

What does everyone think of this?

I was surprised...When the incident first happened I thought that Zimmerman had acted totally in self defense, but as more information came out I felt that he was at least partially responsible for what happened and that he should be held responsible for that. I think 2nd degree murder was a stretch, but I thought a guilty verdict on manslaughter was pretty likely.

http://m.cbsnews.com/storysynopsis.rbml?pageType=general&catid=57593459&feed_id=999&videofeed=999

 

[Southpaw]

I know very little about this story... based on what I know I'm surprised by the verdict, but I don't think it's wrong.

 

[Dogdragoness]

Glad justice actually worked in this case, the charges against Zimmerman were fueled by the family of that kid, who, so I have read was no saint either. IMHO he was a felon in the making.

 

[joce]

I'm glad. It's all a race thing and sickens me. I would have done the same thing in that situation. Yes he was killed, not for being black either. Show pictures of him as a little kid and not the punk he grew up to be to get sympathy.

That it got this far disgusts me!

 

[Psyfalcon]

Should have been murder. (Perfect laws in my head work differently than the situation in Fl though).

Follow someone after you were told to stay away, get into a fight, then get off because you were defending yourself?

He put himself in that situation.

 

[Dogdragoness]

I'm glad. It's all a race thing and sickens me. I would have done the same thing in that situation. Yes he was killed, not for being black either. Show pictures of him as a little kid and not the punk he grew up to be to get sympathy.

That it got this far disgusts me!

I'm sad to say br I agree ... One less "felon in the making" in the world clogging up the jails if you ask me. I mean the little **** had been suspended from school for truancy & defiling school property, plus he had all ready stolen before.

I don't know about FL but here 17 makes you an adult in the eyes of the law. I was under the assumption that FL had strong castle laws, but I guess even they don't matter when the towns police department is in the pocket of the victims family.

Our ranch is so remote that if I did see anyone prowling around I would automatically assume the worst & act accordingly. What Lso sucks is if Zimmerman were a woman, or a minority, none of this would have happened.

 

[Airn]

Wow...

Haven't followed the case really but....wow.

This threads gonna go downhill quickly.

 

[-bogart-]

If his name had been george mendoza , the country would not have heard about this at all.


sadly , this man lost his life and another ones life is destroyed. There is no right here , only wrongs on both sides.

Justice as the law states was served , and I dont want the laws changed , it was a bad situation gone totally wrong.

so many what if's and he should have's , seriously just a sad event totally.

 

[-bogart-]

Wow...

Haven't followed the case really but....wow.

This threads gonna go downhill quickly.

I agreee , i hope it can be kept civil , but the meaness is already showing.

 

[Dogdragoness]

Should have been murder. (Perfect laws in my head work differently than the situation in Fl though).

Follow someone after you were told to stay away, get into a fight, then get off because you were defending yourself?

He put himself in that situation.

I very much worry about a country of people who put "that" much faith in police, what about areas where there are no police or where an officer could be hours away? Then what? If I see someone trespassing on my property you bet your bones I will follow them while armed & use force if nessessary.

 

[Psyfalcon]

I very much worry about a country of people who put "that" much faith in police, what about areas where there are no police or where an officer could be hours away? Then what? If I see someone trespassing on my property you bet your bones I will follow them while armed & use force if nessessary.

It wasn't his property.

Breaking into my house is an entirely different circumstance than running through my yard or cutting through my neighbors yard. And for $### sake, is it worth killing someone over to keep them from walking across a field?

Check out this map.
http://www.hlntv.com/interactive/2013/06/17/zimmerman-trayvon-map-interactive

 

[ThoseWordsAtBest]

Glad justice actually worked in this case, the charges against Zimmerman were fueled by the family of that kid, who, so I have read was no saint either. IMHO he was a felon in the making.

So he deserved to die because of a physic vision of what people thought his future was going to be? Truancy and defiling property is now a justification for death? Jesus. Sorry, but this is the kind of **** that really pisses me off and has NOTHING to do with the case.

He also wasn't trespassing so I'm not sure where that factoid came from either.

 

[yoko]

I am happy with the outcome.

I was worried that the jury would be swayed by their fear of public reaction. It's not suppose to be that way but it is.

When I first heard about the case I was outraged. They were pumping out a pic of a kid who looked 12. This guy was 17 and far far far from the innocent looking kid that they tried to make everyone believe was the one who was killed.

As the case went on it should have been super obvious to anyone he was going to be let off.

Zimmerman wasn't the one using racial slurs Martin was.

Zimmerman had injuries that backed up what he said happened.

The girl who said she was on the phone with Martin was revealed to have lied about what she heard AND about writing out what happened.

So even if you think he is guilty *I don't* there was definitely enough evidence brought forward to have enough reasonable doubt that he shouldn't have been charged with anything.

 

[joce]

It wasn't his property.

Breaking into my house is an entirely different circumstance than running through my yard or cutting through my neighbors yard. And for $### sake, is it worth killing someone over to keep them from walking across a field?

Check out this map.
http://www.hlntv.com/interactive/2013/06/17/zimmerman-trayvon-map-interactive

Told by a dispatcher to stop. So? I can tell you same thing would happen here. Our neighbors look out for each other and don't want a bunch of hood rats running freely.

The whole "they are not stealing my stuff so why care" is disgusting. But not happening here.

And no, no one should be cutting across my back yard. Idiot that used to live next door got shot at for just that and sheriff told him to stay off other people's land. I don't think shooting to scare is smart but did work for him.

My husband had his cc. There is always a gun with us. If someone starts beatif him he better shoot. I don't care if he did follow them to see what they were doing. That's not a crime.

I have faith in the police. Dispatchers are not police. I know enough of them to know they tell you to wait for cops etc. and sometimes give bad advice.

The race thing is what really bothers me. If they'd both been the same color would there be an issue?

People are just going to have a big differance of opinion on this. It's interesting reading different forums I'm on.

 

[Jules]

Well, I'm certainly glad that some armed, untrained man with a vigilante complex can pursue me while walking home and end up killing me if we get into a fight. Do I agree that the prosecution went with 2nd degree murder charges? No. But Zimmerman walking away is disgusting.

Meanwhile, an African American mother gets 20 years in prison for firing warning shots near her abusive husband.

 

[JessLough]

It makes me sick that people can be all "the kid was a punk! HE DESERVED TO DIE". I... What? He's a 17 year old. He's a KID. Because I'm sure everybody else never went through a rough patch or never tested boundaries.

Other than that, I really haven't been following.

 

[Red.Apricot]

It makes me sick that people can be all "the kid was a punk! HE DESERVED TO DIE". I... What? He's a 17 year old. He's a KID. Because I'm sure everybody else never went through a rough patch or never tested boundaries.

Other than that, I really haven't been following.

This, completely.

 

[Snark]

It wasn't his property.

Breaking into my house is an entirely different circumstance than running through my yard or cutting through my neighbors yard. And for $### sake, is it worth killing someone over to keep them from walking across a field?

Check out this map.
http://www.hlntv.com/interactive/2013/06/17/zimmerman-trayvon-map-interactive

He didn't kill Martin because he was walking somewhere, and it's not a crime to follow someone. Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch person in an area that had been victimized recently by young men fitting Martin's description - why wouldn't he try to keep an eye on Martin? All Martin had to do was keep going to the dad's girlfriend's apartment, have an adult there vouch for him and that would have been the end of it.
Instead Martin winds up on top of Zimmerman, bashing him in the face. If I had someone bigger and stronger pummeling the snot out of me, yes, I would be in fear for my life and yes, I would have shot him, too. Do you think there would have been this outcry had Martin beat Zimmerman to death?
I love how the media ignores the death threats Zimmerman's received since this happened (all fueled by the race card), the bounty the Black Panthers put on him, the DOJ's Community Response Service organizing rallies against him, and the fact this man will be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life.
Has any of this media circus happened with the black youths who wounded a white mother and shot her toddler in the face because she didn't have any money? Where is the outrage from Sharpton, Jackson or Obama on that crime? Where is the media coverage?

 

[sillysally]

Should have been murder. (Perfect laws in my head work differently than the situation in Fl though).

Follow someone after you were told to stay away, get into a fight, then get off because you were defending yourself?

He put himself in that situation.

None of these things add up to murder. He ignored a dispatcher (who do sometimes give bad advice, I was ordered to follow a drunk driver all the way to his home and wait for the police to get there-a bad idea had the guy not been so drunk he didn't realize I was there), was jumped, and shot the guy beating him up. Yes, he did put himself in the situation, but that still is not equal to murder. I feel that the prosecution overcharged him in response to public outcry, he should have been charged with manslaughter from the outset.

Frankly, I know what it is like to be in a neighborhood where crime is becoming more frequent. You learn to watch people more closely, no matter what race, sex, or age they are. I can tell you who owns what dogs, which individuals walk by most frequently, which of my neighbors is most likely to be trashed by 7 pm, which neighbors I suspect might be selling drugs based on the traffic to and from their house, etc. None of this is based on race (most of the previously mentioned people are white), just based on what I see walking the dog around the block, walking to and from my car, and working in the yard.

I'd also like to mention that simply following someone is not a crime. I took a self defense class in college and one thing they pointed out was what you can and cannot do in certain situations legally. If you are being followed you can't just turn around and attack the person following you without legal ramifications, and I think it's a stupid decision to just assume the person you're assaulting isn't going to defend themselves somehow, possibly with a weapon.

 

[Dogdragoness]

Well, I'm certainly glad that some armed, untrained man with a vigilante complex can pursue me while walking home and end up killing me if we get into a fight. Do I agree that the prosecution went with 2nd degree murder charges? No. But Zimmerman walking away is disgusting.

Meanwhile, an African American mother gets 20 years in prison for firing warning shots near her abusive husband.

THIS SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RACE stop making it About that! :wall:

I guess the actions someone takes would depend on where you live I guess. I respect those who are non violent & all "I don't want to hurt anyone!" But if someone is trying to hurt ME then you bet your bones I will hurt them.

Also we are so remote that someone "jumping fences" is considered a serious deal. Since all the oil related development we have had to lock our front gate because "kids" about the age of this asshole were trespassing driving on our land messing it up! If I would have caught them, you bet I would have fired a warning shot at them.