Points, in order:
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No one knows why he walked about that area. No one will ever know. I find it hard to believe he didn't know the name of the street in a gated community with five streets, where he lives and runs the watch program. I already stated it's not illegal to follow someone in or about a public or private place unless the intent is to cause alarm, annoyance or threat. Following, shadowing, observing... a turd by any other name still smells bad. While not illegal, also not prudent behavior. Let LE find him. If these "punks" always get away that's not your problem, it's LE's.
Zimmerman had stated he was trying to find the house number where he last saw Martin to tell police where to come as he had parked in behind buildings, not in front on the street where he might have better known the location.
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He wasn't carrying a gun specifically for his watch program. But he was carrying a gun during this particular watch-related incident, thus the lawsuit against the HOA was settled.
He was not doing a neighborhood watch that night but was headed to the store when he saw the suspicious person that appeared to be wandering around and looking all around. At that time, he tried to keep an eye on the suspect while calling 911.
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ID? Well, what's legal isn't always smart. There should be an ID if the HOA supports the program in a gated community. Anything that deters an incident is beneficial. Was it worth the $2 cost of an ID? Was it not prudent to de-escalate an enraged Martin by identifying one's self? Isn't that why we teach these topics... to prevent an incident from getting out of hand? The ID isn't only for the perp, it's also so the residents know who you are.
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If Zimmerman lost sight of Martin as he told 911, and there were 4 long minutes that Martin had every chance to walk away, and Martin was a strapping athlete, all he had to do was run. No way could Zimmerman catch him. There should have been no contact if Martin continued to go home. Since contact is not usually expected in the NW program, why should he need an ID or identify himself.
Regarding his purpose, he was acting in a manner that promotes neighborhood safety and security. He was very engaged in his program. Is it wise to do this without proper training and licensing? In some states even a bar bouncer needs a security license.
Any of the Neighborhood Watch programs I have seen, there is some "training" of neighborhood coordinators by police. Also, police meet with interested homeowners and go over things to watch for and proper procedure. I read that, according to the group that registers the NW program. it appears Zimmerman's HO Assn apparently never went through the proper procedures to register. That does not mean the Sanford police never worked with the group. Also, it is not known if zimmerman ever had any training.
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Banging your head? Already too late to argue about proper self-defense. In such a situation if the perp got that close you already failed regarding the primary defensive actions. We're talking about this particular incident, not every incident. There could be times when a random, unprovoked attack puts one in that situation. But this isn't one of them.
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It appears the teen may have had a chip on his shoulder and figured he knew MMA so would show this fat guy. I agree that Martin got too close. Who knows if Martin would have done nothing if Zimmerman turned around to walk away? Based upon the testimony by Zimmerman's MMA insructor, Z was soft and not capable of much in a defensive situation.
Personally, I think Martin ran and looped around the block, popping-up with intent to surprise GZ from behind the condos. Thus GZ was likely the victim.