The trial of George Zimmerman

[gejoslin]

I'm sure Holder has already prepared for this eventuality. DOJ has already been involved, now they can have a more public role to try to wipe some of the egg off Obama's face.

From a strict legal standpoint, I am glad to see that the law was upheld, but as a practical matter, it still serves as the best example of what not to do. While Martin had no legal right to attack Zimmerman because he was in no danger of great bodily harm at the time Zimmerman left his vehicle, the basic fact remains that none of this would have happened if Zimmerman had followed neighborhood watch protocols and remained in his vehicle. I feel no elation about this as so many others do.

Zimmerman should have just stayed home. Ain't hindsight a wonderful thing! :sarcastic:

 

[BC1]

NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous:
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“We are outraged and heartbroken over today’s verdict,” said Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO of the NAACP. “We stand with Trayvon’s family and we are called to act. We will pursue civil rights charges with the Department of Justice, we will continue to fight for the removal of Stand Your Ground laws in every state, and we will not rest until racial profiling in all its forms is outlawed.
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Todd, I agree fully. We can't have young black men calling white men "cracker." It's racist and it's profiling. And when one throws a punch after making the statement it's a hate crime.
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Russell Simmons:
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This is not "only" about race. This is about laws that allow racist acts to go unpunished. We must change laws that promote injustice
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Russell, baby, I agree totally. But in this case the racist got punished.

 

[gejoslin]

NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous:
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“We are outraged and heartbroken over today’s verdict,” said Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO of the NAACP. “We stand with Trayvon’s family and we are called to act. We will pursue civil rights charges with the Department of Justice, we will continue to fight for the removal of Stand Your Ground laws in every state, and we will not rest until racial profiling in all its forms is outlawed.
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Todd, I agree fully. We can't have young black men calling white men "cracker." It's racist and it's profiling. And when one throws a punch after making the statement it's a hate crime.
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Russell Simmons:
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This is not "only" about race. This is about laws that allow racist acts to go unpunished. We must change laws that promote injustice
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Russell, baby, I agree totally. But in this case the racist got punished.

But, but,,,Blacks can't be racists? Right? That's what I keep hearing, from Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, of course.

But, I'm a "cracker" so what do I know.

 

[gunnerbob]

Isn't it sad that so many people have no idea that SYG is so they can protect themselves and be protected by the law. They think it's so racist people can kill the people they hate and get away with it. Everywhere I go, I see dumb people. Ignorance offends me... the lemmings are controlling the strong today. The peasants are in charge, Socio-Facism is a disease spreading across our nation via stupidity.

Everyday, I think to myself: "America is dead, her rebirth will only come through physical action... in time, violence will decide direction."

 

[Bigcarlover]

Here is a rundown of the women on the jury; see if any details in the descriptions of these women give you cause for concern about Zimmerman's ability to get a fair trial:

Link Removed

BTW, here are the instructions given to the jury regarding a charge of manslaughter:

Wouldn't it have been easier just to tell them, "This is what TM would have been convicted of if GZ was not carrying that night."

 

[BC1]

But, but,,,Blacks can't be racists? Right? That's what I keep hearing, from Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, of course.

But, I'm a "cracker" so what do I know.

Al's the biggest racist I've ever seen.

 

[S&W645]

And the press just keeps on spreading lies.

Zimmerman, a former criminal justice college student, called police about 7:09 p.m. and reported seeing a “suspicious” young black male not unlike others who had recently burglarized the complex. Zimmerman advised the dispatcher in the call that he was going to follow the teen. The dispatcher told him that he didn’t need to do that. He continued to follow the teen, somehow encountering him in a dark, open stretch of the gated townhouse community. At the time, Zimmerman was carrying a licensed 9 mm semiautomatic gun. Trayvon was carrying a bag of Skittles and an Arizona drink in his front hoodie pocket.

Read more here: Link Removed

 

[whodat2710]

I find the easiest way to avoid being labeled a racist is to just hate EVERYONE!

 

[nogods]

The race issues is irrelevant. The evidence at the trail established that Zimmerman shot Martin because Martin was beating Zimmerman, not because Martin was black.

Imagine a racist and KKK member standing in line at checkout counter at walmart. A white woman asks if she can go ahead as she has only one item. He says "sure, go ahead." Right after that a black women asks if she can go ahead because she has only one item and he says "no, why would you be in a hurry? You are probably on welfare and have noting else to do all day!" She then pulls out a knife and attacks him. He pulls out a gun and defends himself, not because she is black but because she is threatening him with great bodily harm or death.

 

[ezkl2230]

Zimmerman should have just stayed home. Ain't hindsight a wonderful thing! :sarcastic:

Stayed home? No. Just in his vehicle. I have run across a number of questionable situations over the years in my neighborhood while leaving the house to take care of business or go to the store. And as a neighborhood watch coordinator I stayed in my vehicle, phoned in my observations, and then continued on my way. I have also been explicitly asked by police twice to maintain surveillance until they could get someone on scene - as long as I could do so safely and discreetly from the safety of my vehicle.

The short version of this whole tragedy is that two people had chips on their shoulders: Martin as a result of being kicked out of school for drugs (not his first run-in with authority), which is why he was in the neighborhood staying at his dad's girlfriend's house in the first place, and Zimmerman as the result of his frustration with the police for "allowing" previous suspicious people to get away and his determination to make sure that this one didn't. Martin made one critical mistake: he chose to prove his manhood without stopping to ask himself if the person he was attacking might just be armed. Which probably takes us back to the debate about OC v CC and the question if Martin would have attacked if he had known from the beginning that Zimmerman was armed. Of course, and I haven't heard anyone raise this point yet, if he had truly felt threatened by Zimmerman following him, he could just as easily have broken off his phone call with his girlfriend and called 911 to report an unknown man following him. Whatever, the point is that both individuals made serious mistakes because of the chips on their shoulders, one of them died as a result, and the other one still might if the Panthers carry through on their threat to kill him.

 

[gejoslin]

I find the easiest way to avoid being labeled a racist is to just hate EVERYONE!

I agree! Even though I just liked your post. So there you go...:haha:

 

[BC1]

I agree! Even though I just liked your post. So there you go...:haha:

I'm for equal-opportunity discrimination... against perps, pedophiles, nut jobs, stalkers, terrorists, murderers, pedophiles, rapists, thieves, RACISTS, gang-bangers and the like.
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"You said pedophiles twice."
"Yeah, I especially like discriminating against pedophiles..........."

 

[JCliff]

How 'bout them apples! My hat is off to the ladies of the jury who refused the prosecution's exhortation to "think with their hearts" and instead rendered the only verdict I believed was possible given the evidence presented at trial. I feared that there would be an inclination to "compromise," throw the prosecution a bone and give 'em manslaughter, but they didn't. Not all is wrong in the world. I think the Obama administration"s Justice Department will sit on this for awhile, before they rush in to get more egg on their face. I'm not ruling out a federal civil rights case obviously, but the Obama administration is a totally political animal from all aspects. If they think it will make them look bad, they won't do it no matter what. If they think it still fits the progressive narrative and will make them shine...well then no facts will stop them. As for the NAACP, the very title of their organization is racist.
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I also think this case serves as an example of what can happen to your life if you kill someone, even in a "righteous" shooting. If you were to take all the media hype out of this case, Z's life still gets turned upside down. Though the Sanford PD and local prosecutor clearly made the correct decision not to bring charges, there are plenty of places around the country that a similar event would almost certainly have resulted in a trial, media hype or no.

 

[K7lvo]

Some keep on harping that Zimmerman should have stayed in his vehicle and followed "neighborhood watch protocol." What "protocol" is this? Many neighborhood watch patrols are foot patrol with no vehicle involved. If you're going to keep harping, say what you really mean - something along the lines of: "Never do anything that anyone could possibly consider threatening, especially when they're Monday-morning-quarterbacking the incident."

 

[BluesStringer]

Isn't it sad that so many people have no idea that SYG is so they can protect themselves and be protected by the law. They think it's so racist people can kill the people they hate and get away with it. Everywhere I go, I see dumb people.

 

[BluesStringer]

Some keep on harping that Zimmerman should have stayed in his vehicle and followed "neighborhood watch protocol." What "protocol" is this? Many neighborhood watch patrols are foot patrol with no vehicle involved. If you're going to keep harping, say what you really mean - something along the lines of: "Never do anything that anyone could possibly consider threatening, especially when they're Monday-morning-quarterbacking the incident."

I see his most glaring mistake as having little to do with opening his car door and getting out. His mistake started just seconds after seeing a kid walking in the rain with his hood up over his head, and immediately, with no more information than just that, calling the cops.

The logical presumption is that Martin wasn't doing anything that Zimmerman should've immediately considered threatening, and his first instinct should've been to offer his help to get the kid out of the rain. His subsequent actions weren't nearly as egregious a series of mistakes as his immediate instinct to be hyper-suspicious of a kid just trying to stay fairly dry with a hood on.

Has nobody else on this site ever jumped to the conclusion that someone could use their help more than they deserve suspicion? I can't count how many times I've offered a lift to someone that got caught in the rain. Sometimes they jump in, sometimes they decline and say they'll be fine, but not once have any of them said, "Get outta here ya creepy ass cracker." At least an offer of help would've given Zimmerman more to go on than just a kid wearing a hoodie, right? He would've heard the tone of voice, and maybe Martin would've just said, "Nah man, my dad's girlfriend's house is right around the corner. I'm fine." End of event. Head on to Target, Georgie. As it turned out, which tack had the potential to put Zimmerman in more danger, rolling down the window and being friendly and helpful to the stranger, or displaying his hyper-driven suspicion by following him in his car first, missing another chance to communicate with him when he circled his car, and then getting out in the open and getting jumped?

I think the verdict was the right legal one, and kudos to those six women for coming to it amidst whatever pressure they were up against, but making George Zimmerman out to be free of responsibility for at least some of the circumstances that led to the shooting of Trayvon Martin is not necessary for me to think that. Being legally justified does not absolve him of the reality that his actions contributed in a big way to what happened.

Blues

 

[ezkl2230]

Not ALL black leaders are calling for the DOJ to press charges...

Project 21 is a national organization for conservative black leaders. They have issued two press releases:

Black Conservatives Analyze Aftermath of Zimmerman Case

Washington, D.C. - Members of the Project 21 black leadership network are analyzing the legal aspects of the George Zimmerman verdict and commenting on the implications:

Horace Cooper
"While I'm thrilled with this outcome, it should never have come to this. This case should never have been brought forward. The grand jury should never have been bypassed and Judge Nelson should never have allowed this case to get this far. There's a reason the investigating officer refused to support an arrest, there's a reason the state's attorney refused to prosecute and there's a reason the grand jury was bypassed. There was no substantial evidence corroborating the state's case and a whole heck of evidence supporting Mr. Zimmerman. The rush to arrest and indict Zimmerman merely to appease the media or race-based interest groups not only jeopardized Mr. Zimmerman's rights and liberty, but the precedent suggests that all of our rights could be infringed."

-Cooper, the co-chairman of Project 21, is a former law professor and former congressional leadership staff member.

Darryn "Dutch" Martin
"It goes without saying that a 17-year-old child is dead, and this verdict - though just and correct in my view - will not bring him back. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones. But it needs to be understood that the case against George Zimmerman for the death of Trayvon Martin was not supposed to be about race. It was always about self-defense. Zimmerman's defense team proved this and the jury concurred. Justice has been served. Now, let's pray that cooler heads prevail."

-Martin, a member of Project 21, is a former member of the American diplomatic corps.

Lisa Fritsch
"Despite a not guilty verdict, we must remember that George Zimmerman is not truly free. This trial will forever remain in his mind for his remaining days. Our hope should be that this trial and verdict will unite the Florida community and this country and be a healing testimony to what happens when we think the worst of one another first. In this case, it felt as if our very country were on trial for racial prejudice. The not guilty verdict should make us reflect on what it means to give the benefit of the doubt before judging harshly and deciding one's actions are racially motivated. The final question for every community is how we can protect our youth from a system of violence and a lifestyle that nearly guarantees they will find trouble. Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin's family and more urban Americans will hopefully use this case and verdict as an opportunity to correct that system."

-Fritsch is a member of Project 21 as well as a tea party activist, author and talk radio host.

Hughey Newsome
"Everything about the verdict can be wrapped up by considering the post-verdict comments of Zimmerman attorney Mark O'Mara. While many may feel that O'Mara's comment about charges not being filed against Zimmerman if Zimmerman were black may seem insensitive and oblivious, his subsequent comments about the need for a civil rights discussion in regards to African-American males are timely despite his feeling it is irrelevant to this case. Those saying the value placed on an African-American male is diminished in today's society must now ask themselves, if this is believed to be true, what is causing this phenomenon? So many in the media and entertainment industries seem to profit off perpetuating the image of the African-American male as violent and sexual animals, but this is then ignored in order to complain about overt racism that is mostly marginalized in today's society. This gets us no closer to solving the problem at hand."

-Newsome, a Project 21 member, is a financial expert and also the Washington representative for the Move-On-Up.Org black political organization.

Emery McClendon

"We must stop looking at issues from a racial context and stand together as one America - with God as our strength. To use a familiar phrase these days, let's not stay 'stuck on stupid' and move on to heal our land. We have so much to be thankful for. For too long, people such as the NAACP's Ben Jealous and Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have spoke out in hate and ignorance and found placement in the media. It's time to stop the madness. We must turn the tide. If we put as much time into restoring our Constitution as we did into the Zimmerman trial, America would be a better place for all of us."

-McClendon is a Project 21 member and tea party activist.

Black Conservatives Comment on Not Guilty Verdict in Zimmerman Case

Washington, D.C. - George Zimmerman, who faced charges of 2nd degree murder and manslaughter in the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin, was found not guilty tonight by a six-person jury of his peers in Sanford, Florida. Members of the Project 21 black leadership network are commenting on the verdict:

Christopher Arps
"Six women, some of them mothers themselves, found George Zimmerman not guilty of second degree murder and manslaughter in the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Although Mr. Zimmerman was acquitted, there are no winners in this tragic case. A teenager is deceased and a young man's family is mourning. George Zimmerman will never have a normal life again. I call for all sides to respect the verdict reached by a jury of Mr. Zimmerman's peers and honor Trayvon's memory by letting peace prevail in the streets."

- Christopher Arps is a managing partner of a digital media and political consulting firm and a co-founder of the black political networking website Move-On-Up.org.

Derryck Green
"To celebrate justice rendered in this case is not an admission or an articulation that Trayvon Martin deserved what happened to him that fateful night in February of 2012. As most will acknowledge, it's a sad and unfortunate thing that Martin lost his life and that his parents had to bury their son. The jury ruled – considering the evidence presented – rightly in my opinion. George Zimmerman is innocent of the filed charges against him. Despite the considerable emotion surrounding this case, justice has been served. It is not 'justice for Trayvon.' Nor it is 'justice for George.' It is simply justice."

- Derryck Green, a student, has a M.A. in Theological Studies and is currently pursuing his doctorate in ministry.

Coby Dillard
"The justice system did what it is supposed to do – get to the bottom of what happened. Agree or not, our system works. George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin, by his own admission. He has to live with that, and I believe God will judge him for that action. But the jury decided that action did not rise to the level of manslaughter or murder. I accept and respect that. We all should, whether or not we agree with it."

- Coby Dillard is a founder of the Hampton Roads Tea Party in southern Virginia, a regular columnist for the Norfolk Virginian Pilot and a Navy veteran.

Demetrius Minor

"George Zimmerman has been found not guilty. Regardless of how people feel about it, we must still show love and have compassion one for another."

- Demetrius Minor, a former White House intern, is an evangelist and motivational speaker.

Project 21 was formed in 1992 when the riots following the verdict in the Rodney King case revealed a need to highlight the diversity of opinion within the black community. For over 20 years, the volunteer members of the Project 21 black leadership network have provided conservative and free-market perspectives that, until that time, were largely unknown or ignored by the establishment media.

During the course of the Zimmerman trial, which was heard in the Seminole County (Florida) Circuit Court, Project 21 members provided commentary and continue to be available for interviews about the case and the issues surrounding it. Project 21 regularly issued press releases featuring quotes from its members on the breaking news about the trial and the controversies surrounding it.

Project 21, a leading voice of black conservatives since 1992, is sponsored by the National Center for Public Policy Research (National Center for Public Policy Research - A Conservative Organization).

 

[r1derbike]

I have to admit I was expecting the worst for George Zimmerman...but glad the rule of law was colorblind in this case. It should be colorblind in every case. Now, the wait is on for the civil suit sharks to try their hardest to convict an innocent man of "something", because somebody has to pay. Somebody has to pay. Pay for what? We CCers may be in the same shoes as Zimm (I pray never), in those states that allow civil suits in these cases of self defense, so I'm following this aspect, even more than the trial.

George Zimmerman was acquitted, but he will forever be vilified, hated by racists, harassed, and treated like a murderer by those who would not forgive the taking of a life to protect his own.

I feel for both the Martin family and Zimmerman family.

The really revolting part of this whole trial, is that President Obama and his racist goon squads tried to turn this into a racially motivated hate crime. We need to get this criminal administration out of Washington D.C. post haste. They are a disgrace to America, and a disgrace to intellectually bent citizens who are past sick of the political, and human divisiveness their criminal and misguided agendas are having on our country.

 

[r1derbike]

I see his most glaring mistake as having little to do with opening his car door and getting out. His mistake started just seconds after seeing a kid walking in the rain with his hood up over his head, and immediately, with no more information than just that, calling the cops.

The logical presumption is that Martin wasn't doing anything that Zimmerman should've immediately considered threatening, and his first instinct should've been to offer his help to get the kid out of the rain. His subsequent actions weren't nearly as egregious a series of mistakes as his immediate instinct to be hyper-suspicious of a kid just trying to stay fairly dry with a hood on.

Has nobody else on this site ever jumped to the conclusion that someone could use their help more than they deserve suspicion? I can't count how many times I've offered a lift to someone that got caught in the rain. Sometimes they jump in, sometimes they decline and say they'll be fine, but not once have any of them said, "Get outta here ya creepy ass cracker." At least an offer of help would've given Zimmerman more to go on than just a kid wearing a hoodie, right? He would've heard the tone of voice, and maybe Martin would've just said, "Nah man, my dad's girlfriend's house is right around the corner. I'm fine." End of event. Head on to Target, Georgie. As it turned out, which tack had the potential to put Zimmerman in more danger, rolling down the window and being friendly and helpful to the stranger, or displaying his hyper-driven suspicion by following him in his car first, missing another chance to communicate with him when he circled his car, and then getting out in the open and getting jumped?

I think the verdict was the right legal one, and kudos to those six women for coming to it amidst whatever pressure they were up against, but making George Zimmerman out to be free of responsibility for at least some of the circumstances that led to the shooting of Trayvon Martin is not necessary for me to think that. Being legally justified does not absolve him of the reality that his actions contributed in a big way to what happened.

Blues

It's ironic you bring up the help aspect of these issues, Blues. A few days ago I came across an accident scene where a young man was walking back and forth up the road in front of his car, obviously mentally distressed, and I saw no PI on all parties involved. I asked if I could call 911, tried to calm him, checked on the others involved in the accident, who were visibly angry that this youngster had been the cause of the accident. I NEVER get out of my car for anything, as there is help already on scene of all accidents I've encountered. Something just told me to stop and try to help in this case. I don't know if it was bad vibes I received from the other vehicle's occupants as I passed, but I made an illegal U-turn in the road and parked, and did my thing. The deputies and rescue squad immediately got there, told an investigating deputy I was not a witness and went on my way.

I thought that the multiple occupants of the other vehicle *might* take out their frustrations on the kid as I passed. Fortunately, that was not the case, but their body language rang some alarm bells.

Anyway, I pray and feel for both the Zimmerman and Martin families.

 

[ezkl2230]

George ZimmeThe really revolting part of this whole trial, is that President Obama and his racist goon squads tried to turn this into a racially motivated hate crime. We need to get this criminal administration out of Washington D.C. post haste. They are a disgrace to America, and a disgrace to intellectually bent citizens who are past sick of the political, and human divisiveness their criminal and misguided agendas are having on our country.

The administration / DOJ aren't done yet. Although the president said some things about accepting the verdict, the DOJ as been looking into Zimmerman for months to see what they can charge him with. That has been their fallback position, and they will announce their intent when they are ready. They have no intention of letting Zimmerman go free. The best thing Zimmerman can do to avoid it is move to a country with no extradition treaty.