Racial Profiling and A Heartbreaking Tragedy.

So, this story is one I received in my email a few moments ago. I did a quick search, but didn't find anything on this story here. I'll be adding information from the email I received from Change.org and from CNN.

Heartbreaking tragedy: 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was visiting a relative's house in a Florida gated community when he walked to the store to get Skittles and iced tea for his little brother. He never made it home. Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by a self-styled neighborhood watch leader, who told police he thought Trayvon was "suspicious" in the mostly-white community.

(email)

So, Trayvon Martin was "suspicious" because he was black in a mostly-white community.. Can anyone say racial profiling?

Unbelievable twist: A man named George Zimmerman allegedly admitted to police that he shot Trayvon Martin in the chest. Zimmerman claims he acted in self defense, even though police allegedly told him not to do anything until they arrived -- and despite the fact that Trayvon was unarmed, carrying only a bag of Skittles when he died. In the two weeks since Zimmerman allegedly killed Trayvon, police have refused to arrest the confessed killer.

(email)

This is the part that shocks me the most. The man comes clean about killing an unarmed Trayvon in the chest for being "suspicious" for buying Skittles for his younger brother, yet the police do nothing to arrest the man even after confessing.

A neighborhood watch captain, George Zimmerman, 28, saw the teen and called 911 to report a suspicious man, authorities said.

The 911 dispatcher told Zimmerman not to confront Martin, but by the time police arrived, the teenager lay dead with a gunshot wound in the chest, said Bill Lee, the Sanford police chief. He was carrying a small amount of cash, some candy and an iced tea.

(CNN)

So, the police told the man, Zimmerman, to do nothing to confront Trayvon, yet he shot him to death.

Zimmerman told police he shot Martin in self defense, authorities said.

"When you add it up, it just doesn't even make sense," said Ben Crump, the Martin family's attorney. "Trayvon Martin, a kid, has a bag of Skittles. (Zimmerman) had a 9 mm gun. Trayvon Martin didn't approach George Zimmerman, George Zimmerman approached Trayvon Martin. So how can he now assert self defense?"

(CNN)

That's the biggest question. How can the man claim self defense when he is the one who approached the kid with the gun? What is with society today? A man shoots a kid for no reason other than being "suspicious", claims self defense, and after confessing to the murder isn't arrested??

Police said they have not charged him because there are no grounds to disprove his story of what happened.

"The evidence and testimony we have so far does not establish that Mr. Zimmerman did not act in self defense. We don't have anything to dispute his claim of self-defense, at this point, with the evidence and testimony that we have," Lee said.

They've arrested people for things they have not done and thrown them in jail, yet when a killer comes clean about it, they do nothing.

Source

This world is so screwed up. It's a shame I have to live on it. Way people treat each other is despicable and disgusting. Poor kid was armed with a rainbow. Yeah, that's reason to shoot him..

Originally posted by Manhater
This world is so screwed up. It's a shame I have to live on it. Way people treat each other is despicable and disgusting. Poor kid was armed with a rainbow. Yeah, that's reason to shoot him..

I know what you mean. The way some people act these days is appalling. It wouldn't have been that hard for Zimmerman to report the kid if he thought he was suspicious and let the police handle things. I've done that before with some guy creeping down my street late at night. I didn't shoot him like Zimmerman did Martin. I reported him and let the police handle things.

Originally posted by Manhater
This world is so screwed up. It's a shame I have to live on it. Way people treat each other is despicable and disgusting. Poor kid was armed with a rainbow. Yeah, that's reason to shoot him..

1 just keeps HOPE that the ills of EA*RTH will be medicated somehow. Sick

I just got the same change.org email you did. The boy was armed with Skittles and this shooter walks. Sad world. I hope the family gets the justice they deserve. This is depressing as all get out. America's corrupt justice system is alive and well.

That begs the question: who is going to shoot Zimmerman out of self-defense?

This story is outrageous.

The kid is guilty of being black and walking down the street. Period.

He's minding his own business, got some Skittles and an iced tea. All of the sudden he is confronted by some dude - one hundred pounds bigger and ten years older - following him and harassing him. For all he knew the guy could have been a pervert trying to abduct him or something.

The Neighborhood Watch fellow, Zimmerman, is nothing less than a vigilante. He was told by the 911 dispatcher to not approach the "suspect" (LoL! ) but he does. He leaves the safety of his car - with a gun - and confronts the teenager who was not breaking any laws. The kid then gets shot and he wants to plead self-defense? WTH? Who among us would not have tried to protect ourselves from this douchebag?

Zimmerman was the aggressor and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

On top of that, the local police department should be subject to a review by the DOJ for failing to charge the idiot. And withholding his previous violent altercation with police.

It's crap like this America!

Originally posted by KillerQueen
This story is outrageous.

The kid is guilty of being black and walking down the street. Period.

He's minding his own business, got some Skittles and an iced tea. All of the sudden he is confronted by some dude - one hundred pounds bigger and ten years older - following him and harassing him. For all he knew the guy could have been a pervert trying to abduct him or something.

The Neighborhood Watch fellow, Zimmerman, is nothing less than a vigilante. He was told by the 911 dispatcher to not approach the "suspect" (LoL!

) but he does. He leaves the safety of his car - with a gun - and confronts the teenager who was not breaking any laws. The kid then gets shot and he wants to plead self-defense? WTH? Who among us would not have tried to protect ourselves from this douchebag?

Zimmerman was the aggressor and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

On top of that, the local police department should be subject to a review by the DOJ for failing to charge the idiot. And withholding his previous violent altercation with police.

It's crap like this America!

I agree with you 100%. Zimmerman had no right to shoot Martin or claim self-defense. What was Martin going to do? Pelt him to death with skittles and throw ice tea on Zimmerman? I mean really.
This was definitely racial profiling and it makes me sick and depressed that this kind of stuff still goes on.

Worse than this going on is the fact the police are doing nothing about it. They arrest people on "suspicion" of a lot of things and don't let them go until they are proved to be 100% innocent (or guilty, whichever they chose), yet they are taking no action against a man who confessed to murder! I am outraged at this sort of action (better yet, inaction) by police.

Originally posted by InfoKartel
That begs the question: who is going to shoot Zimmerman out of self-defense?

If is his family retaliates and shoots Zimmerman, we know who is going to be charged in that one. Screwed up world.

Originally posted by Manhater

Originally posted by InfoKartel
That begs the question: who is going to shoot Zimmerman out of self-defense?

If is his family retaliates and shoots Zimmerman, we know who is going to be charged in that one. Screwed up world.

So they have to be professional about it. I would rather see the family pursue legal options and get the bastard thrown in jail for life where he'll get some harsh loving than for them to stoop to the same level. Karma does not mind stooping to any level, hehe.

Important Update

So, I just found this article about the 911 tapes that were released in the Trayvon Martin killing.

Among the newly-released tapes of 911 calls made before and after the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, one stands out: a recording of the call made by the man who reportedly said he shot the teen. The 28-year-old white and Hispanic neighborhood watch captain of a Sanford, Fla. gated community can be heard voicing his suspicions about the 17-year-old black teen.

In one call, placed by the shooter George Zimmerman, he actively pursues the teen before the deadly shooting.

"Are you following him," an emergency dispatcher asks after Zimmerman describes Trayvon as a black male who was acting suspiciously.

Zimmerman responds: "Yeah."

"OK, you don't need to do that," the dispatcher says.

The dispatcher told Zimmerman not to follow Trayvon. Did he listen? Of course not. If he had, Trayvon would still be alive.

In other recordings, reported by The New York Times, pleading and cries for help are heard, falling silent after the sound of gunfire.

Martin, who had no criminal record, was reportedly coming from a convenience store carrying nothing but a bag of Skittles, money, and a can of ice tea. However, Zimmerman can be heard on the tape released by WESH speculating that "he's on drugs or something" and was acting in a threatening manner. Zimmerman is heard complaining to the dispatcher, "These a--holes always get away."

"These a--holes always get away??!! Did he seriously say that?? This is most definitely racial profiling.

Zimmerman has not been arrested or charged in connection with the shooting, which he maintains was in self-defense. Martin's family is understandably outraged, and have called on the FBI to take over the investigation, The Washington Post reports.

So he goes against everything the 911 dispatcher says, kills Trayvon Martin, yet he still isn't arrested or charged for murdering Martin? What is with the world we live in today???

Even if you believe Zimmerman's account that he acted in self-defense against a youth armed with deadly Skittles, you only need to recall what the dispatcher said upon learning that Zimmerman was following the teen -- "OK, you don't need to do that" -- to know this was 100 percent avoidable. Justice must be pursued in this case, wherever it takes things.

Exactly. This entire thing was 100% avoidable if Zimmerman would have just listened to the dispatcher.

Source
In the source, I guess there's a link to listen to the 911 recordings.

reply to post by Believer101


To play devil's advocate:

What happens when a white person walks through an all black area? There's a good chance they may get killed if any black person thinks they can get away with it. I'm sure being as a white person shot a black person this news will be viral in a few days and white people will again be judged collectively by the actions of one. KILL WHITEY!

erm, what do you propose, ignore the skin colour of an alleged perpetrator, yes, great idea, how about we just blindfold everybody

reply to post by Evolutionsend




exactly, I would love to know the respective odds between the likelihood of a white fella getting attacked in a black neighbourhood compared with the reverse, smart money would be on more whiteys getting bashed...........

As a Mother and Grandmother, this breaks my heart. This is murder.
It depresses me to think that someone could do something so terrible and get away with it.
What hell his family must be going through. White, Black, Brown, Green...it is still heartbreakingly tragic.

reply to post by blueorder


I could care less about the chances, but it bothers me that blacks shooting whites never hit the national level, but if a white person shoots a black person, it's a travesty. Racism is never even mentioned at the local level if a black person shoots a white person. No one wants to get sued I guess.

There are several definitions of racial profiling floating around, but they all apply to government (or police) activity, not the actions of private persons. This wasn't racial profiling, this was just plain hate based on skin color.

It's puzzling why no charges are being filed, but remember, filing charges is not the province of the police. It is the decision of the district/county attorney's office who weigh the available evidence against the chances of successful prosecution. Since many DAs are politically appointed or elected, sufficient pressure from one side or the other could sway this case into prosecution. It would seem the 911 tapes are pretty good evidence, but could be pretty easily suppressed by a defense attorney (fifth amendment and all that).

This might just be a case where they figure there isn't enough good submissable evidence to support charges. Or it might be too politically hot to hand.e...or maybe the DA is just a scairdy cat. Whatever the excuse, it is horrible.

reply to post by cwg100


I just saw a headline for this story that said he "allegedly" shot the kid. The whole story sounds suspect.

"This guy looks like he's up to no good, or he's on drugs or something," Zimmerman tells the 911 operator. "He's just staring, looking at all the houses. Now he's coming toward me. He's got his hand in his waistband. Something's wrong with him."

Why would anyone approach an armed watchman while concealing their hands? Why did he have food in the waistband of his pants? Some sort of odd fetish?

Zimmerman described Martin as wearing a hoodie and sweatpants or jeans. He continues: "He's coming to check me out. He's got something in his hands. I don't know what his deal is. Can we get an officer over here?"

While a watch captain is not a police officer, it's close enough to exercise a bit of common sense. I can see how he might be suspicious or even scared given the situation. I'm not sure that scenario has anything to do with the color of his skin. Sounds like he was the antagonist.

In other recordings, callers tell the 911 dispatcher that someone has been shot. One person tells the dispatcher that two guys were wrestling behind his back porch and that one of them was yelling for help. Then the male caller stammers in shock. "I'm pretty sure the guy is dead ... Oh, my God! ... The black guy looks like he's been shot and he's dead."

Wrestling huh? I guess this wasn't just an immediate shooting was it? Were they wrestling for possesion of the gun? How did they get behind this guy's house?

source

I want more facts. This story smells bad.