Breaking News! George Zimmerman found not guilty.

Oh, brother! Now Geraldo is on, describing Martin as someone who, "just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." Then he tries to say politics shouldn't be mixed into these cases? Wow.....

He is trying to play this off as some tragic accident, instead of a case of self defense when criminally assaulted.

They tried to start a race war - it didn't work!

I wonder if the same people who are freaking out right now were as mad when Casey Anthony got off?

This gives me hope in our justice system. Justice has been served for the innocent! Congrats George!

Originally posted by PLASIFISK

Originally posted by LadyGreenEyes

Originally posted by PLASIFISK

Originally posted by TKDRL
reply to post by PLASIFISK

 

Apparently not, at least not in the jury's mind.

How so. He claimed self defense.

It was self defense.

That's why he was found not guilty, in addition to not enough evidence to prove otherwise.

With that being said........ Follow, confront, fight, kill is legal!

Yes or no?

Irrelevant, as that isn't what happened. He observed, reported, and was behaving responsibly. Martin hid, then confronted, attacked, and thus committed a felony assault.

Well, as I have just returned from having a smoke out front my house, armed....why you ask.

I wanted to smoke!

Never do that armed but being as though my wife told me to take my fire arm with me just in case someone rolls up on me and asks why am I here.

She now fears that someone can roll up on me,, confront me , fight me, then kill me.

My friggin family is scared and thinks its now open season on black males!

Lol

Sooooooo, what am I to do?

Just as I have to be prepared for it seeing that this case proves it can happen.

I must also understand that there could be someone who is looking to try this out on me.

What it boils down to is who can pull there firearm the fastest.

Point blank.

The police report will always read self defense for fear of losing my life.

It is very relevant. I look very suspiciouse. I'm black.

well bud just as long as you don't attack the person asking you who are you and what you are a doing you will be fine.

normal people don't attack people when asked questions.

Please tell me where you live so i never stop and ask you questions.. you will pull a treyvon and attack me.. but you will have a gun

Casey Anthony killed her kid = Not Guilty

George Zimmerman kills a teenager = Not Guilty!

Michael Vick killed a dog = GUILTY?

IM SO LOST!

All the MSM is really pushing that this case was about race! You can already hear them launching their agenda across the news stations, especially MSNBC. So sick to see them all hover over Trayvon's death, trying to use it to their advantage. Let's not let them use this case to pass sweeping federal legislation.

reply to post by DarkNite


I believe he defended himself personally, so after that manslaughter is off the table if the law is followed.

reply to post by ShadellacZumbrum


I can tell you what persuaded me. Days after the event happened the police "leaked" pictures of Zimmerman with a bloody wound on the back of his head. Later he gave a statement saying Trayvon was beating his head on the pavement.

We know the outcome. We have one side of the story, it checks out. Going off the information, I feel he should have been found not guilty.

This isn't a race issue, Zimmerman isn't white. He's just in a neighborhood with a watch program and he let it go to his head. He shouldn't have approached Martin in the first place. Bad decisions across the board by BOTH individuals in this case.

Botched the 2000 presidential election, Casey Anthony and now this. Log off, Florida.

Originally posted by PLASIFISK
So does this mean its now legal to follow, confront, fight, and kill anybody you want? . As long as your the last person standing?

Jury found him innocent.

And opened the door to a storm of moral issues.

In this case, I think he had a legitimate claim of self defense and am very much in favor of this result, but that's not true of other cases where the same thing has happened in the past. The way stand your ground laws work though, basically say if you claim your life was threatened, and there isn't evidence to the contrary, you're justified in using lethal force.

Originally posted by DarkNite

I agree with you. So many posts focus on the fact that Martin was 17 - as if NO 17 year old on the face of this planet has been in a fight/attempted murder/ actually murdered another human being. The evidence and witness statements all indicated that Zimmerman was defending himself - just because Z had a gun and was able to use it does not mean that he is guilty of anything like murder. What if he would have had a knife and stabbed Martin and he bled to death? What if he would have pushed him off of him and Martin fell back on the concrete just right and was killed? What difference does it make that it was a gun that helped him? it is called self defense. If I was being beaten and I had a weapon and I feared for my life, you better believe that I would use whatever I could get my hands on to get the person off of me. Whether he was 57 or 17. Was Z supposed to ask for his driver's license to check his age before deciding to defend his own life?

reply to post by 1curiousmama

 

Yes.. Tm did attack first and probably didn't realize gZ had a gun. But seeing that tm attacked him if tm had a gun hisself he probably would've just shot first. Which would've been breaking the law. This is a hard one to judge though. I would've hated to be on the jury stand. Hard decisions it must of been. I still feel for the kid who lost his life at such a young age. Sad day in America no matter what your position is

Yes, it is a sad day that a young man lost his life, no matter what happened. I am listening now to these lawyers and reporters stating that a "young man was just walking home from the store" and "what does this say about our system" . It is also a sad day when you can have evidence that supports him trying to harm someone and yet another man is vilified and Martin is glorified. Am I the only one who watched the trial? Let this young man rest in peace, and maybe focus on the other crimes in Chicago where black men are being killed on a daily basis.

Originally posted by luciddream
Now psychopaths can pull a "zimmerman" and get away with it if caught!

Another loops in the messed up justice system.

So, if someone knocks you down with a punch, continues to strike you and beats your head into pavement, and you have to shoot them, you are then a "psychopath"? Really?

Originally posted by LadyGreenEyes
Oh, brother! Now Geraldo is on, describing Martin as someone who, "just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." Then he tries to say politics shouldn't be mixed into these cases? Wow.....

He is trying to play this off as some tragic accident, instead of a case of self defense when criminally assaulted.

Geraldo's reserve of common sense and intelligence is as empty as Al Capone's vault.

At least the man has remained consistent over the years.

Originally posted by juniperberry
Granted I'm not from America but I'm thinking the same rules apply as in my own country.

Please tell me if i have anything incorrect as I will not watch the media circus,

Nothing in this verdict says that GZ didn't kill TM. They didn't call him "Innocent" (which is a legal term)
And "Aquittal" or "Not Guilty" only means that GZ isn't guilty of the CHARGE that was laid before the Judge.
The Prosecution ONLY tried to have him charged with 2nd degree Murder.

No where does anything in the above say that GZ is "innocent", just that there isn't enough proof or evidence for the 2nd degree murder charge.

If the prosecution had been smart, they should have gone with something like "involuntary manslaughter". Any charge with "murder" in it must prove some level of INTENT. GZ couldn't have intended to "murder" TM since he did call 911 first.

So in this case, Justice, as defined over several centuries, has been served.

If anyone riots over this case, then they shouldn't be sent to jail, they should all be forced sit through several courses of criminal and administrative law.

You are forgetting that the state this happened in has "stand your ground" laws which basically allow for the determination of justifiable homicide. As in, the homicide is justified for self defence.

Laws were in origin to protect the common man from their lords. Or from anyone that might abuse them or enslave them. It gave them rights and protection of person.

That would include defending one's life. (Heck, the old laws used to cut off the hands of thieves.)

Someone losing their life because they violated another person's rights was the very foundation of law.



Anyways, in this case, he cannot be charged again for the same crime. He was found not-guilty and this would be classified as a justifiable homicide.

That's because of Florida Statute 776.013(3), which took effect five years ago this month. The old law gave you the right to protect yourself with deadly force inside your home. The 2005 law gives you the right to protect yourself in a park, outside a Chili's, on a highway — just about anywhere.

You need only to "reasonably believe" that pulling the trigger or plunging the knife or swinging the bat is necessary to stop the other person from hurting you.

Reports of justifiable homicides tripled after the law went into effect, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Last year, twice a week, on average, someone's killing was considered warranted.

The self-defense law — known as "stand your ground" — has been invoked in at least 93 cases with 65 deaths, a St. Petersburg Times review found.

www.tampabay.com...

Originally posted by jhn7537
I wonder if the same people who are freaking out right now were as mad when Casey Anthony got off?

Or OJ simpson. Or the nameless forgotten others that die every single day in this country. Its all media bias and programming of the american people.

Originally posted by jhn7537
Casey Anthony killed her kid = Not Guilty

George Zimmerman kills a teenager = Not Guilty!

Michael Vick killed a dog = GUILTY?

IM SO LOST!

If you really don't know the difference, you ARE lost. No idea who Anthony is nor do I care. Zimmerman should have stayed in his car but did not murder that thug. The kid beat the hell out of him. Comparing Vick (animals) to Zimmerman (human)......hmm...says a lot more about you than everyone else.

Originally posted by GrantedBail
Well, I take comfort in the fact that he will never truly be a free man.

There is something wrong with you if you think for one second that this man should have been convicted of anything more than a possible manslaughter charge. I predicted a possible manslaughter after hearing it being an option earlier. I have read a couple of your non-sensical replies about this case and ALL of them are based on your emotions and possibly hormones.

Zimmerman did not "get off", he was justified in his actions as the jury dictated. In other words that maybe you can comprehend, all women to which some are mothers/grandmothers, like yourself, followed the law. That alone should speak volumes about why this verdict is justified. But for some reason you take "comfort" in another womans son who was justified in the court of law by other women that share your same qualities "never being a truly tree man"???? Way to go. lol@tree man

I actually thought the verdict was going to be manslaughter. The jury has found him innocent...and I respect there right to make that decision...but I do not agree with it.

However...I do think that Mr. Zimmerman is at heart a good person...who made a horrible mistake. I think he should not have shot Trayvon; but he did.

I know my opinion is not a popular one; but I just have to be honest about how I feel.

I think Trayvon Martin was a good person too; he was a teenager trying to fit in with is peers; and trying to find his way in life. He was just walking home from the store after he had purchased some snacks; such a simple thing; that turned into such a tragedy.

I really feel there are no winners here.

I just hope there is no rioting.