Breaking News! George Zimmerman found not guilty.

reply to post by conspiracy nut


think the key part of your statement was CLAIMED to meaning once again any claims(molestation) have yet to be proven in a court of law but by all means continue to ignore the corner stone of our justice system:innocent until proven guilty

Originally posted by TheIceQueen
This was definitely a good ruling. As it were mentioned, if George Zimmerman were black it wouldn't have gotten any air time.

If Zimmerman was arrested and treated like any other suspect involved in a killing of someone it wouldn't have gotten any air time.

The juror told an interesting story. 3 for non guilty and 1 murder 2 and 2 manslaughter when they first started. That after reviewing the evidence and applying the laws, not guilty was the only option. This is also the juror who is planning on writing a book with her attorney husband, but says it will not be for profit.

Peace

reply to post by litterbaux


I hope that the DOJ pursues prosecuting this as a hate crime, as I have heard that they are thinking about doing. I just don't know how they intend to prosecute the person that is quoted as saying "creepy ass cracker", since he is no longer with us...?

You won't recognize me. My name was Antonio West and I was the 13-month old child who was shot at point blank range by two teens who were attempting to rob my mother, who was also shot. A Grand Jury of my mommy's peers from Brunswick GA determined the teens who murdered me will not face the death penalty...too bad I was given a death sentence for being innocent and defenseless.

My family made the mistake of being white in a 73% non-white neighborhood, but my murder was not ruled a Hate Crime. Nor did President Obama take so much as a single moment to acknowledge my murder.

I am one of the youngest murder victims in our great Nation's history, but the media doesn't care to cover the story of my tragic demise, President Obama has no children who could possibly look like me - so he doesn't care and the media doesn't care because my story is not interesting enough to bring them ratings so they can sell commercial time slots.

There is not a white equivalent of Al Sharpton because if there was he would be declared racist, so there is no one rushing to Brunswick GA to demand justice for me. There is no White Panther party to put a bounty on the lives of those who murdered me. I have no voice, I have no representation and unlike those who shot me in the face while I sat innocently in my stroller - I no longer have my life.

So while you are seeking justice for Treyvon, please remember to seek justice for me too. Tell your friends about me, tell you families, get tee shirts with my face on them and make the world pay attention, just like you did for Treyvon"

www.huffingtonpost.com...

Originally posted by MidnightTide
You won't recognize me. My name was Antonio West and I was the 13-month old child who was shot at point blank range by two teens who were attempting to rob my mother, who was also shot. A Grand Jury of my mommy's peers from Brunswick GA determined the teens who murdered me will not face the death penalty...too bad I was given a death sentence for being innocent and defenseless.

My family made the mistake of being white in a 73% non-white neighborhood, but my murder was not ruled a Hate Crime. Nor did President Obama take so much as a single moment to acknowledge my murder.

I am one of the youngest murder victims in our great Nation's history, but the media doesn't care to cover the story of my tragic demise, President Obama has no children who could possibly look like me - so he doesn't care and the media doesn't care because my story is not interesting enough to bring them ratings so they can sell commercial time slots.

There is not a white equivalent of Al Sharpton because if there was he would be declared racist, so there is no one rushing to Brunswick GA to demand justice for me. There is no White Panther party to put a bounty on the lives of those who murdered me. I have no voice, I have no representation and unlike those who shot me in the face while I sat innocently in my stroller - I no longer have my life.

So while you are seeking justice for Treyvon, please remember to seek justice for me too. Tell your friends about me, tell you families, get tee shirts with my face on them and make the world pay attention, just like you did for Treyvon"

www.huffingtonpost.com...

Point is they were arrested and CHARGED!! no way these two POS is gonna walk but I can dig up ugly cases of murders going waay back were non of the perps got charged or convicted for anything. the problem is not whether Blacks killed Whites or vise versa but whether the justice system treats them the same.

Originally posted by butcherguy
reply to post by SilentKillah

 

Oh... I do understand that the right for Martin to defend himself against a creepy man should apply to how he reacted and why he proceeded to beat the crap of Zimmerman.

You are not allowed to beat someone up because they look 'creepy'.
You are not allowed to beat someone up because they ask you a question in a public place.
You are not allowed to beat someone up because they follow you in a public place.
If you beat someone up for any of those reasons, you are committing a felony.

Edit to add:

But he WAS being followed, he didn't just "think" he was being followed, he was.

Forget about the 'think' part. People are allowed to follow you in public places. It is not illegal.
People can photograph you, videotape you and ask you questions in public places.... It is all very legal.

edit on 15-7-2013 by butcherguy because: (no reason given)

There is a fine line between following someone legally, with stalking and/or racial profiling.someone illegally. I personally would be nervous if someone kept following me. I am not saying I would have attacked him either.

I think george zimmerman went asking for trouble by playing cop where he had no authority to do so. It just happened that martin trayvon was a hot head or a bit too paranoid and DID ATTACK george zimmerman.

There was some racial profiling going on imho! Was it based on irrational hatred of blacks? Probably not.

George Zimmerman had no business doing what he did. He ended up killing someone because he was outmatched by trayvon martin and had to use his gun. George Zimmerman was lucky that he did not get booked and convicted for manslaughter, which he should have. The prosecutors overshot with 2nd degree murder and the jury felt sorry for george zimmerman. JUST TO TEACH PEOPLE A LESSON NOT TO PLAY COP NEXT TIME! Let the professionals handle it, but then we call them pigs, go figure.

Originally posted by SAS101
I like to share a video that I've came across. Its quite hilarious!

I really want to smoke a cigar with that guy.....

Originally posted by Spider879
If Zimmerman was arrested and treated like any other suspect involved in a killing of someone it wouldn't have gotten any air time.

Why was that? Was it because he was white? Not everyone is arrested, when people kill within the law they are not arrested.

I am going to repeat what I said earlier in this thread...why?...because I have a need to.

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.

Originally posted by SilentKillah
*snip*
Every person on the highway does not have the intention of stopping me, approaching me, or anything else. They are trying to get to their own destination... not to my destination. Zimmerman did... he followed, ran after, and confronted him. If someone were to follow me to my residence, with intentions of approaching me, s/he would be stalking me.

What you state isn't what happened, according to the evidence and witnesses. Jeantel, Martin's friend, stated that he was practically home. The place he was staying is not the place the incident occurred. Check this map:



The incident occurred up neat the "T" intersection - up a little from the "G" in the picture. The place he was staying was way down the row, at the "D" in the picture. If, as his friend stated in court, he was practically there, how did he get to the place where this happened? There isn't any evidence suggesting that Zimmerman dragged him up the path to that location. Clearly, he went back, of his own volition. The same witness stated that Martin, not Zimmerman, spoke first, though what she claims was stated changed between various statements and her testimony on the stand. His own friend's testimony supports that he was the aggressor in this case. He didn't even call 911, which he could have done, had he felt threatened. According, again, to his friend, they spoke a lot after he saw that someone was watching him. Even watching him, and following (though Zimmerman didn't actually follow) isn't stalking, by the legal definition. link Nor can you attack someone that IS actually stalking you. You report them. You don't walk up, confront them, and punch them in the nose. This happened in a neighborhood. People have a right to walk there. Zimmerman had every right to walk there. Walking, even watching someone else walking, is not a crime. Assaulting someone is a crime. That's what the evidence shows happened here. The solution is for young people to be taught that physical violence isn't a solution to any perceived threat or offense. It's a common issue these days, with kids fighting in locker rooms, on school buses, and many other places. That is the real problem. That's what should be addressed.

Originally posted by SilentKillah
I believe that I have the right to ask that person "why are you following me" which we clearly hear Martin ask. I then believe that if I'm already scared because I was being stalked... and I see a gun, which Zimmerman obviously had, and that person that was following me is not a police officer, that I should not take the risk of wasting anymore time and should defend myself by taking an offensive stance in the matter.

I'm saying that we don't know whether Zimmerman accidently, or purposely made his weapon visible... and we will never know Martin's side of the story. I'm saying that Zimmerman could have easily lied saying that his events are correct, when for all me know he could have went to pull his gun on Martin initially when Martin asked "why are you following me". Martin could have attacked in self defense of a man reaching for a gun. But we will never know... Martin's dead and his killer walks.

To act in the manner you describe would make you a criminal. Someone walking behind you and asking a question (which isn't even what happened that night) isn't a crime, nor is it grounds for assault. Where I live, you can legally OPEN carry a gun, meaning, it's visible. If I were walking at night, behind someone else, carrying a gun in that fashion, and they saw it, they do not have a right to come up and punch me. A person does not have to be a cop to legally carry a gun. Carrying a gun doesn't make you an open target for assault, either. So, it doesn't matter if the gun was visible or not; Martin still committed a felony assault on Zimmerman. That is what the evidence shows, and that is why this isn't a murder case. Self defense isn't murder.

Here's a scenario for you:

Say Zimmerman hadn't had a gun that night. He exits his car, thinking the dispatcher wants him to (which the dispatcher said was feasible), to see what way "the guy" went. Martin knows he's being followed, doubles back, and confronts, then attacks Zimmerman. In this scenario, Zimmerman has no gun, his cries for help go unanswered, and Martin kills him by continuing to smash his head against the pavement. Would you demand justice for George, and that his killer be placed in prison?

Originally posted by jimmyx
you say TM assaulted Zimmerman.....then why did the autopsy FIND NO DNA from Zimmerman on TM's body???????....if TM grabbed Zimmerman's head and bashed it against the cement, there would be DNA, if TM slugged Zimmerman in the nose and broke it, there would be DNA on TM's hands

The only place they checked was under Martin's nails, where DNA would be likely if he'd scratched Zimmerman. Also, they failed to bag Martin's hands at the scene, which means any possible evidence was lost. There was also a witness that saw Martin assaulting Zimmerman. The bloody nose and bashed head prove this as well.

Originally posted by Xtrozero

Originally posted by Spider879
If Zimmerman was arrested and treated like any other suspect involved in a killing of someone it wouldn't have gotten any air time.

Why was that? Was it because he was white? Not everyone is arrested, when people kill within the law they are not arrested.

Man Convicted for Shooting Teenager

A Suffolk County jury on Saturday night found a black man guilty of manslaughter for shooting of an unarmed white teenager outside the man’s house last year, ending a racially charged trial. Gordon M. Grant for The New York Times John White after he was convicted on Saturday night. The jury began deliberating on Wednesday, and on Friday indicated that it was deadlocked and racked with discord. But late Saturday night, it delivered its verdict: The man, John H. White, 54, was guilty of the second-degree manslaughter charge that prosecutors had sought, and of criminal possession of a weapon. Mr. White was allowed to remain free until sentencing, when he will face a maximum term of 5 to 15 years in prison. Mr. White was convicted of shooting Daniel Cicciaro, 17, point-blank in the face on Aug. 9, 2006. Daniel and several friends had left a party and showed up Mr. White’s house just after 11 p.m. to challenge his son Aaron, then 19, to a fight, and had used threats, profanities and racial epithets. Mr. White awoke and grabbed a loaded Beretta pistol he kept in the garage of his house in Miller Place, a predominantly white hamlet on Long Island.

“We are elated and relieved and feel that Daniel has been vindicated and that justice has been served,” said Gregg Sarra, a longtime friend of the Cicciaro family and Daniel’s godfather.
www.nytimes.com...

And if you think..well yeah it's the east coast lib state think again.
Fla. mom gets 20 years for firing warning shots

Updated on July 15, 2013 to reflect more of the testimony and aftermath of the case. (CBS News) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A Florida woman who fired warning shots against her allegedly abusive husband has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Marissa Alexander of Jacksonville had said the state's "Stand Your Ground" law should apply to her because she was defending herself against her allegedly abusive husband when she fired warning shots inside her home in August 2010. She told police it was to escape a brutal beating by her husband, against whom she had already taken out a protective order. CBS Affiliate WETV reports that Circuit Court Judge James Daniel handed down the sentence Friday. Under Florida's mandatory minimum sentencing requirements Alexander couldn't receive a lesser sentence, even though she has never been in trouble with the law before. Judge Daniel said the law did not allow for extenuating or mitigating circumstances to reduce the sentence below the 20-year minimum.
www.cbsnews.com...

Yeah you read that right 20 YRS FOR WARNING SHOTS!!!...IN FLORIDA!!!!
Message is being sent Blacks have no rights to so-called self defense or that stand your ground thingy depending on your local judge or jury

Originally posted by jimmyx
right, sure, remain calm....here's another recent dose of rationality from Florida.....
www.cbsnews.com...
gotta teach those black foke how to control themselves, y'all

Based on that one article, seems she should not have been charged. The guy admitted (if I read correctly) that he threatened her, so she took action to defend herself.

Originally posted by SilentKillah
The fact of the matter is... I've never... ever... heard of a black person dragging white people behind a pickup truck by the legs. Yet, I don't make generalizations and statements to my friends saying "go to Mobile Alabama and they'll have you for lunch".

I believe that was a case in Texas, and those guys got the death penalty, which they deserved. That was murder. Self defense isn't. Zimmerman shot in self defense. If he was black, and Martin white, I would say the same thing, based on the same evidence. Would you?

Originally posted by LadyGreenEyes

Here's a scenario for you:

Say Zimmerman hadn't had a gun that night. He exits his car, thinking the dispatcher wants him to (which the dispatcher said was feasible), to see what way "the guy" went. Martin knows he's being followed, doubles back, and confronts, then attacks Zimmerman. In this scenario, Zimmerman has no gun, his cries for help go unanswered, and Martin kills him by continuing to smash his head against the pavement. Would you demand justice for George, and that his killer be placed in prison?

This highlights the different mentality between conservative and liberal states. In liberal states people don't play cop and do racial profiling. They mind their own business and expect the police to take care of things.

I understand your logic but I still don't quite agree with it. It sends the wrong message imho.

GZ would not have to commit manslaughter "for self defense" if he minded his own damm business.

People have a tendency to get nervous when followed, especially if that person is carrying a gun on their person.

reply to post by Spider879

There are some important points in the story of the woman who fired warning shots which you might have missed. From your source:

Alexander pushed past Gray and went into the garage where she got her gun from her car's glove compartment.

Gray told prosecutors in the deposition that Alexander came back into the house holding the weapon and told him to leave. He refused, and what happened next is somewhat unclear. In his deposition, Gray said "she shot in the air one time," prompting him and the children to run out the front door. But when Gray called 911 the day of the incident, he said "she aimed the gun at us and she shot."

In August 2011, a judge rejected a motion by Alexander's attorney to grant her immunity under the "Stand your Ground" law. According to the judge's order, "there is insufficient evidence that the Defendant reasonably believed deadly force was needed to prevent death or great bodily harm to herself," and that the fact that she came back into the home, instead of leaving out the front or back door "is inconsistent with a person who is in genuine fear for her life."

When she left the house she was free to go to the neighbor's, call the police, or just walk away from the whole situation. But she went looking for a gun, came back into the house, and shouted orders punctuated by gun fire in a house with children present. Her husband wasn't attacking her, or threatening immediate harm.

The prosecutors offered her a three year plea bargain, but she "no deal" and the jury returned the verdict in 15 minutes.

Those facts seem to put a little different light on the story.

reply to post by charles1952


Yes she did all that but didn't she have a restraining order slapped on him before??..was he not an abuser.

Originally posted by Spider879

Originally posted by TheIceQueen
This was definitely a good ruling. As it were mentioned, if George Zimmerman were black it wouldn't have gotten any air time.

If Zimmerman was arrested and treated like any other suspect involved in a killing of someone it wouldn't have gotten any air time.

Mr. Zimmerman went willingly with the police that night, in cuffs. He went without an attorney, and answered hours of questioning, cooperating completely.

Originally posted by Spider879
Point is they were arrested and CHARGED!! no way these two POS is gonna walk but I can dig up ugly cases of murders going waay back were non of the perps got charged or convicted for anything. the problem is not whether Blacks killed Whites or vise versa but whether the justice system treats them the same.

So, these criminals are being investigated by the Justice Department for civil rights violations? The president is stating the child looks like one he could have had? The simple fact is that many cases are not treated the same, but it's not the ones you thing about. The case of black teens setting a white kid on fire, and stating it was because he was white, did not, the last I read, involve ANY hate crime charges. How is that justice?

The police didn't charge Mr. Zimmerman that night because all the evidence, that they saw that night, and all the witness statements, indicated that his claim of self defense was truthful.