I have been slow to respond to the killing of Trayvon Martin, because I did not want to rush to judgment, before having sufficient evidence to justify an opinion. In my opinion, the killing was a murder, it was a racially motivated hate crime, and the police tried to cover it up. Here is a small part of the evidence on which I based these opinions.
…As the world now knows, the 17-year-old Martin walked to a store in Orlando to buy some snacks on the night of February 26. George Zimmerman, a volunteer Neighborhood Watch captain, thought the boy looked suspicious and called 911. The 911 operator told Zimmerman to keep his distance — police would be sent — but there was a confrontation between Zimmerman and Martin. Martin was killed with a single shot to the chest. Florida authorities have not arrested Zimmerman, and federal authorities recently joined the investigation.
The legal question at the heart of the case involves Florida’s so-called "stand your ground" law, which the legislature passed, at the behest of the National Rifle Association, in 2005. Before that time, Florida law resembled that of most other states; during confrontations, individuals had a duty to retreat rather than to respond to provocations. Under the new law, a person is allowed to use deadly force if he is in a place he has a right to be and feels reasonably threatened with serious harm.
In this case, then, the question is whether Zimmerman was in such a place and felt reasonably threatened. The 911 operator told Zimmerman to keep his distance from Martin, but Zimmerman had a right to be on the street. That’s where neighborhood watch volunteers work… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <CNN>
This account by CNN appears biased towards Zimmerman, as even the Florida law does not justify his acts, because there was no provocation from Martin. In fact the evidence is clear that the provocation came from Zimmerman only.
A pinned, unarmed victim, screaming for help is hardly provocative.
Overall the best coverage I have seen came from Lawrence O’Donnell who covered it in two segments. In the first segment he discusses the racist overtones of this crime with Corrine Brown and Jasmine Rand.
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I agree with Lawrence. When I first heard the tape I thought the word Zimmerman used was "coon". However there are apparently two different tapes of the same conversation, one of which omits the section containing the racial slur. Though I cannot say for certain, it think it far more likely that the police doctored that tape, because it’s far more difficult to fake such an insertion than it is to remove a portion of the tape.
In the second, he discusses the "Stand your ground" law with Arthur Hayhoe, Jasmine Rand and Karen Finney.
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While I also consider this a bad law, I don’t think it justifies the shooting, as I stated earlier. The evidence of overwhelming that Zimmerman was the aggressor throughout. Reviewing his other 911 calls to police make it clear that, anytime he saw a black person in the community, he assumed criminal intent. That the same officer previously covered up a hate crime, makes it more likely that he did so here as well.
Although I cannot say that Zimmerman even was a Republican, I have often said that the violent rhetoric employed by Republican politicians and pundits has made such crimes more prevalent, and the party’s pandering to racism certainly added fuel to this fire as well.
There literally hundreds of petitions circulating. You know what to do.
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One thing I just read is that the Florida lawmakers (jerkwads with oranges) have come out to say the Stand Your Ground did NOT apply here and that Zimmerman should be arrested for murder. I had to read it twice to make sure that’s what they said.
A second, egregious, item I saw is that Glen Beck’s website implied the boy must have been an arsonist, rapist, or murderer since he’d been suspended from school (he was tardy). Lonesome Roads Beck continues his jerkwadist ways.
A question, considering the lily-whiteness of Florida gated communities: How the hell did Zimmerman get in?
Marva, that’s a very interesting question.
Tomcat, I guess it’s just as good of a question as how did the Black “neighbors” who say Zimmerman isn’t a racist got in to the “lily-white” community? Wait a sec, isn’t “lily-white” a derogatory term? Oh no, I forgot, hatefulness against White people isn’t per say racism, right?
Scott, my father was one of the most extreme racists I have known, most black people who knew him would have said that he was not one.
There are two kinds off prejudice: institutionalized and individual. The former is almost toward minorities, but the latter and be toward anyone. You’re accusing me of things I have never expressed and do not believe. I have usually heard the term “lily white” from white people referring to themselves.
Tomcat, I’ve never in 48 years heard the term “lily-white” out of a White person’s mouth, & have only heard it vocalized by Black people.
Perhaps that’s because I grew up among racists.
The *gated* community as it has been called is a collection of attached town homes that are both resident owner occupied and also investor owned rentals. There is a gate house at each entrance but they are not usually manned. There are no gate devices that stop entry and must be activated from a keypad. It is essentially an open development that is not at all “lilly white”. The people who live there are working families who still have jobs that can support housing costs of $1K+ per month. This is what it looks like. It is comfortable but it is far from being an enclave of privilege and whiteness. It is a troubled community with defaults and foreclosures. Now, someone who manages the renters and the common property insurance is on the line as well as the investors and other owner residents.
Neighborhood watch organizations are not just loosie-goosie. They are usually well defined resident and management company organizations that see that the watch “captains” are vetted, supervised and are in communication with other captains in the development. They usually operate by way of telephone trees and chain calls. That may have been in place at The Retreat but it was not in charge of Mr. Zimmerman when he sought to express dominance on his turf. Mr. Zimmerman was acting in a rogue vigilance mode.
Radicals and fringe reactionaries wish to return to vigilante law and deadly force when they have some notion that their boundaries have been crossed. That is a dog that is just not going to hunt.
Welcome Zen. 🙂
I agree. Zimmerman’s actions were unrelated to any legitimate neighborhood watch procedures.
To hear the gun nuts tell it, Zimmerman is a staunch defender of mom, the flag, apple pie and the Second Amendment. It is way past time to start calling the NRA what it really is, a home-grown, terrorist organization. I say this as a military-trained gun owner and former NRA member. These folks won’t be satisfied until we re-institute the Code Duello. Take a moment and consider what opportunities that would open up for someone like Zimmerman.
John, that’s also what the local PD said about him.
“A pinned, unarmed victim, screaming for help is hardly provocative.”
Zimmerman had a duty to retreat and wait for trained Law Enforcement…
Says it all doesnt it ?– Kid was running away- Zimmerman pursuing– not “standing ..ground”
While that law does mot require him to retreat, it certainly does not justify pursuit.
You would think a case like this would cause people in Florida to reflect and re-evaluate this dumb lock& load law. But no, it probably won’t. I can hear Florida’s rednecks starting their pick ups to head out and buy more bullets.
Hopefully, it will, Angie.
Here is a petition if anyone would like to sign
Prosecute the killer of our son, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin
https://www.change.org/petitions/prosecute-the-killer-of-our-son-17-year-old-trayvon-martin
Signed this one plus another new one on change.org.
Thanks Mama. Already have.
The NRA has been responsible for a hell of a lot more American deaths than Osama was. They are a violent, radical organization of SCUM. And anyone who is a member should be aware that he, or she, helped kill this kid.
That’s true JR. In addition ALEC has provided the template.
There are questions being asked now, but why weren’t many of these questions asked at the time of Trayvon Martin’s murder? The only conclusion I can come to is that there was a conspiracy of silence and cover-up by the police. As Lawrence O’Donnell noted, of the police officers that responded, one was with Trayvon while the second stood with Zimmerman. He did not take the gun away from him, he did not try to ask him any questions. The authorities took his word for his actions.
If one says something often enough, people begin to believe it as the truth, whether it is true or not. With the heated rhetoric of the GOP primaries and caucuses, the wars on women and minorities, certain elements of society are going to believe the inflamatory bull and act upon it.
There must be justice for this young man, Trayvon Martin.
At the time, people had not questioned the police propaganda that Zimmerman was squeaky clean.
His killing was definitely a hate crime. The law was established to allow people to protect their homes not as a license to hunt.
The law was established to promote guns.
A picture that says more than a thousand words! Excellent Nameless!
Sorry Nameless. Jimmy Margulies is a member of the Cagle group that specifically forbids use of their work under the fair use doctrine. There are three possible reasons for other sites.
They may have paid for the use.
They may have specific permission from the author.
They may be breaking the law.
I have seen more than one blog shut down for copyright violations, and prefer not to follow their example.
There is NO justification for this shooting, asnd Zimmernan is clearly a paranoid racist who can’t follow directions. He SHOULD be arrested and convicted of depriving Mr. Martin of his civil rights, and be barred from ever owning or touching another gun for the rest of his life!
Amen, Pope Jack!
I’m from Florida and I’m proud to admit it. I’m White and I have friends that are many different colors (Black, Hispanic, Oriental etc.), and I know of some Blacks who live in gated communities. So the common assumptions on here that this incident taints the whole state is wrong. This could’ve happened in ANY state.
As to Zimmerman, who the media is conveniently calling a WHITE HISPANIC (wth is that?) because it pumps the race issue up even more, I’d bet the kid wearing a hood on a warm night, regardless of his color, aroused suspicion because it hides his identity. The kid ran from him? Why? Again, suspicious. I don’t know what Zimmerman said or did, and maybe he was overly aggressive on his approach, but do you know what he did? No, you don’t. Also, did the kid reach for the gun? I don’t know, do you? No, you don’t. Now having said that, I think Zimmerman is a total idiot and was waaaaay wrong in getting physical with the kid, and that alone is reason enough to arrest him. You can’t even TOUCH someone physically if they haven’t committed a crime or assaulted you without being charged with some type of Assault or Battery offense.
As for Murder? I don’t know enough and neither do any of you. Your hateful comments are based on a LOT of assumptions, and you know what’s said about assumptions. Back off! Wait until the Feds come out with the details of their investigation.
Last thing I’ll point out is this was a minority vs. minority crime. Zimmerman is Hispanic, not White. So back off on the racism stuff because accusing a Race as a whole of being racist just causes more anger directed back at your Race as a whole, and that’s truly sad.
Scott, at no time did I blame the state of Florida for this incident. Also I did and do not claim to “know” what chaperoned. My introduction makes it cleat that this article is an opinion along with the facts on which I based the opinion. I don’t think you can take race out of the equation for the reasons Nameless explained.
The closest eyewitness account (the man whose lawn the incident occurred on) says Trayvon, 6’2″, had pinned Zimmerman, 5’9″, and was beating his face in. It was Zimmerman who saw this witness and called out to him for help. The witness fled inside, locked the door, and called 911.
Zimmerman, no doubt believing he had just been left to die, reached for his concealed Keltec PF9 and shot Martin once in the chest. Martin slumped forward, his arms under his body, and Zimmerman got out from under him. This is the position Martin’s body was found in when police arrived moments later.
When someone with a 5 inch height advantage and half your age has you pinned and is beating your face in (police report said Zimmerman’s nose was bleeding and so was a gash on the back of his head), and they continue when its obvious they have the upper hand, your assumption has to be that they’re trying to kill you. You don’t wait to see if you stay conscious. You’re not thinking “oh, if I can just hold out for 5 more minutes of this, the police will be here”…you’re thinking “this guy’s trying to kill me, what am I gonna do”.
There’s a reason why these self-defense laws were passed. Because waiting to see whether or not someone actually wants to kill you will, 99 times out of 100, result in you dying before you find out for sure. That’s the reason for the “reasonably believe your life is in danger” clause…
If someone is waving a .38 revolver in your face, cussing up a storm, and threatening to kill you…are you gonna wait a few minutes and see if they’re joking? Because that’s what the law would have you do in the absence of “stand your ground” laws.
Additionally we know from the 911 tapes that Zimmerman [A] admitted to following Trayvon and [B] directly ignored the police’s instructions not to pursue Trayvon. Florida law makes it a crime if someone “resists, obstructs, or opposes” a law enforcement officer. (Fla. Stat. § 843.01) So Zimmerman is guilty of both assault AND resisting an officer – and therefore he was “engag[ing] in unlawful activity” and consequently he would lose the protections of the “Stand Your Ground” statute.
Studious, although I have to question that description of yourself, Nameless has done an excellent job of debunking your propaganda, The bottom line is this. We all have a right to our own opinions, but you don’t get to make up your own facts out of thin air. If you actually believe that’s what happened, you are getting your information from liars.
Scott, this is some of the sorriest BS I’ve read on this yet. No, it could NOT happen in “any state,” because you’d go right to jail in a hell of a lot of them for this. And Zimmerman, as we are learning, is a pretty spew-filled guy who shouldn’t have been allowed to carry around a gun. And yet, in Florida, his violent tendencies were no bar to his carrying heat.
Please….. cut the bullshit. Your diatribe makes you look really bad, and I’m not saying that with any malice.
Roger, when I said it could’ve happened in any state, I was referring to the actual shooting incident, not the fact that he wasn’t arrested. I agree that in many states Zimmerman would’ve been arrested immediately while the investigation proceeded. My main point was that people don’t know all of the facts but are acting as if they do. You seem to fit in the category of acting and commenting on assumptions, which ends up making people look like asses more often than not when all is said and done. No malice intended.
Scott, I believe that’s what you meant, but your description of the events as “this” could easily be interpreted either way.
OK Tomcat, as you said, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Right now, God help anyone who voices an opinion that’s contrary to the media’s reporting. We all know that they’re always fair & balanced. My main original point was quit crying racism & let the facts come out. Then wait & see if the authorities do what should be done. Mr./Ms. SOINEEDANAME has already arrested, prosecuted, & convicted Zimmerman, & he/she has no damn clue what really happened & neither do I. Sigh, this story is getting old. I personally suffer from racism & or from Blacks sense of entitlement on a weekly basis. I say that out of courtesy because the alternative is to say I suffer from their ignorance sometimes, & that would be a racist comment. I’ll simplify. I’m a Waiter & 8 out of 10 (80%) leave me a $5.00 to $10.00 tips on $125.00 to $200.00 bills. So, it’s 1 of 3 things. A: Racism because I’m White & they take the chance to screw me or B: Lack of education on how to tip properly, meaning ignorance, or C: They have an attitude of entitlement & simply don’t care what societies standards are when it comes to that situation. Btw, everybody I serve receives A+ “fine dining” service because I don’t know how to do it any other way. Since they tip the same when my Black Waiter friends serve them, I feel it’s option C most of the time. (WHEW!) I shared that so you knew from someone with personal day to day experience can tell that racism does indeed exist today, & it’s a healthy 2 way street. NOW, having said all of that, the reaction of the Blacks & their supporters like SOINEEDANAME in this unfortunate incident is just further proof of their sense of entitlement. I mean the Black Panthers $10,000. reward for Zimmermans capture? Gimme me a break! If I’d posted that reward for Angilo Freeland when he shot Deputy Williams 9 times (wikipedia.org/wiki/Angilo_Freeland), SOMEONE would’ve called it racism. (Btw, Freeman’s parents wanted money AND an apology when the cops caught up with & shot Freeman “too many times”. What a joke!
So ms INEEDANAME (I’ll give you one if you can’t IMAGINE a better one). Having commented on the Blacks sense of entitlement, I’ll classify you as one of their die hard supporters. You’ve continuously referred to Martins “murder” as if in YOUR MIND, you’re ENTITLED to a conviction of Murder WITHOUT ALL OF THE FACTS REVEALED. Hmmm, is it any wonder that they feel so entitled with people like you out there spewing what you do? Case in point:
“Although you provided no documentation to your claim that Zimmerman was a few inches shorter than Trayvon, we do know that Zimmerman weights a good 100 pounds more than Trayvon. So if not by the words Zimmerman yelled at Trayvon (which we’ll never know), then certainly by his physical demeanor and his actions Zimmerman created a “well-founded fear” in Trayvon and caused him to feel threatened. Consequently Zimmerman would be guilty of assault under Florida statute (Fla. Stat. § 784.011)”
You’re quoting statutes? GIVE ME A BREAK! You, nor do the protestors, have ANY proof that a law was broken. YOU’RE A JOKE! And by the way, since when is 7 inches just a few? Oh yeah, when it fits your lam argument. And since Zimmerman made the boy feel scared he’s guilty of Assault? LOL. Keep up the online law degree studies buddy. NOW as for your next spew:
“Additionally we know from the 911 tapes that Zimmerman [A] admitted to following Trayvon and [B] directly ignored the police’s instructions not to pursue Trayvon. Florida law makes it a crime if someone “resists, obstructs, or opposes” a law enforcement officer. (Fla. Stat. § 843.01) So Zimmerman is guilty of both assault AND resisting an officer – and therefore he was “engag[ing] in unlawful activity” and consequently he would lose the protections of the “Stand Your Ground” statute.”
Simply put, a 911 operator isn’t a a sworn police officer (DUH!). Now lets finish this.
Scott, as a former waiter myself, I noticed that people from obviously poor backgrounds usually under-tipped me, while others from obviously well-to-do backgrounds usually did not. This was consistent regardless of race, although it did appear to be more frequent with black people, because a larger proportion of them grew up in circumstances where they lacked the opportunity to learn the etiquette of gratuities.
You certainly seem highly emotionally invested in this. I suggest you read our rules page. You’re at the borderline.