So if deadly force was not justified in this situation ...and we have a dead person ...then Zimmerman should have been arrested on the spot. Zimmerman can claim self defense in court and perhaps be found innocent. But the police overstepped their bounds by releasing Zimmerman at the scene. They had no reasonable evidence to suggest that he was standing his ground. THAT is my point and the most disturbing element of the case. The whole racial aspect of this case is just noise. CaseyH can keep race baiting and trolling ...but the racial aspect is mostly irrelevant.
Wow, look at what some in Florida have created. A t-shirt to remember Trayvon Martin. "PU$$Y A$$ CRACKER" is written on it, with the mug shot from when Zimmerman was arrested on charges that were ultimately dismissed. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/trayvon-martin/cracker-tshirt-759832
This is exactly right. The race thing is a distraction. It can be looked separately but it doesn't change whether or not Zimmerman should have been arrested.
That is what I have been saying all along. But the race angle is also being brought into this by the usual suspects (Farrakhan, etc.). Professional Purveyors of Racial Divisiveness: Jackson, Sharpton & Farrakhan on the Trayvon Martin Case It is a sad commentary in American culture that whenever a tragedy befalls an African American citizen we can be assured that professional purveyors of racial tension and divisiveness will emerge like hyenas after a kill. In this case I am referring to the incendiary comments of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Nation of Islam leader Rev. Louis Farrakhan. If the presence and influence of these clergy were narrowly directed toward their ordained obligations to extend pastoral care, to comfort and assist the Martin family, the Sanford community and the nation, and to facilitate all citizens in coming to grips with this needless tragedy, then their efforts would be worthy of great praise, admiration and support. However, when their principal contribution to an already dangerously unstable community situation is to utter words such as Jackson's "Blacks are under attack," Sharpton's "Arrest Zimmerman now," and Farrakhan's “Soon and very soon, there will be retaliation" then their contributions to the sequel of the event is to further incite a tortured community that is in need of peacemaking not agitation. The death of Trayvon Martin is tragic and needless and I share the desire of all Floridians and Americans that justice be swiftly and surely realized in this case. I likewise share a popular desire to understand how this event happened and how it can be prevented in the future. However, what angers me about the aftermath of this tragedy, - and I think my sentiments are shared by many other citizens - is that at a time when the community, state and nation need to be nurtured in the direction of justice, healing and mutual support, we find ourselves subjected again to the usual coterie of so-called civil rights leaders who appear like lawyers chasing an ambulance to sow the seeds of racial tension and divisiveness rather than nurturing a spirit of solidarity, community and justice. Oh for a time when the nation’s civil rights movement is no longer dominated by self-serving promoters of racial disharmony, of whom I am sure the Rev. Martin Luther King would be ashamed. As a pastor committed to justice and healing I am personally embarrassed and angered by the self-serving agendas of these so-called clergy. http://www.naplesnews.com/blogs/veritas-libertas-edward-wimberley/2012/mar/23/baiting/
I think AtW has the right approach. We can all disagree on our perceptions of this but I hope we all agree on due process. The facts need to be discovered before we start convicting people.
And I've agreed that it's been a distraction all along. Certainly there are some racial elements at play here, but it doesn't affect the facts and evidence of whether or not Zimmerman should have been arrested and made to stand trial.
I think that's what most people are saying. But Zimmerman needs to be arrested and brought to trial before he can be convicted or found not guilty. That's the problem people have with the case, is that Zimmerman wasn't arrested.
Except the race of the victim may have influenced how diligently the Sanford PD investigated this thing, or how open they were to the self defense claim.
He had a mugshot because he had been accused of a crime, arrested on the record. He may have been let off but he has a record. Did Trayvon have a police record? No.
More evidence and facts are coming to light. In this LA Times article, the police claim evidence that Martin was the aggressor (supported by eyewitnesses) and that Martin was on a suspension from school for having a mar1juana bag. http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-trayvon-martin-case-20120326,0,4845076.story Trayvon Martin case: Martin was the aggressor, police sources say By Rene Lynch March 26, 2012, 9:25 a.m. As Florida braced itself for what could be the biggest day of protest yet in the Trayvon Martin case, police revealed new details that depict the slain 17-year-old as the aggressor and appear to support George Zimmerman's claim that he was acting in self-defense when he shot the teenager. Martin was killed one month ago today. That's one month of justice denied, according to protesters who are expected to amass throughout the day to continue their demand for Zimmerman's arrest in the Sanford, Fla. case. A forum hosted by CNN commentator Roland Martin is being held at noon today in that city, followed by a 4 p.m. rally that is expected to draw thousands. Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson plans to lead protesters to the Sanford City Commission meeting being held this evening, and attended by the slain teen's parents. And students at Florida State University, the University of Florida and Florida A&M University will hold rallies on their campuses. The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that police sources say Martin was the aggressor on Feb. 26, knocking Zimmerman to the ground with a single punch and then climbing on top of the 28-year-old neighborhood watch captain and slamming the back of his head into the ground. Police say this account, given by Zimmerman, is supported by eyewitnesses, according to the Sentinel's report. One such witness reportedly told police that said he saw Martin on top of Zimmerman, striking the man, while Zimmerman cried out for help. The attack left Zimmerman bloodied, police sources told the Sentinel, and led him to fire at Martin in self-defense. Police say Zimmerman was bleeding from the nose, had a fat lip and confirm that the back of his head was cut. He received first aid at the scene but refused to go to the hospital and received medical treatment the following day, according to the Sentinel's sources. The Sentinel's story also makes public new details about the circumstances leading up to the deadly confrontation between Zimmerman and Martin. At the time, Martin was suspended from high school after he was found to be in possession of an empty mar1juana baggie, according to the Sentinel. Martin's school has a "zero-tolerance" drug policy, the newspaper added. Zimmerman was heading to the grocery store when he spotted Martin and called police to report a black youth acting suspiciously, possibly on drugs. Zimmerman stepped out of his SUV to follow Martin, even though a police dispatcher told him he didn't need to do so. Zimmerman told police he he'd lost sight of Martin and was heading back to his car when the youth suddenly stepped into his path. According to the Sentinel, Martin asked Zimmerman if he had a problem. Zimmerman said no and reached for his cellphone. Martin then said something like, "Well, you do now" and punched him, according to the Sentinel's sources.
agreed. That's why I said race is at play in some parts, but either way the evidence in the case points to the conclusion that Zimmerman should have been arrested. Why the police or Zimmerman acted the way they did is a side issue.
But we are going inquire into Zimmerman's background, then we have opened the door for a similar examination of Martin's.
So you are not interested in due process? Let the police do their investigation. Due Process does not mean that you arrest someone because of public opinion. It frequently means making unpopular choices. In our society you are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty not the other way around. You don't arrest someone until you get enough evidence to press charges. You do not arrest someone because they are being investigated.
