Don't know if this has been posted: Stand Your Ground and Self Defense By Jeralyn, Section Crime in the News
Any blacks on the jury will already have him convicted before the opening statements. Zimmerman will be used as a punching bag for all the injustices real and imaginary that blacks have suffered at hands of whites. So the best Zimmerman can hope for is a hung jury.
Basically, gwayneco has it set in his mind that if Zimmerman loses the case it will be solely bc he didn't receive a fair trial. So it would mean that he wouldn't technically be wrong a million times in this thread. Smart
To me, this is mildly racist and extremely generalized. Don't assert something like that without knowing for sure. You seem to know what "any black" person would do in this case. Are you really going to dismiss the injustices that African Americans, especially young men, have faced? It seems so easy for you, based on the post. "Imaginary" injustices? Really? Get out of here with that.
So you believe black people are incapable of changing their opinion based on evidence? And you think saying someone was "unjustly killed" automatically means they will think "Zimmerman is guilty of murder two beyond reasonable doubt"? You seem to have quite the low opinion of the intelligence of black people.
I have yet to be wrong. I'd be happy to be wrong now because that would mean Zimmerman would be found not guilty.
Do you really believe that black people can't be impartial when the victim is black and the accused is not?
The facts aren't exactly that simple. The media purposely put everyone in a rage in the first weeks of this fiasco and blacks understandably took it extremely hard. They aren't going in fresh and just judging on color. Basically saying again Stand Your Ground doesn't apply. Try to use this death as a means to reverse the gun rights avalanche and you will get buried.
Not at all. It's the atmosphere. In the absence of the circus that this has now become, I would not be as alarmed. However, we are now officially seeing the triumph of mob rule and black people have shown a well-documented tendency toward group think (ie 90%+ voting for Democrats). Any black juror who would vote against a conviction will be considered a traitor to his/her race. It would take someone of incredible courage to endure that.
I'm white, I certainly think he should go to prison. Am I judging on color? I can't comprehend defending Zimmerman for his actions. I think if we are going to be concerned about jurors based on race alone, we should be more concerned about the ones that make up the majority.
Ah, where to begin? Of course I don't know for sure, but in the current atmosphere there is no doubt that it will be extremely difficult for a black person not to view Zimmerman as a microcosm for the entire history of racism in this country. This does not mean I consider blacks in any way inferior. It only means that I view them as human and revenge is a very human emotion. As far as "imaginary", what I meant there is that often times black people play the race when no racism is involved. Once again, that's very human. It provides a ready made excuse for specific failures and it is not exclusive to blacks - though it works to greater effect in this country. Furthermore, I conceded that blacks have been victims of persecution. That's undeniable.
Except weren't you earlier pointing out how many black friends Zimmerman has and posting links of black people defending Zimmerman?
I think you should read my post again. I said the media put everyone in a rage. You already think he should go to prison, he hasn't even had a trial, and is currently presumed innocent. Yet you who are probably less emotional about it than blacks, already have him as guilty.
I think it is indicative of a weak case that the prosecutor is talking about Zimmerman profiling Martin. It also prepares and puts ideas in the minds of the jury.
I have to disagree. While according to that poll blacks may go into the jury pool with that bias in advance. I think many will be able to put that aside once they hear the instructions and see the evidence in a case. I remember being on a jury with a guy who talked about his family being screwed over by a company much like the one in the case. Everyone was sure he would be dismissed. He was called to be part of the jury. He ended up being the jury member that was most in favor of the client that he came into the jury pool with a bias against. He did have a bias but was asked if he could put that aside and look at the evidence and case openly. He was able to. I believe that it is possible to find a jury that could do that as well in this case.
Irrelevant. His black friends won't be on the jury. The jury will have people who don't know him and who's opinion of him has been shaped by a media fueled mob. In an ideal world the jurors are supposed to put that aside, but that may be well nigh impossible now.
That is all about jury selection and psychology. They probably thought he would see significant differences and have less empathy because of his first and knowledge and feeling he had it worse, was more more of a victim etc.
Yes, it's a problem when someone has already decided which witness statements and evidence should be ruled out and which should be accepted to the point that they believe they know guilt or evidence before a trial even starts.
