Just a few more things. This is a lawyer who's not only not helping the situation, but it sounds like he's already angling for a law suit
Quote:
Crump called Zimmerman a "loose cannon" and accused him of shooting Martin in "cold blood".
How in the hell do they know that the kid didn't know that he had the gun. And the fighting back is probably stupid
Quote:
Trayvon fought back, said Jackson, that's to be expected. He was being ordered around by someone who was not a police officer, was not in uniform and was not in a patrol vehicle.
The teenager did not know, Jackson said, that Zimmerman had a gun.
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The defendant must be judged by the circumstances in which he was surrounded at the time the force was used. Although the danger need not be actual, the appearance of danger must have been so real that a reasonable person who is cautious and prudent acting under the same circumstances would have believed that the danger could be avoided only through the use of that force.
Given that it has been established that he had phoned the police from the safety of his car before confronting the teen I would say the chance of self defense being successful would be very slim
Given that it has been established that he had phoned the police from the safety of his car before confronting the teen I would say the chance of self defense being successful would be very slim
Also according to some of the articles, the police told him to leave the person alone and stop following him as they were on their way and he disobeyed.
The big question is, if this was a 26-year-old black man who became suspicious of and eventually shot and killed a teenage white boy, would he be in jail right now?
That's a tough one.
Sounds to me like Mr. Macho bit off a little more than he could chew and this kid was whipping his ass, so he had to shoot him. Is it self-defense if you start a fight with someone and you are losing?
Not that I know what happened, obviously, but from the little we do know, I'm positive this kid didn't pull the guy out through the window of his car.
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Sometimes .....I feel like the media is complicit in creating a more racist atmosphere in America, and keeps it fresh in everyone's mind with how they make assumptions and jump to conclusions with circumstances such as this.
Sometimes .....I feel like the media is complicit in creating a more racist atmosphere in America, and keeps it fresh in everyone's mind with how they make assumptions and jump to conclusions with circumstances such as this.
I started feeling like that years ago. I chucked out the TV and simply read and make up my own mind.
On the recordings, one shot, an apparent warning or miss, is heard, followed by a voice begging or pleading, and a cry. A second shot is then heard, and the pleading stops.
This is kind of off topic, but since a lot of stuff is made in the US of their right to bear arms, does that mean I could walk around with a sword?
I don't really have any knowledge of the laws therein, but, really, could I have a sword? Because if I could have a sword, and walk around with it in public, even sheathed, I would really like to do that.
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Yup, I'm still not thinking its so much of a racist thing as much as it is some adrenaline flooded moron who should have never had a gun in the first place thinking he's John Wayne.
What looks really bad to me is the accusations of the cursery interviews by the Cops who seem to have rallied around the killer.
I wonder what the options are in terms of booting the investigation up and out of the hands of the local police?
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How is it possible that this guy hasn't been arrested yet? You'd think even a justifiable manslaughter (which I don't think this was) would be brought in.
Does anyone else find the notion of gated communities somewhat absurd? I can't imagine living in a situation where I feel so uncomfortable with the people or surroundings that I have to build defenses around me to keep them out.
Some witnesses and the audio tapes of this "self-defense" case are all over CNN today.
You can hear the cops tell the "self defender" to leave the guy alone and not follow him. He ignored that. He followed him, got out of the car chased him down, and then shot him in the chest, in self defense.
You can actually hear someone (possibly the adult with the gun, I'm not sure) begging for help, and then a gunshot, and no more crying.
According to the local fuzz, nobody has done anything wrong.
Zimmerman is pretty clearly off his rocker. "Criminal Justice student" - sounds like a guy who got turned down in the police officer psych evaluation. He becomes a neighbourhood watchman and obtains a concealed weapon licence. Then he sees a black kid with a knife and a 9mm...I mean skittles and an arizona iced tea...and decides to coldly hunt him down and end his life.
If ever there was a reason for the death penalty (which there isn't), this is it.
I know it's not helpful to paint broad strokes, but in what country can a guy like this carry a gun? In what country can a person hunt down another man and execute him while incurring virtually no penalty?
Truly frightening.
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Does anyone else find the notion of gated communities somewhat absurd? I can't imagine living in a situation where I feel so uncomfortable with the people or surroundings that I have to build defenses around me to keep them out.
They live in gated communities because they want to, if you don't want to you don't have to. I don't think the concept is that hard to understand:
I have several aunts and uncles in the states in gated communities, it is VERY safe to walk around at night. My parents are not in a gated area, and you could say that the occasional armed robbery or purse snatching is not unusual. My mom avoids walking around at night, yet go to my uncle's gated place and there are groups of people walking every night (the entire complex is surrounded by video cameras, armed guards and walls).
Gated communities are becoming more and more common for the reasons above and others. Much of the feeling of being unsafe could be in their own heads, yet here in Calgary, in the burbs many women won't walk alone at night.
Hmm I'm somewhat familiar with the area and , as the one article states, it is a mixed race area. There would be no reason to think a black kid was out of place unless you are an idiot.
But the black dude who owns the house at 3565 Rice Lake Loop in Longwood Florida has definitely been under surveillance in that neighborhood
Hmm I'm somewhat familiar with the area and , as the one article states, it is a mixed race area. There would be no reason to think a black kid was out of place unless you are an idiot.
As a local, can you tell us anything about the "self-defense" rules in Florida? I've seen cops on the TV saying "we can't see anything that would lead us to believe this wasn't self defense"?
Chasing someone down and shooting them seems more like murder than self defense to me, but that is what they keep calling it.
Central Florida is a bit different than South Florida (where I am-Palm Bch Cty) but that wasn't always the case. We have more NY/NJ people now, but the center and northern parts of the state still retain a lot of the stereotypical good ole white boy attitude. My mom lives in Longwood, which is a gorgeous suburb of Orlando. It's also more "white" than Sanford, except for that weird black guy across the street
I can't really say much about self-defense rules. The general attitude is that the police here (anywhere in Fl) are among the most corrupt in the US. If you come onto my property and I don't want you there, I can blast you (in most cases even if you are not an immediate threat to me) )-- Castle Doctrine.. How this law extends to a gated community's common property, I don't know. That would be a ridiculous stretch.
If you get a chance, google "Florida sucks" or "Why Florida Sucks". One of the things you should be led to is a blog called Ruined My Life. The Why Florida Sucks post comments are gold. "Don't taze me bro" happened a town away from me...
Also, for a better description than I can give, google Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground.
