Zimmerman acquitted

[msyorktown]

Ok I have to state my opinion....Zimmerman is responsible for that young man's death...regardless of what he had in his system, or what he may have done in the past. Zimmerman pulled the trigger that ended Trayon's life and should be held accountable. I'm sorry but I don't agree that he should walk free.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by msyorktown

Ok I have to state my opinion....Zimmerman is responsible for that young man's death...regardless of what he had in his system, or what he may have done in the past. Zimmerman pulled the trigger that ended Trayon's life and should be held accountable. I'm sorry but I don't agree that he should walk free.

Oh, he won't be free....that's for sure. He knows what he did .. people can tell me all day long about what Trayvon said and did, but no one knows for sure if it is true. What we do know for sure is that Zimmerman was the first aggressor...he was stalking Trayvon. That came out of his own mouth.

Maybe there was not enough evidence to convict him, but he will never feel safe again after this...so free is only in respect to not being in a jail cell. He will walk, but always with a worry about who might be following him. He has himself to blame for that.

[celstu1]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

If you watched the video of Zimmerman saying how it went he didn't continue to follow Trayvon he was looking for a street sign and address to tell the operator and had no idea where Trayvon had gone. The teen had drugs in his system and had a history of drugs so he could have honestly been up to no good. I mean who walks around in the rain to the store and then just casually stands in a neighborhood that is not his just looking around in the rain. I think maybe both Trayvon and Zimmerman did wrong things. I think if he had wanted to just kill him he would have not called the police and not talked to the police with out a lawyer. I think this whole thing got out of control and people wanted to blame it on a black vs. white thing when he is not even white. I am happy with the outcome I do not think it was murder and I do not think there was enough evidence to prove it was.

[msyorktown]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

If you watched the video of Zimmerman saying how it went he didn't continue to follow Trayvon he was looking for a street sign and address to tell the operator and had no idea where Trayvon had gone. The teen had drugs in his system and had a history of drugs so he could have honestly been up to no good. I mean who walks around in the rain to the store and then just casually stands in a neighborhood that is not his just looking around in the rain. I think maybe both Trayvon and Zimmerman did wrong things. I think if he had wanted to just kill him he would have not called the police and not talked to the police with out a lawyer. I think this whole thing got out of control and people wanted to blame it on a black vs. white thing when he is not even white. I am happy with the outcome I do not think it was murder and I do not think there was enough evidence to prove it was.

Even if he did not mean to kill him, why was he stalking Trayvon...Zimmerman was clearly the aggressor, he was told to leave the young man alone...yet he continued to follow him. ...at the very least he should have been convicted of manslaughter.....the fact remains that he pulled the trigger, thus ending this teen's life....where is the justice in that he walks with no conviction? Trayvon may have been 6ft and whatever weight, he was still at minor at 17yrs old....IMO an injustice to a life that was taken!

[msyorktown]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Oh, he won't be free....that's for sure. He knows what he did .. people can tell me all day long about what Trayvon said and did, but no one knows for sure if it is true. What we do know for sure is that Zimmerman was the first aggressor...he was stalking Trayvon. That came out of his own mouth.

Maybe there was not enough evidence to convict him, but he will never feel safe again after this...so free is only in respect to not being in a jail cell. He will walk, but always with a worry about who might be following him. He has himself to blame for that.

[chattiesmom]

Originally Posted by Britster

I think it was the right decision.

I was worried that the jury would be swayed by their fear of public reaction. When I first heard about the case I wasn't sure what to think. They were showing the pic of a kid who looked 12. This guy was 17 and far from the innocent looking kid that they tried to make everyone believe was the one who was killed. Still oesn't mean he deserved to die. I think a lot of 17 yr olds are little punks and think they know better, doesn't mean they're bad people, or deserved to get shot.

Zimmerman wasn't the one using racial slurs -- Martin was. Zimmerman had injuries that backed up what he said happened. The girl who said she was on the phone with Martin was revealed to have lied about what she heard AND about writing out what happened.

So even if you think he is guilty, there was definitely enough evidence brought forward to have enough reasonable doubt that he shouldn't have been charged with anything. I think Zimmerman probably should've chosen to do things differently, I think him carrying a gun was a bit much (but it WAS his legal right) and was probably too quick to pull the trigger. But nothing that he did adds up to 'murder'. But I do not think he deserved to spend the rest of his life in jail. And I think the jury made the right decision.

I definitely agree with Britt, Yorkiemom1, and Yorkiemimi. Mistakes were made by both Zimmerman and Trayvon. It is tragic that a 17 year old lost his life, and that Zimmerman will have to live with the results of the incident. The jury has spoken, so if you believe in the American system of justice, we should all accept the decision - or appeal to a higher court. However, NO ONE knows the true intent of Trayvon and Zimmerman or what was in their hearts and minds in the heat of the moment as the incident took place.

[Yorkiemom1]

And now the Federal Government is going to get involved....I can only wonder if Travon had been "an innocent white child", and Zimmerman had been acquitted, would the justice department be all interested in "justice"....I sincerely doubt it. If the justice department wants to actually get involved in miscarriages of justice, they need to go camp out in Detroit (I keep saying Detroit because they had a documentary on TV that I watched....it is absolutely criminal what has been allowed to destroy an American city), and get involved in all the innocent children that are murdered daily. Where was the "justice department" when Casey Anthony got off scott free for murdering her baby girl? Oh thats right...no crowds of people, taking to the streets, setting fires and vandilizing property, in protest over the horrible injustice that innocent baby suffered. Oh well.....I am just very fearful where this country will end up when "justice" is no longer determined within the judicial system, but in the streets, dictated by mob revenge. We can set out possies (sp) again, and start hanging people from the nearest tree!

[yorkietalkjilly]

I guess the jury never did see any proof beyond a reasonable doubt that one guy stalked the other and that being the case, the defense gets the presumption of innocence. Just because police or a witness says stalking took place isn't enough to send a person to a life in a 7 x 10 pen where he won't last 6 months before he's tortured and killed. Stalking usually has to occur in a pattern of harassment over a period of time to qualify as the kind of stalking that is against the law. And following a person to see what they are up to is not illegal - I've done it! More than one. That jury had to have irrefutable evidence beyond any reasonable doubt that one stalked the other and the shooter never was in a reasonable fear of his life or serious bodily injury. The State just didn't have that irrefutable evidence.

Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard law professor of some note, criminal appellate lawyer, political liberal with no apparent dog in this fight and prominent scholar on United States constitutional law and criminal law, is saying that the State's Attorney Angela Corey could be cited for violating George Zimmerman's civil rights because he says she filed a false affidavit in front of a judge in order to get a second degree murder charge, failing to tell the judge there were photographs and to show that in the photographs George Zimmerman's nose had been broken, that he had wounds on the back of his head and that she misled the judge into giving her an overcharge second-degree murder charge against Zimmerman. Professor Dershowitz says that is a true violation of civil rights by a State law enforcement officer upon a U. S. citizen.

Alan Dershowitz: Zimmerman Special Prosecutor Angela Corey Should Be Disbarred | RealClearPolitics

I wonder if that is really true about withholding those pictures or facts of the case.

[Yorkiemom1]

Thank you for posting this link and this very informative bit of information. Wouldnt it be something if continuing to beat a drum over this verdict, and trying to declare an infringment on civil rights, actually turns up even MORE evidence that propells Zimmerman into the light, on the right side of justice? It may turn out Zimmerman may come out 100% ahead of the game if it turns out HIS civil rights have been trampled on....errrr, HE does have civil rights too, correct?

[sandy simpson]

In this world we are going to have tribulation. At times there is no clear answer. No one was there to witness this killing, no clear evidence was brought forth. My heart hurts for Trayvon's family, they lost a son. His sweet mother called on the Lord for His help. I know she will receive comfort and peace. George will not have that in his life. He will live scared which is sad. Wise people think before they react and I wish George would have got back in his car and observed the situation. He would have had peace.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by msyorktown

Even if he did not mean to kill him, why was he stalking Trayvon...Zimmerman was clearly the aggressor, he was told to leave the young man alone...yet he continued to follow him. ...at the very least he should have been convicted of manslaughter.....the fact remains that he pulled the trigger, thus ending this teen's life....where is the justice in that he walks with no conviction? Trayvon may have been 6ft and whatever weight, he was still at minor at 17yrs old....IMO an injustice to a life that was taken!

He said he did not continue to follow Trayvon. Do you know how easy it is to die from having you head whacked against the pavement? Would it have been the same way if Trayvon had killed George that way? Minors can fight and kill just like and adult.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by sandy simpson

In this world we are going to have tribulation. At times there is no clear answer. No one was there to witness this killing, no clear evidence was brought forth. My heart hurts for Trayvon's family, they lost a son. His sweet mother called on the Lord for His help. I know she will receive comfort and peace. George will not have that in his life. He will live scared which is sad. Wise people think before they react and I wish George would have got back in his car and observed the situation. He would have had peace.

Maybe Maybe not he said Trayvon walked around his truck.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

And now the Federal Government is going to get involved....I can only wonder if Travon had been "an innocent white child", and Zimmerman had been acquitted, would the justice department be all interested in "justice"....I sincerely doubt it. If the justice department wants to actually get involved in miscarriages of justice, they need to go camp out in Detroit (I keep saying Detroit because they had a documentary on TV that I watched....it is absolutely criminal what has been allowed to destroy an American city), and get involved in all the innocent children that are murdered daily. Where was the "justice department" when Casey Anthony got off scott free for murdering her baby girl? Oh thats right...no crowds of people, taking to the streets, setting fires and vandilizing property, in protest over the horrible injustice that innocent baby suffered. Oh well.....I am just very fearful where this country will end up when "justice" is no longer determined within the judicial system, but in the streets, dictated by mob revenge. We can set out possies (sp) again, and start hanging people from the nearest tree!

very true!

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

Thank you for posting this link and this very informative bit of information. Wouldnt it be something if continuing to beat a drum over this verdict, and trying to declare an infringment on civil rights, actually turns up even MORE evidence that propells Zimmerman into the light, on the right side of justice? It may turn out Zimmerman may come out 100% ahead of the game if it turns out HIS civil rights have been trampled on....errrr, HE does have civil rights too, correct?

I don't think Zimmerman will come out ahead ever, in fact I think he will be murdered at some point; and if he's anywhere near a decent man he will die a little every day for what he did, even if it was somehow justifiable morally and legally. I know that if I were patrolling my neighborhood and following someone acting suspiciously, somehow a scuffle put my health or life at risk and it ended in my killing that other person, I'd never ever be the same or really enjoy life the same ever again. But in a life-or-death struggle, no matter who started it, I would try to save myself, even if it were a youth. I don't think I could just lie there and get beaten to death, no matter how justified the youth felt they were because I followed them or even if I jumped or incited them somehow. I'm just being honest. And I'd live a very sad life after that but work hard to make some kind of amends in every way I could.

[Britster]

From January 1, 2011 through February 26, 2012, police were called to The Retreat at Twin Lakes 402 times.[67] During the 18 months preceding the February 26 shooting, Zimmerman called the non-emergency police line seven times. On five of those calls, Zimmerman reported suspicious looking men in the area, but never offered the men's race without first being asked by the dispatcher.[81][82][83] Crimes committed at The Retreat in the year prior to Martin's death included eight burglaries, nine thefts, and one shooting.[84] Twin Lakes residents said there were dozens of reports of attempted break-ins, which had created an atmosphere of fear in their neighborhood.[2]

In September 2011, the Twin Lakes residents held an organizational meeting to create a neighborhood watch program. Zimmerman was selected by neighbors as the program's coordinator, according to Wendy Dorival, Neighborhood Watch organizer for the Sanford Police Department.[5][5][85]

Three weeks prior to the shooting, on February 2, 2012, Zimmerman called police to report a young man peering into the windows of an empty Twin Lakes home. Zimmerman was told a police car was on the way and he waited for their arrival. By the time police arrived, the suspect had fled. On February 6, workers witnessed two young black men lingering in the yard of a Twin Lakes resident around the same time her home was burglarized. A new laptop and some gold jewelry were stolen. The next day police discovered the stolen laptop in the backpack of a young black man, which led to his arrest. Zimmerman identified this young man as the same person he had spotted peering into windows on February 2.[2]

I am not saying Zimmerman should've got off scot-free, or is totally innocent in this, but, obviously this neighborhood has a crime problem and people were (rightfully) already very wary in general. Zimmerman already had the frustration of losing a snooper because police took too long. A week later, that snooper and a friend rob a resident. That would be frustrating to anyone, I think. One of the burglars isn't arrested. So a couple weeks later he sees someone who maybe matches the same description acting suspiciously. You can't necessarily blame him.