Anyone else creeped out or offended by Zimmerman's continual reference to Trayvon

[CatWoman]

as "the suspect"?

[madaboutharry]

1. He racially profiled Trayvon.

His entire story is a fabrication. It is a disgrace.

[zbdent]

5. He didn't even check T.M.'s facebook page

which the RWers use to condemn TM to the death penalty for ... um ... defending himself?

And the 'baggers whine and scream bloody murder for being "profiled" because the acronym TEA suggests that they will use any method to avoid paying taxes ...

[HappyMe]

2. Just about everything creeps me out

about this wannabe cop.

[redwitch]

3. I am creeped out by everything about him.

And that awful night. Trayvon should still be alive and Zimmerman is the reason he is not. I keep picturing my sons as they walked to the local convenience store in their hoodies. I can only watch the trial in small increments as I find it very upsetting.

Trayvon a suspect? What was his crime? Zimmerman is a sad little murderer, I hope he does serious time.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

99. His crime was being black. And Zimmerman's cheerleaders don't mind that at all.

[Buzz Clik]

4. The lawyer is trying to portray Trayvon as the bad guy and Zimmerman as a cop.

And,yeah, that's creepy.

[CatWoman]

6. which lawyer?

[Buzz Clik]

9. This guy:

Well, maybe not. Maybe I'm responding in the context of the OP. I can never tell.

[CatWoman]

15. I have absolutely no idea

what you're talking about???

[Buzz Clik]

17. It's okay.

My point was vague -- the idea of Zimmerman portraying himself as a cop while playing lawyer on the stand.

We could pursue this for a couple of hours if it really tickles your fancy.

[Duckwraps]

7. No. I would think that

its a common tactic for a shooter to claim that they are/were the victim.

[senseandsensibility]

8. Shouldn't the lawyers object to him being referred to that way

in court? He was only a suspect in Zimmy's imagination, and that is a very prejudicial term.

[riverwalker]

11. they are going to use it

to show Z as a wannabe cop, fits with his rejection from PD when he applied, his Judge Daddy. There is MUCH testimony to come.

[yellowcanine]

62. Yep. Zim's lawyer should have told him not to use that terminology.

This will work against him.

[onenote]

107. It wasn't used by Zimmerman's lawyer.

There seems to be a lot of confusion on this thread. The references by Zimmerman to Martin as a "suspect" were made the night of the shooting in an interview conducted by police with Zimmerman. The prosecution is playing that recording in court as part of its case. Zimmerman has not taken the stand to testify.

[JDPriestly]

63. The prosecution brought in all the evidence of Zimmerman's many

reports on "suspects" to the police, among which were some with really ugly racist references.

Now, Zimmerman is calling Trayvon a "suspect" because Trayvon was wearing a hoodie, carrying something and looking around . . . .

Here is a bit of my view of the reasoning behind this.

So, Zimmerman's defense is sort of "I really, honestly thought that Trayvon was a suspect. I made a mistake but I didn't show a lack of regard for human life. I was trying to do the right thing by following Trayvon."

And the prosecution is sort of presenting Zimmerman as a guy constantly looking for a suspect to hunt and kill to pump himself up, make himself feel more important than he is, maybe out of some sort of sadistic or racist instinct. In other words, Zimmerman is a dangerous person, a sick, sadistic person who was hunting for a victim, finally found it in Trayvon and will, if he gets by with this, kill again.

So the jury will decide. One factor they may consider that will not be stated directly in court is whether they as members of the jury want Zimmerman out on the street again. Will he pose a danger to others if he is walking freely amongst them? Or will the world be safer because of Zimmerman's diligence in searching for possible suspects?

[kudzu22]

78. So the state should object to its own exhibit?

The state offered the written statement as evidence against Zim. On what basis do they object?

[arcane1]

10. Is Zimmerman actually speaking in the trial?

[riverwalker]

12. no, they played audio

of his interview with SPD that night.

[arcane1]

19. Ah, ok. That just reinforces his wannabe status.

[Pelican]

33. In contrast to the testimony from the police neighborhood watch coordinator....

... who offere Zimmerman the equivalent of "civilian cop" with a car and a radio and the like.

He declined.

[KittyWampus]

20. There was a written… deposition (?) by Zimmerman in which he repeatedly refers to the victim as susp

suspect.

It caught my eye and it is infuriating.

[malaise]

13. Indeed the only suspect here is the murderer

Zimmerman

[11 Bravo]

18. Actually he has graduated from "suspect" to "defendant". Hopefully he will soon ascend to ...

the status of "convict".

[malaise]

21. Correct

I want convict

[CakeGrrl]

14. I'm not watching, but I'm sure it's to demonize Trayvon and justify his being shot.

Zimmerman needs to convince the jury that HE was in danger of this unarmed kid.

POS.

[onenote]

38. The prosecution is trying to demonize Trayvon?

If I understand what is going on, statements made by Zimmerman the night he shot Trayvon Martin are being entered into the record by the prosecution. Zimmerman refers to Trayvon as the "suspect" in those statements.

[KittyWampus]

16. Yes. And if you hadn't posted this, I would have. Haven't paid much attention to this

but was working out and they had it on… so I watched while waiting for a machine.

They showed some letter this guy wrote repeatedly calling Trayvon as "suspect. WTF?

[John2]

22. Which witness,

did Zimmerman ask to help sudue Trayvon, and which witness testified to that? That is an inconsistancy, from Zimmerman's lawyers or any police investor or detective being involved. And remember Serino was the lead investigator who didn't want to bring charges. I hope they go into it and the witnesses accused police of altering their testimony to support Zimmerman's account.

[Myrina]

23. "Suspected" of what? Being outside after dark?

Was Zimmerman responding to a report of a crime when he came across Martin?
Or was he just caught up in his little Police Academy fantasy?

This makes him look like a Grade A A-hole, IMO.

[lumpy]

92. In Zimmermans mind he thought Martin was a suspect about to do a crime.

Not in anyone else's mind. Zimmerman was not responding to any report of a crime. Obviously he thought he was hero bound and obsessed with wanting to be a crime buster.

[EdwardSmith74]

24. Trayvon was the victim. Zimmerman was the murderer. I think that should be pretty clear by now.

[onehandle]

25. This is how Dirty Harry wannabes talk.

How many Zimmermans are in our neighborhoods?

Isn't it bad enough that these gun loons leave guns lying around for our kids to find when visiting?

Now they are hunting down children.


Gun culture is a threat to national security. Far more dangerous than all the terrorists in the world.

[John2]

26. I still think

an important detail is being missed by the prosecution. This is a guy in charge of neighborhood watch and knew most of the residents. Only one witness claimed she even knew Zimmerman. And that was just in a brief encounter. If they didn't know him and he didn't know them, how does he know everybody in the neighborhood. It just defeats his claims about Trayvon being a suspicious guy in the neighborhood he never seen before. And the only thing left is his claim Trayvon circled his vehicle and looking in houses.

His claim about Trayvon saying you got me after being shot is crazy, if people want to fall for that.

[JimDandy]

46. "You shot me."

If Trayvon said Anything after being shot (wouldn't he have died instantly from a direct shot through the heart?), it's more likely he would have said that then the weird police movie line "You got me".

Only a police wannabe would have the "suspect" he chases then shoots say a line like that, which in police movie vernacular is the quick one-liner that conveys to the audience not just that the character saying it is a criminal, but is admitting guilt and proper apprehension by and submission to rightful authority.

Zimmerman put those words in Trayvon's mouth to validate the whole scenario he'd created in his mind about Trayvon being a bad black guy in that neighborhood who was up to no good.

That'll be 5 cents, please.

[Voice for Peace]

70. I've only got two cents

but I agree.. "you got me" -- it's absurd.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

102. Zimmerman admits that he couldn't even recall the street name. If he's the Neighborhood Watchman

shouldn't he know what street he was on without even having to look up at the street sign?

It's weird!

Well, it's not very weird. The guy is a fucking liar who might just get off because I truly believe that the police engaged in a cover-up.

[HipChick]

27. He's guilty of being black..

[Faux pas]

28. He's a creeping 'creepy cracker'.

Considering where the trial's taking place, he'll walk. 66% white, 17% black in that area.

[Incitatus]

29. Yes, he was a "creepy ass cracker" following a "fucking punk suspect".

It's clear to me who was more afraid of who. I doubt he will be found guilty, but I don't think his life will ever be the same. He'll probably go into hiding like Casey.

[Faux pas]

31. Yeah, he'll walk.

Maybe he and casey can hide out together.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

30. Don't forget that at this time, Zimmerman still had no idea that Trayvon...

....was a rightful guest staying in the community, and he was doing nothing more that night than walking home from 7-11 back to the house where he was staying.

At the time he gave these statements, Trayvon was still a "fucking punk" and an "asshole who always got away." He was an outsider who was "up to no good" and probably casing houses in the community.

I honestly think that on the night of the shooting, Zimmerman naturally assumed that police would give him the benefit of the doubt because he was the neighborhood watch liason and the person he shot was, in his mind, a thug up to no good.

It was extreme hubris on Zimmerman's part.

[WinkyDink]

42. Well, this is the basic story, so it is quite impossible to "forget."

[Voice for Peace]

71. and they almost DID give him the benefit of the doubt.

[rufus dog]

79. And the police action was equally bad

They didn't search the cell phone and try to contact someone regarding the death.

[notadmblnd]

80. Actually, I think the authorities were going to give him a free pass

But the outrage that ensued caused them to rethink the matter.

[yardwork]

83. Correct. The DA told them not to press charges.

It was only because of national public outrage that they ended up charging Zimmerman. They certainly did a poor job of investigating the situation.

And as I read the transcript of their "interrogation" of Zimmerman it sounds more like they are feeding him ideas for a good cover story. The police sound like they're trying to help Zimmerman out.

I can't help but wonder how this transcript would read if the ethnicities of the people involved were switched. If Zimmerman were black and had just shot a half-Hispanic Martin, would the police be treating Zimmerman this way?

[notadmblnd]

86. The cop even said he was trying to help him

It was a very interesting interview and I hope the jury gets to read it.

[yardwork]

87. I noticed that. And the female cop saying on the stand that God wouldn't blame Zimmerman for killing

Martin. What a disgrace.

[lumpy]

93. What ??? Unbelieveable !!!

n

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

103. And why was there is assumption? Why? I tell you why: Trayvon was black. That's all I need to know.

[korak]

32. Z is just not up to speed on his political correctness.

He should have called T a "person of interest"!!!!!

[alcibiades_mystery]

34. This is about political correctness?

Yeeeesh.

[korak]

35. Actually about sensitivity.

But some people ain't sensitive. A person under suspicion is a suspect. But the word has bad connotations to some. So modern sensitive police organizations have invented the phrase
"person of interest".

[Tommy_Carcetti]

36. Zimmerman wasn't a member of a police organziation. nt

[HangOnKids]

39. Happy 10 Year Anniversary On DU

25 posts in 10 years? But you are interested in posting about Zimmy?

[korak]

48. Probably a foolish thing to do. After ten years of lurking,

I am well aware that there are many officious "political officers" in residence here!

[HangOnKids]

58. 10 Years of Lurking Is Quite Common

Because almost nothing of interest has happened in 10 years. But of course the Zimmy trial is the event of the decade, I understand your concern.

[korak]

67. It brings together a lot of threads of interest.

politics, culture, society, psychology, the human condition in general and more...

And I, being a finite being, change. Change is good! Or is it?

[Voice for Peace]

72. oh ffs

This person has done nothing to deserve your suspicion/
passive aggressive attitude in regards to posting.

It's this kind of stuff that wrecks DU, and derails
perfectly good discussion.

Please don't do it.

[WinkyDink]

41. And since when was Trayvon Martin declared "under suspicion"? If I call YOU that, is it so?

SEE HOW THAT WORKS?

Hit the road.

[Kingofalldems]

44. So actually you are a suspect by your own reasoning.

[korak]

59. You are certainly right there!

I am obviously under suspicion here. If I only knew what the charges were, I would enter a plea.

[Voice for Peace]

73. I can tell you exactly. You are under suspicion of

being a lurking troll with a suspiciously low post count
who posts only once in a blue moon in order to support
the enemy whoever it may be.

In this case there have been many new posters
appearing in all of the threads about this trial.
Most have very low post counts, and most are
working to throw doubt on Zimmerman's
guilt. Many are making ridiculous and not-very-
intelligent arguments.

I didn't get the sense that's what you are up to
but that's probably the suspected crime, and
now you may defend yourself, if you feel like
it.

[korak]

98. Thank you for spelling that out.

A general defense against those charges is probably a long term task!

And all I said essentially was that Trayvon was Zimmerman's suspect. Which he was.

A troll for the "enemy" Sheesh.

[Voice for Peace]

100. I thought you made a lighthearted comment about political correctness

and people received it poorly.

It makes me cranky when people here are
arrogant and dismissive toward each other.

[korak]

105. Yeah, that's what I thought I was doing too.

The problem, I think,
was interrupting a Zimmerman hatefest. I must admit, they do have a scary fascination for me. And they have drawn me out to finally make a few posts.

[bravenak]

76. Not guilty!

[yardwork]

82. Why would Martin be "under suspicion?" He was dead. He was the victim of a shooting.

On what planet would the victim of a shooting be "under suspicion?" Oh right, I forget. Martin was black.

Welcome to DU.

[CatWoman]

43. and I shall call you

"a person full of bullshit"

[korak]

52. No. Only partially full!

And I am a cat person!

But indulging in a little word fun in this thread was definitely a mistake!

[Voice for Peace]

74. many people have a habit of kneejerk response to something they think they have read, but haven't

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

37. Wannabe cop

This fucker better not walk.

[Marrah_G]

40. By calling him that he makes himself the victim

He is a wanna be cop.

[justiceischeap]

55. But what it does in this context, is make him look like he's profiling an innocent kid

It's obvious, with absolutely no proof of wrong doing, that Zimmerman profiled this kid and decided that he was up to no good. Why? For no reason other than he's a black kid wearing a hoodie? Because maybe Trayvon looked in someone's window? When I walk at night and people have their curtains open, I'll sometimes peak in too, it's called curiosity (I don't walk up to the window and press my nose against it, but I will turn my head and take a gander--don't do it so much after I caught neighbors having sex). That sounds like an excuse he used to further profile this kid.

[Marrah_G]

56. The cops that night certainly bought it

[justiceischeap]

57. That doesn't say much for the cops, who do their own share of profiling. nt

[noiretextatique]

45. totally creepy...even creepier

are all the assholes who think just like zimmerman.

[CatWoman]

49. word

[spanone]

47. we need to get rid of vigilante justice....

p.s. mr zimmerman, YOU are the suspect

[Skittles]

50. suspect = walking while black

yes INDEED

[pacalo]

51. It says a lot about the wannabe cop.

[wryter2000]

53. That can't be good for his case, can it? n/t

n/t

[Ian_rd]

54. Just acting like a wanna-be cop.

[Ilsa]

60. I guess his lawyer told him to call TM that.

I'm surprised the prosecution hasn't objected to this characterization of TM, who is clearly the victim.

[CatWoman]

65. no, no, no

this conversation is based on taped interviews which occurred the night of the shooting between Zimmerman and the SPD.

Way before Zimmerman lawyered up.

[Ilsa]

66. Phew! Thank you. nt

[Jamastiene]

61. Offended and disgusted, yep.

He doesn't get to call someone a suspect or should not, anyhow. Even police need a reason to call someone a suspect. Walking home from the store wearing a hoodie while black is not a crime, or should not be. Apparently, in Zimmerman's mind, though, it was a crime for Trayvon to merely walk back home from the store. It's a damn shame a young man died simply because he was spotted by some asshole with a chip on his shoulder and a gun in his hand. Even looking at Zimmerman makes me want to

[Skidmore]

64. Patrick Murphy, legal contributor on MSNBC, just pointed out

that Zimmerman was given a Concealed Carry Permit in spite of having a restraining order against him and a charge of domestic violence. Also was charged with fighting with a police officer. I had not heard that before. Hope I'm recalling that correctly because my allergy medicine is messing with me big time now.

Edited:

Found an article with documentation.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/03/27/10894561-zimmerman-accused-of-domestic-violence-fighting-with-a-police-officer?lite

[yardwork]

84. Yes, Zimmerman had previously assaulted a police officer. The media should mention this more often.

[John2]

68. There wasn't

that many bushes in the area for Trayvon to hide. Zimmerman claims no lights were on and it was too dark.Go back to Good's testimony and how he made descriptions of what he supposedly saw.

He claims he saw Zimmerman getting beat MMA style and the person on bottom calling for help. Listen to Zimmerman's testimony that he claims a person stepped out on the porch and he told that person to help him subdue Martin. That is not what Good claimed.

He didn't claim Zimmerman said anything to him or asked him to help sudue this guy. Now somebody is lying between Zimmerman and Good or they can't get their stories straight.

The other witness claiming he took the first photographs claimed he saw Zimmerman walking towards him. He even said Zimmerman crouched at one moment and he asked Zimmerman what happened. He claimed Zimmerman said he shot someone in self defense. He did not claim he spotted Zimmerman at or on the body when he first spotted him. Again, somebody need to get their stories straight.

Zimmerman also made no mention of the two female witnesses that went outside either and reported seeing him on top of Trayvon. He only mentioned the two males. I think the prosecution should recall the two male witnesses and maybe the female witness again. Which of the two males did Zimmerman ask to help him subdue Martin before he shot him. It had to be Good. Both can't be telling the Truth.

[CatWoman]

69. the prosecution will have a field day with those witnesses

[John2]

75. I think there is

a cover up going on to support his story and it is not working if the prosecution does their job correctly. He went a long way to find an address from where he left his truck. How can he have a good memory on some aspects but can't even remember the streets or addresses of an area he supposedly lived in? And I make the observation again, only one witness that actually lived in the area claims they know him.

His implications when he first came into contact with Martin, indicates an implied assumption, he thought Trayvon was dangerous. Yet he went a distance, with a loaded gun on him, looking for Trayvon. His whole story is full of shit!

[lumpy]

94. I do hope the female eye witness is called back to the stand.

She made clear during the shooting that Zimmerman must have been on top of Martin because she witnessed the two persons struggling on the ground during the time of the gunshot. After the shot the person On Top got up and walked back and forth with one hand on his head, the person on the ground remained inert obviously unmoving.

[TorchTheWitch]

96. not one witness spoke to Z until he got up off of Martin

Z's saying that the Asian guy with the flashlight came upon him while he was still on top of Z and Z asking him to help and asking him to call 911, etc. didn't happen according that that guy's own testimony. Essentially, Z reversed the characters in his version claiming that what the Asian guy testified that he himself said was what Z himself said and further embellished that he was asking the guy to help to hold Martin down. According the the Asian guy's testimony part of which is corroborated by other witnesses is that he came upon Z when he saw him walking toward him and that Z had his cellphone to his ear. He also testified that he asked Z if he should call 911, and Z hung up his phone and said that he just did (however, I don't recall that Z ever DID call 911 after the incident himself, so who was he on the phone with?). Other witnesses testified that there were no sounds until the Asian guy with the flashlight came upon Z standing up on the sidewalk, and other witness testified that they saw Z right after the shooting walking back and forth along the sidewalk when the Asian guy with the flashlight came upon him.

Nothing about Z's story with the Asian guy with the flashlight is what happened as the guy's own testimony and that of several others attests to. That single total mischaracterization of what occurred between the Asian guy with the flashlight and himself puts everything else he claimed into jeopardy. This is not one small detail. The entire exchange between them was false, where he was and what he was doing when he first encountered the Asian guy with the flashlight is false, and his reversing what the two of them said to each other is not only false but tries to make himself appear the good guy of the two.

I also don't think that Z was aware of any witnesses until the Asian guy with the flashlight came upon him though he may recall Good saying something. Good's testimony I just have to entirely discount. He lied about what he saw to the media which he had to recant in court, and he continually testified to things that his imagination told him and not what he actually saw or heard, like the whole MMA style positions and how they were fighting, his belief that the screaming came from Z because he thought that it should come from the person on the bottom, etc. It wouldn't surprise me if this dude referred to his witnessing two people having sex where one was on top of the other straddling them as some sort of MMA style position and that the person on top must have been reining blows on the person on bottom because he seems to like to see with his imagination according to MMA fighting rather than what his eyes are telling him as two people having sex.

[coeur_de_lion]

77. Everything about this kid creeps me out

I hope they convict him quickly so we can all put this behind us and Trayvon's parents can have some peace.

[yardwork]

81. No more creeped out than I am by the fact that Zimmerman stalked and murdered Martin.

I'm becoming very creeped out by the number of people who apparently think that it's perfectly fine to hunt down and shoot an unarmed teen and then claim "self defense."

[Lex]

101. Exactly so.

[tavernier]

85. But what if...

DUN...DUN...DUN...DUN...

He's telling the truth???

[yardwork]

89. The truth about what? That Martin was a suspect? He wasn't.

Martin was not a suspect. He was the victim of a shooting.

[tavernier]

90. I'm just saying,

are you prepared for the possibility that the jury might accept his testimony?

[yardwork]

91. Whose testimony? Zimmerman's? He hasn't testified yet and I doubt that he will.

Anyway, the jury accepting his story and his story being the truth are two completely separate things.

[arely staircase]

88. no shit

that sys a lot, doesn't it?

[NealK]

97. Yes.

He's the victim. The murder victim.

[Rex]

104. The guy is koo koo for coco puffs.

He won't fool a single jury member what that cop babble.

My personal opinion, he is digging himself deeper into a hole. I think he has reached the point of fantasy land as it dawns on him he will be spending a lot of time behind bars. The denial is getting to him, reality is cracking into his fantasia.

[Notafraidtoo]

106. I wonder how many times.

Zimmerman mentioned his dad the Judge when talking to police and detectives we don't know about. Maybe they didn't want to risk their careers by rocking the boat and arresting Zimmerman so they gave him a pass. Now they have made their bed and have to lay in it as shown on the witness stand.


Zimmerman's walk through of events with detectives is weird, if his dad wasn't a judge he would not have been let go.

[onenote]

108. He may have mentioned it, but it isn't true and I doubt it had any impact

Zimmerman's father was not a "judge." Rather, from 2000 to 2006, he served in Virginia (not Florida) as a "magistrate. A magistrate in Virginia doesn't have to be a lawyer or go to law school. Second, they are not paid anywhere near to what a judge is paid ($35K to $50K compared to $160K to $180K).

Second, the state of Virginia officially takes the position that a magistrate is not a judge. Which makes sense since basically all a magistrate can do is issue warrants and subpoenas and set bail. No trial jurisdiction. No power to convict or acquit. Indeed, at the time Zimmerman's father was a magistrate in Virginia, magistrates couldn't even handle traffic tickets.

I doubt that Zimmerman's references to his father as a retired judge, assuming he made them, had much influence on police who almost certainly would never have heard of Zimmerman's father (who, as mentioned, was a magistrate in Virginia and lived in a different town in Florida).