Zimmerman’s attorney: Trayvon Martin killed 'because of his own doing'
Source: CSM
Mark O’Mara, George Zimmerman’s attorney, suggested at a bond hearing Friday that the state’s case against him in the Trayvon Martin murder case is so weak that it doesn’t warrant more punishment from the court. Prosecutors disagree.
Mr. Zimmerman had been previously freed on bond, but that was revoked earlier this month when Judge Kenneth Lester agreed that Zimmerman conspired with his wife to lie to the court about the couple’s finances.
Judge Lester left the second bond hearing Friday without making a decision, but undoubtedly with a clearer view of the looming legal confrontation over the controversial killing of an unarmed black teenager in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26.
¬snip¬
Zimmerman’s attorney, Mark O’Mara, introduced a 911 tape that includes a scream that Zimmerman’s father said was his son’s, medical records that show damage to Zimmerman’s face and head, and testimony from a paramedic who said blood covered nearly half of Zimmerman’s face on the night of the shooting. The evidence, Mr. O’Mara said, was intended to suggest that the state’s case for second-degree murder is so weak that it should play a role in whether the judge should further “punish” Zimmerman by letting him stay in jail until the trial.
“The strength of the state’s case for second-degree murder is something you need to take apart,” O’Mara told Lester.
Read more: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2012/0629/Zimmerman-s-attorney-Trayvon-Martin-killed-because-of-his-own-doing
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slackmaster
(60,567 posts)It's pretty disgusting IMO.
Response to slackmaster (Reply #1)
bupkus This message was self-deleted by its author.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)The point is to figure out the actual truth underneath peoples' conflicting claims and counter-claims.
Response to slackmaster (Reply #8)
bupkus This message was self-deleted by its author.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)Attorney Benjamin Crump said on Wednesday he wants “full transparency” in the case, after several news outlets–including ABC, NBC and CNN–were given access to a sealed medical examiner’s report on Martin....
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/trayvon-martin-family-lawyers-stop-leaks-release-records-152333240.html
DallasNE
(7,403 posts)One side is calling for full transparency with all the facts. In other words, let the cards fall where they may. The other side is putting out distortions all over the place. This side is forcing the other side to call for full release to stop the one-sided trial by public opinion. I still don't know why the Judge hasn't issued a gag order to prevent O'Mara from using his sleezy tactics.
csziggy
(34,138 posts)The news media sued for access normal under Florida law. According to Florida law once evidence is released to the defense it becomes public knowledge. It takes an extraordinary situation for the evidence to remain sealed in Florida. The judge did at the request of both prosecution and defense agree to redact witness information in the evidence before it became publicly available.
You can look at the court filings here: http://www.flcourts18.org/presspublic.html
Both defense and prosecution have agreed to review the evidence before it is posted publicly. O'Mara seems to be selectively completing his review since far more information should be available and most of what is seems to be more in Zimmerman's favor, IMO at least.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)Yep. That's his job.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)csziggy
(34,138 posts)In most ways it is a good thing, but sometimes it works against justice.
Response to slackmaster (Reply #13)
bupkus This message was self-deleted by its author.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)But it really isn't.
An important function of a trial is determining which pieces of accumulated evidence get presented to the jury, and how they are presented. And there is much more to a trial - Testimony by witnesses and technical experts, also subject to being filtered and presented to the jury in a controlled manner.
At the end of the day it's the jury that decides what happened and what did not happen. Everyone outside of the courtroom is suspect of having some kind of agenda, even if that is only to gain the highest share of a TV viewing audience. That kind of agenda is anathema to the process of determining the truth.
I think it would be best if NONE of the evidence was leaked to the media.
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)Please tell me I'm wrong about that.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)That's really what I want.
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)n/t.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)And the supporters of Trayvon and the apologists for Zimmerman?
As if Trayvon's family's push to have a trial is the same thing as Zimmerman's family and lawyers' attempt to discredit Trayvon's memory by falsely labeling him a thug?
As if both are nothing but competing "interest groups"?.
As if both are have experienced equal pain?
Trayvon's family had to bury a 17-year-old kid. Zimmerman's family hasn't suffered at all.
And remember, this is STILL the South(I say that as a person whose family on my father's side moved away from Tennessee only in 1910) and there's still just as little reason as there ever was for African-Americans in the South to simply trust the judicial system to do what it's supposed to do(not that that system is perfect anywhere else, but still...)
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)I'm sure you know the answer to that question.
How could such a statement, made in the heat of emotion and not under oath or on a witness stand be of any benefit to the process of assembling an unbiased jury? I don't believe it's possible that both of the individuals who PUBLICLY said that can be factually correct, but I don't have any reason to believe that either of them was deliberately lying.
This isn't a sporting event. Rooting for one side or the other at this point could only be a result of prejudice, by definition. A young man was deprived of the better part of his life, and I'd like to know WHY that happened.
Trayvon's family had to bury a 17-year-old kid. Zimmerman's family hasn't suffered at all.
Not to suggest that the suffering is comparable, but how can you say that the family of a man who has been excoriated in the media, charged with murder, jailed, and threatened hasn't suffered?
Let me remind you of what I've said consistently about this case from the very beginning:
George Zimmerman is morally responsible for the needless death of a young man. He created and pursued a situation that did not have to happen. He used poor judgment before, during, and after the incident.
George Zimmerman's actions have brought pain TO HIS OWN FAMILY. They deserve empathy as well.
If George Zimmerman is convicted of a CRIME for what he did, then we can all say the system worked.
If George Zimmerman managed to do what he did and NOT get convicted of a crime, then maybe we can start looking at WHY that happened. Maybe the system is broken.
We can't come to a proper conclusion until the process of the trial is complete.
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)let alone the South.
Real life is not like a Jimmy Stewart movie, my friend. It's only protest that gets justice in "the land of the free". The system only works when it's forced to from below.
If Trayvon's family and supporters had been silent and "known their place", Zimmerman would have walked. The state was going to let him get away with it. It always does in cases like this.
And there's no comparison at all between what Trayvon's family and supporters did, on the one hand, and the racist hate campaign orchestrated by the lawyers Zimmerman's retired judge daddy hired.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)I'm not buying it.
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)n/t.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)...And changed their minds as a result of the publicity.
Nothing short of that would satisfy me.
mzmolly
(51,006 posts)The original investigator wanted Zimmerman charged with manslaughter. As more information came out, (who cried for help, witness statements, forensics etc.) the state of Florida decided that a 2nd degree murder charge was appropriate.
mzmolly
(51,006 posts)to know what the truth is. Zimmerman is F.O.S. His statements, when compared to police calls and other evidence, don't mesh.
frylock
(34,825 posts)and spare me the innocent until proven guilty BS.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)...the confrontation.
24601
(3,963 posts)ethicsinit
(5 posts)I'd be interested to hear your thoughts...
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)State attorneys are not supposed to be influenced by protests, only evidence. An admission that they were swayed by protests could jeopardize their chances of getting a conviction and of making it stick.
csziggy
(34,138 posts)And their attorney. O'Mara has been selective about what he has requested so that only selected information is getting out to the public.
In addition, though both the prosecution and the defense have agrees to redact witness information, the redaction process has been dragged out, far longer than simply removing the agreed upon information would take.
bjobotts
(9,141 posts)It was he who came up with the story and how the story should be told.
thucythucy
(8,087 posts)without the Martin family raising the issue in the first place.
You might recall the original "verdict" of "the system" was that Mr. Zimmerman shouldn't face all the nasty inconvenience of being detained, let alone standing trial, just because he was found standing over the body of a dead teenager, gun in hand, admitting he'd fired the lethal shot.
Without that original commotion, we wouldn't be looking at "such formal processes" at all.
But I agree, let the process now take its course. We can only hope all the facts will come out at trial.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)The Zimmerman matter was handed over to the state on March 12, four days after the Martin family held a press conference and publicly demanded that Zimmerman be prosecuted.
It has the appearance of post hoc ergo proper hoc - One cannot say with certainty how the state would have acted in the absence of the publicity. The Martin family's attorneys have been very effective at creating the impression that if not for their actions there would have been a complete miscarriage of justice. But the facts really don't support it. Maybe they prevented the case from being dropped, or maybe they took what would not have been widely discussed and turned it into a media event. I'm not convinced either way.
On March 13 the Martin family and their attorney went public again, demanding that the Sanford PD release the 911 tapes. Believe what you wish, but it's disingenuous to suggest that the Martin family's attorneys are acting in the public interest, in the pursuit of unvarnished truth, rather than trying to put things in the best light for their clients.
The truth WILL come out, despite all of the efforts that have been made to color it.
Paladin
(28,276 posts)Yeah, right. Your objectivity on the Martin matter really shows up.
(Sarcasm alert, as if anybody needs it.)
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)...from the very beginning.
If you'll go back and read more carefully I believe you will see that I am not convinced that justice would not have been served had the Martin family and their attorneys not made it into a public spectacle.
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)
slackmaster
(60,567 posts) Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)when it comes to the legal system.
If they'd kept their mouth shut, Zimmerman would have walked. That's how it is in Florida when the victim is black and the killer isn't.
What planet are you watching this story from?
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)I know it's considered heresy on DU to question such a statement, but you really have nothing to back it up other than the fact that it's been repeated many times. Even if it is true in a general way, you cannot say that it is always the case or that it would have turned out that way in this particular situation. People have made money off the publicity in this case. I always become suspicious of the true motives of lawyers who get hired by people who aren't parties in a criminal or civil case, then create a public spectacle.
What planet are you watching this story from?
It's unfortunate that you are not able to keep the discussion rational, but I've seen that kind of outburst from you before, Ken. You are patient and reasonable up to a point, then something pushes you over the edge and you lose your composure.
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)It's delusional to think we have equal justice for all in practice in this country, and it was despicably insulting for you to imply that there was no moral difference between what Trayvon's supporters and family did before the trial and what the racist apologists for Zimmerman did. You owe everyone in Trayvon's family an apology for that.
And really, why would you believe that the law enforcement system in Florida could be trusted to do what's right on this?
Even though there are non-racists within it, it's still driven by an essentially white supremacist ethos. That's all "Law and Order" ever meant anywhere in the South.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)Only white people with money can afford to just "trust the system" like you wanted Trayvon's family too. That's why they had no alternative but to go to the streets.
You're obviously too privileged and insulated from the realities of most people's lives to get that. Enjoy your air-conditioned ivory tower.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)Please stop misquoting me.
You're obviously too privileged and insulated from the realities of most people's lives to get that. Enjoy your air-conditioned ivory tower.
That's some pretty serious bad assumptions and bigotry on your part, Ken.
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)Everything you've posted here is predicated on those assumptions.
If you didn't believe that the poor and the Rainbow should know their place and simply trust their "betters" to do the right thing, why would you be attacking Trayvon's family and their supporters at all?
And so what if a few people made money by leeching off this? That doesn't discredit the vast majority of Trayvon's supporters, or anyone at all in Trayvon's family. It just means that some people will find a way to make a buck out of anything.
Frankly, it sounds like you're being contrarian for the sake of being contrarian. Not a useful stance to take in a discussion like this.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)How many fingers am I holding up?
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)If Trayvon's family and supporters had said nothing, Zimmerman wouldn't be on trial. We can assume this because this is Florida.
Stop sneering at the grieving family of a murdered kid already.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)...would not have been charged had there been no protests? Has the State Attorney's office said so? Does it appear in any of the court documents? Or did the information originate from the people who put on the protests?
State Attorneys are supposed to act only in the basis of law and evidence, not political pressure. Are you saying that you believe that the SA's office caved to the protesters?
Be careful what you wish for. An admission of that nature would weaken the case against George Zimmerman.
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)It was weeks before the State's Attorney was willing to even discuss the possibility of charging Zimmerman.
You can't seriously be saying that the justice system would have done the right thing if it had been left alone. They NEVER do that when the victim is black or brown in this country. How can you believe otherwise?
And it's a white state in the South. That also tells the tale.
Christ, why would you EVER give prosecutors in this country the benefit of the doubt when it comes to cases like this?
It's not like they treat all victims as equals.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)...to let him "walk."
The rest of your post is nonsense. You have no proof that the decision to press charges had anything to do with the protests.
dpibel
(2,854 posts)Who are they? What's your source?
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)Pretty obvious.
GeorgeGist
(25,323 posts)
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)WJG
(1 post)Your dates are misleading. Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin of February 26 and the tapes were not turned over until March 16, nearly a month later and despite the Martin family demanding the tapes sooner. Whether or not the case was handed over to the state, it was not going to be prosecuted because the Sanford police claimed there was no reason for it.
The truth would have been swept under a rug, had not the family and then the people created the uproar over the way the situation had been handled. We know that. Regardless, that is not the issue now. The issue is whether Zimmerman should be convicted for killing the young man. Subissue: Did Trayvon have a right to stand his ground to a stalker with a gun? Subissue: If Zimmerman lied about his assets, whether by omission or not, can his character be trusted?
barbtries
(28,811 posts)i hope the prosecutors bring up Trayvon's right to defend himself against an ARMED attacker.
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)BTW, what do you think is the truth? You can't honestly believe Zimmerman, for God's sake.
Moses2SandyKoufax
(1,290 posts)The way I see it there are two camps of people who believe George Zimmerman's story:
1) Racists
2) Gun nuts who think that this case is putting two of their pet issues (CCW, SYG) on trial
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)
hack89
(39,171 posts)those that understand that under Florida law, Zimmerman could have been the aggressor and still have the legal right to use deadly force in self defense. That the following, ignoring the police dispatcher, are all irrelevant if Trayvan threw the first punch and was in fact pounding Zimmerman's head on the concrete. Not saying Zimmerman's story is true, but IF.
I think Zimmerman should go to jail. But the prosecutor has a tough prosecution on her hands - it is not a slam dunk with no eye witnesses to the actual shooting. And Florida self defense law (NOT SYG by the way) is on his side unless the prosecution has witnesses that can debunk Zimmerman's story of what happened when he and Martin met.
thucythucy
(8,087 posts)It then took until March 12 for the case to be handed over to the state for investigation as "an unnatural death," which you would like us to believe just somehow coincidentally happened only a few days after the Martin family went public.
It then took until April 11, and a good deal more public outcry, for Zimmerman to be arrested.
So you don't believe "the facts support" the idea that it was only the public outcry that led to this result? Well, as you say, we all can believe what we want, and there's no way to prove or disprove an alternate chain of events.
But let's do a quick gut check here: do you honestly believe that if an African American adult male, armed with a handgun, had shot and killed an unarmed white teenager visiting the home of a friend, that the Sanford police would have released the alleged assailant the night of the shooting? And that it would have taken the Florida authorities a month and a half to bring an indictment and make an arrest?
Whatever the case, it IS in the public interest that this matter be aired, thoroughly and properly, and that can best happen at a public trial, with witnesses testifying under oath and thus legally responsible for their statements, and all the evidence available for examination. As I recall, the reason Mr. Zimmerman is in jail right now, as opposed to being out on bail, is because he was less than completely honest the first time he appeared before a judge. To my mind, this does not bode well for his ability to tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" but we shall see.
Hopefully the prosecutors will do their job, as will the defense, and we will see justice is truly done.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)SA being the State Attorney, and the SA's office has never said anything to indicate that its actions have been influenced by the media circus which was orchestrated by attorneys hired by the Martin family. I'll say it once again - In Florida the law requires all cases of unnatural death to be referred to the Department of Justice. That is the case in California where I live, and I believe in most other states. Someone who says the police can just send the body straight to the morgue in a homicide case without referring the matter to the SA is repeating a fairy tale. Follow the money - Who stands to gain financially from the hype that has been tagged onto this case?
The Martin family has been victimized by predators seeking to cash in on their tragedy.
Whatever the case, it IS in the public interest that this matter be aired, thoroughly and properly, and that can best happen at a public trial, with witnesses testifying under oath and thus legally responsible for their statements, and all the evidence available for examination.
That's exactly what I have been saying all along! I'm glad you agree.
CommonSenseForChange
(24 posts)Last edited Sat Jun 30, 2012, 01:01 PM - Edit history (1)
On page 39 of the documents released to the public, Serino states:
"On 02/26/2012 at approximately 2345 hours I spoke with Assistant State Attorney Kelly Jo Hines and apprised
her of the circumstances surrounding this case."
maddezmom
(135,060 posts)
Response to thucythucy (Reply #15)
bupkus This message was self-deleted by its author.
barbtries
(28,811 posts)zimmerman would have walked. what choice did they have? how have they been disgusting?
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)By law all unnatural deaths have to be referred to the SA in Florida.
My question is very serious - What is the SOURCE of the notion that the protests influenced the prosecution?
ETA be careful what you wish for. If the SA admits that the only reason they pressed charges was the public outcry, that will weaken the case against George Zimmerman.
barbtries
(28,811 posts)it's disingenuous of you imo to infer that zimmerman would have even had to stand trial if Trayvon's family had not enlisted the public's help in getting the case known.
i know that because of the way it played out. you can say i cannot "know" that, and i suppose i cannot "prove" that, but it did play out the way it did. the police in sanford were all for letting zimmerman walk for whatever reason - racism, interference by his father, laziness, you name it.
Trayvon's family has not reacted to his death in a disgusting manner. they have been wonderful advocates for the cause of justice for their murdered loved one.
i have some sad experience in this regard. my daughter's killer was charged with murder and the DA let her plead down to lesser felonies and she ended up getting only 4 years and serving just over two. i will always wonder if i should have made more noise with the local media. i didn't though, i followed the advice of the DA and the civil attorneys. but i will always wonder.
if it takes shaming the DA to effect justice then so be it. without Trayvon's parents making sure that the world knew what had happened to their son, i believe it would have just gone away, just the way zimmerman expected it to. no, i don't "know" that, but i definitely believe it.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)...would have been handed over to the SA no matter what the police had concluded or what they recommended.
The idea that the protests were the only reason Zimmerman was charged is an article of faith. Question it and you are automatically accused of "defending" Zimmerman.
barbtries
(28,811 posts)it took them over a month to charge zimmerman and they needed a special prosecutor appointed first. that is not business as usual.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)...business as usual. Add to the mix the fact that Angela Corey is up for re-election as State Attorney in November. There is a lot more riding on this case than the pursuit of truth and justice.
I think that's wrong, but that's the way it is.
barbtries
(28,811 posts)but i think it's an eminently makeable case...i'm more worried about the jury. it's FL. i still remember Casey Anthony. 
Phillyman
(7 posts)Are you suggesting political pressure didnt effect the chief of police, but does the prosecutor?
Also, didnt Lee say in his response to the manslaughter charge questions that such a charge was required in order for the SA to pick up the case? If they pick them all up this seems unnecessary.
"His agency recommended the manslaughter charge on paper, the statement said, because without it, prosecutors would not have taken over the investigation."
http://news.bostonherald.com/news/national/south/view.bg?&articleid=1061144477&format=&page=1&listingType=natsouth#articleFull
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)what he had done
agent46
(1,262 posts)If it happens to you, you had it coming. There is perfect justice in gawd's police state.
appleannie1
(5,070 posts)They are supposed to sit down and and say "I'm sorry for walking home in your neighborhood".
eom
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)He was the one following Martin. Martin was just minding his own business walking back home to the house owned by his father's girlfriend. He had every right to be walking where he was.
neohippie
(1,142 posts)What other lies might he have told already since he mistrusted the system, perhaps there are other parts of his account that he lied about because he didn't trust that someone would believe what he did was in self defense, when his actions didn't appear to be those of someone who was acting out of fear by getting out of his vehicle and running into the dark rainy night back into a dark area behind the houses.
Also the words that Zimmerman claims that Martin said, seem more like a self defense script, or a movie line for a thug character than they do for a educated young man, it's almost as if Zimmerman came up with this story to explain that he shot the person he thought that he had profiled, a young thug, instead of the young man who wasn't casing houses or selling drugs, he was just walking home, perhaps he made up this story before it was ever explained to him that Trayvon wasn't a thug, and that he had a right to be in that gated community
ScottLand
(2,485 posts)Why should we believe everything he says isn't a lie he's allowing to exist because he mistrusts the system?
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)
DocMac
(1,628 posts)
Roy Rolling
(6,941 posts)Trayvon should have known better than to be born black. 
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)That's what the pro-Zimmerman people are essentially saying-if you're black and you're a teenager, you're AUTOMATICALLY guilty. They might as well just give you the chair as soon as you turn 13, to hear The Big Zimm tell it.
FreeBC
(403 posts)I doubt Zimmerman will be convicted of anything serious. The best case scenario seems to be getting some kind of plea agreement that will send him to jail for a year or so with probation after that. Hopefully they can at least get him to plea to a felony so he will no longer be able to own a gun in the state of Florida.
In my opinion the problem here are the laws that let a guy like Zimmerman patrol his neighborhood with a loaded gun in the first place.
tabatha
(18,795 posts)He made the decision to get out of the car against advice.
He chose to follow Trayvon.
He chose not to diffuse the situation by asking why Trayvon was where he was.
He chose to pull the trigger.
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
IamK
(956 posts)hack89
(39,171 posts)it depends purely on what the law does and does not say.
Zimmerman is morally culpable for Martin's death - his choices led the shooting.
But that does not mean it was against the law.
Florida law specifically details two situations where the aggressor can legally use deadly force in self defense. And that is what I think he will use for his legal defense.
kitt6
(516 posts)Needs to be locked up with him. Mark Furhman mf.
fascisthunter
(29,381 posts)
Social_Democrat191
(5 posts)I just love the bullshit racists come up with to justify their actions and beliefs. "It wasn't my fault I shot an innocent black kid, he had it coming! It was his own doing!" Absolute bullshit.
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)Social_Democrat191
(5 posts)It's great to be here, and to be able to discuss politics and the like among rational, intelligent people.
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)It is a wide tent, DU. I've been here for 8 yrs and felt the same. There are all sorts here and many different forums and groups. Hope you find somewhere that fits you well. It is an interesting place.
And I agree about Zimmy.
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)george is taking after his daddy
Social_Democrat191
(5 posts)Forgive me if this is too bold a statement, but isn't "He/She was asking for it" (whatever "it" may be) the same argument used by most rapists/date-rapists to justify their crimes? I mean, rapist logic doesn't seem like a very good basis to build an argument on.
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)
Brigid
(17,621 posts)I, A middle-aged white woman, could have run down to that 7-11 for a snack and not been hassled by some dumbass cop wannabe while Trayvon gets killed for it, and said cop wannabe might get away with it.
rks306
(116 posts)I know, He Was Black, He Had HOODY on. What a crime.
marble falls
(57,275 posts)fired by by the lawyer's racist criminal client.
Liberalman777
(35 posts)No more than a rent-a- cop Guard. He was a neighborhood watch. The Cops told him not to pursue him and he did anyway.. The very least his should get voluntary manslaughter but IMHO it should be 3rd degree murder..
obamanut2012
(26,142 posts)So, he doesn't even have THAT going for him.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)...In every presentation, “I go through what the rules and responsibilities are,” she said Thursday. The volunteers’ role, she said, is “being the eyes and ears” for the police, “not the vigilante.” Members of a neighborhood watch “are not supposed to confront anyone,” she said. “We get paid to get into harm’s way. You don’t do that. You just call them from the safety of your home or your vehicle.”
Using a gun in the neighborhood watch role would be out of the question, she said in an interview.
Mr. Zimmerman was there, she recalled, and the local group appointed him their coordinator. But on Feb. 26, Mr. Zimmerman, 28, pursued, confronted and fatally shot Trayvon Martin, 17, an unarmed black high school student who had been carrying only an iced tea and a bag of Skittles....
Wendy Dorival is the Sanford PD's volunteer coordinator. She has plenty of negative things to say about George Zimmerman's conduct, but at no point in the interview does she disavow him as a member of Neighborhood Watch.
It's time to put the "He's not really a member of Neighborhood Watch" canard to rest.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/us/trayvon-martin-death-spotlights-neighborhood-watch-groups.html?_r=2
Phillyman
(7 posts)The one thing I read here is that Zimmerman himself set up a volunteer neighborhood watch. This supports his being a wanna be IMO. If I can't be a cop, I'll do the next best thing.
So there clearly wasnt a existing structure he joined, since he created it. My next question would be is here a difference between this volunteer watch group, and other types? Ie is it legit and affiliated.
And this shows he didn't follow his training. The entire incident started with that, and reiterated by the 911 operator suggesting what he was doing was wrong. So he knew, and did it anyway. That's much worse than being ignorant.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)True dat.
Phillyman
(7 posts)He created it. No chance that had something to do with their vote? C'mon.
To your other points,I can't think of any other outlet releasing so much evidence as GZlegal.
And I also noticed that in the last bond ruling the judge said Zimmerans D had put up no evidence to support his self defense claim. So there's really no suggestion by our legal system & the officers of the court here to treat him differently than every other accused murderer. His D is really the party trying this in the court of public opinion, thru their spectacles at the bond hearings and the website. And I think O'Mara smug strategy of playing the victim card at the expense of the process backfired badly.
BanTheGOP
(1,068 posts)If we hadn't been proactive in bringing this crime to the public in the first place, we would not have to be putting up with the shenanigans going on in the Zimmerman camp. Thank Gaia NBC put out a version of the 911 tape that showed the TRUE racist intent of Zimmerman, as well as ABC deflecting the inconsequential light cut on the back of his head from the surveillance tape, to allow public outrage to overcome the KKK...er, Sanford PD to release him of all charges. Without adjusting the audio and visuals of the evidence, the public would never have been outraged enough to warrant his capital-punishment-worthy arrest.
Zimmerman should be found guilty and have to spend life in prison. In addition, Federal charges ought to be instigated so he would be eligible for the death penalty, one of the FEW times I support such punishment.
progressivebydesign
(19,458 posts)slackmaster
(60,567 posts) 
ejpoeta
(8,933 posts)i don't understand why martin striking zimmerman isn't self defense. some guy is stalking him down the street. his girlfriend said that he was getting scared. If he hit zimmerman, why isn't THAT the self defense? I mean, the kid was just walking down the street and some guy is following him around. I sure would be scared. I understand that no one really knows what happened because we are only going to get one side of any story here, but it's assumed that zimmerman had the right to shoot the kid if the kid hit him, but why can't the kid have felt in danger and been defending himself. that would explain any injuries zimmerman had. It doesn't sound like zimmerman ever made any attempt to find out who the kid was if he was so concerned or felt in danger. I do realize that we don't have all the info about that of course. I had heard mention that zimmerman never confronted the kid or said who he was.
DCKit
(18,541 posts)I'd be living somewhere else.
JustAnotherGen
(31,907 posts)Mean to say Emmett Till? Oh wait - I'm confused. Black victims of crime get due process and equal protection before the law in 1955. Oh wait - I mean 19 - oh bother. Never mind.
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)He was the one that was stalking Martin. And honestly, why doesn't anyone recognize that Martin also has his right to 'stand your ground' - probably moreso than George Zimmerman. The only thing that Martin was 'guilty' of doing was WWB - Walking While Black. Zimmerman saw him and started to stalk him and Zimmerman refused to back away even after the 911 operator said that they would handle the situation.
These 'Stand Your Ground' laws are meant to protect those that are being stalked. Trayvon Martin had no desire to interact with Zimmerman, he was simply walking back to the home that was owned by his father's girlfriend, which happened to be in that neighborhood.
