Witness Portrays Zimmerman as Neighborhood’s ‘Eyes and Ears’

[alp227]

Source: new york times

SANFORD, Fla. — Many residents considered the Sanford townhouse development where George Zimmerman lived as a middle-class haven: a tidy community, with gates, secured entrances and small backyards.

But beginning in 2011, the community, the Retreat at Twin Lakes, experienced a rash of crimes, and residents were concerned. It was then that Mr. Zimmerman inquired about starting a neighborhood watch, said Wendy Dorival, who was in charge of volunteer programs for the Sanford Police Department and who testified Tuesday in Seminole County Court on the second day of Mr. Zimmerman’s murder trial in the death of Trayvon Martin.

Ms. Dorival testified that she saw from the department’s crime map that Mr. Zimmerman was correct: there had been a number of burglaries and other low-level crimes.

Ms. Dorival was called by the prosecution to describe her dealings with Mr. Zimmerman and her presentation to the 25 or so residents who attended the neighborhood watch information session in September 2011. The presentation, and its accompanying handbook, she said, outlined what residents should do as watch members.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/us/witness-portrays-zimmerman-as-neighborhoods-eyes-and-ears.html

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Not really what she said. She showed a slide from her standard

Neighborhood Watch presentation and said, "....people participating in neighborhood watch programs should be the "eyes and ears" for the police."



http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/06/25/george-zimmerman-trial-live-blog-day-2

[MADem]

3. Awwwwwwwww....Missus Kravitz with a six shooter!

Ain't that spesh-ull!



Gladys, git yer gun--that Stephens family is acting suspiciously again!!!

[uppityperson]

4. Whacked headline from nyt. Article says what he "should do" which is not what he did.

[Ash_F]

5. Screwed up headline.

Modern "journalism" in action.

[John2]

6. Quit trying

paint Zimmerman as some angel, if he had a criminal record. Maybe he declined because of a background check and his history of violence. I think the prosecutor should have gotten the crime rate for that area and the racial profiles of the perpetrators, in a predominately white area. He was profiling young Black males in a predominately white area. So I would like to know if there are young Black males going into this predominately white area busting into houses?

[Duer 157099]

7. ...and judge and jury n/t

[azurnoir]

8. well eyes and ears yes, he did that when he called the police however

eyes and ears doesn't say jack about neighborhood trigger finger though

[John2]

9. I still don't get this?

Sure, he was head of some organization for community watch, but I don't see the police authority. Even with the 911 call, I don't see where he was given the authority of a police officer to investigate or even pursue. It comes down to the definition of suspicious activity.

I don't see anything that was so suspicious about Martin. A person walking in the rain is not suspicious activity. He got out of his vehicle with a loaded gun and ready to fire! Either he expected a violent confrontation or not, why the loaded gun? Does he always get out of his vehicle looking for someone with a loaded gun? Just exactly what did he think he was going to do with a loaded gun on his person when he came into contact with Martin? His very intent, was he expected to use that gun on Martin. And if he expected Martin had a weapon, why did he pursue him in the first place? Anyway you put it, I don't see what argument is about. He is at fault.

Anything in between is only Zimmerman's account, but the facts are he killed an innocent person, going to the store and returning on a rainy night. There is no evidence Zimmerman saw this person committing a crime except he was Black, and he didn't know him. Since when is that suspicious or a crime in America? Killing an unarmed person with a deadly weapon is a crime.

And the only way he can justify it, his life was in danger. He changed his story how many times now, after going over it with his defense attornies? They even got his friends claiming he was soft after taking classes on Martial Arts. So we can put this into perspective. A 26 or 29 year old man, with a history of violence, weighing 200 pounds, with a loaded gun on him, believed his life was in danger. He believed that because a 158 pound,17 year old, high school football player, was beating him to death. I just wonder how good the football team was, and if he had scholarships? This is a full grown man that worked out now. He also called Martin a punk. His biggest defense maybe conservative white people. He is probably depending on it.

" Imperfect" Right of Self- Defense .

In order for a killer to have a "perfect" defense of self-defense to homicide, (1) he must be free from fault in bringing on the difficulty with his adversary.(Lafave, Criminal Law) He clearly bought on the difficulty by falsely profiling and following Martin. There was nothing suspicious about Martin or he was committing a crime. He also got out of his vehicle with a loaded gun at the ready, because he falsely assumed Martin also had a weapon. Keep in mind, Zimmerman is not a police officer. he was advised not to follow the suspect. His instructions for community watch also advised it. There was nothing to instruct him to act as a police officer.

[davidpdx]

10. You pose some good questions

I don't think anyone outside of the court can really answer them without speculating. Intent is going to be an important part of the prosecution's case.