Unarmed black 17 year old shot by Neighborhood watch captain in gated community...

[Fern]

Probably true... considering the touchy nature of the incident there should be a trusted impartial party (one who wouldn't reveal the contents publicly) who could be brought into listen to it and answer the families questions about the tape. Even if just to say "no the rumors of Mr. Zimmerman saying such and such are false."

Hopefully the firestorm surrounding this doesn't hinder the investigation but it probably already has.

From what I read the police have turned the matter over the Prosecutor's office. I would hope that after reviewing the matter if they don't charge Zimmerman they will meet with the family and disclose what they have (the 911 tapes) and explain their position. It's the very least the family deserves.

Fern

 

[corwin]

Not sure where you're getting this from. Their point(s) were pretty clear and understandable.

Yes that they believed a white kid would have been above suspicion...which is patently false

 

[micrometers]

If anything, the family has shown incredible restraint. If that had happened to my son, I'd hunt down Mr. Zimmerman and execute him.

THey waited for the system to do the job, and the system has not done its job. Not even close.

 

[Pens1566]

Yes that they believed a white kid would have been above suspicion...which is patently false

Try to comprehend, a white kid that was just walking along the sidewalk minding his own damn business. That was their point and it was completely correct. Otherwise, neighborhoods like mine would have 150+ calls a day to the cops.

 

[Dari]

You act hostile to me the way it's going down is you will be immediately hit with Fox 5.3, I will knock you to the ground and call the local police.

So is it your belief that Martin trying to get the jump on Zimmerman for just asking him what he was doing. You do realize that is where you are going in your fable.

It is my business when you are in my neighborhood and I do not know who your are and you are acting suspicious to me.

It is my right to ask you and your right not to answer. Should you get 'hostile' it's my right to immediately defend myself and now I have a right to use deadly force as it's clear a simple question being answer so violently has me in fear for my life.

Wow. So if someone responds to you in a hostile but non-physical manner, you will pepper-spray them? Some tough guy you are. A real rambo. This internet tough guy demeanor needs to stop from you racists. It's disgusting and you're just making a fool of yourselves. You've already shown yourself to be someone whom your wife cannot trust. Then you brag about owning a BMW M3 as if it's something special. Now you openly admit to being a pussy and pepper spraying someone who talks back to you. Geez, you have serious issues.

 

[fskimospy]

Yes that they believed a white kid would have been above suspicion...which is patently false

False, try again.

The statement was very clear, that a white person acting in the exact same manner would not have been stopped. This is not even remotely close to the same thing as 'a white kid would have been above suspicion'.

Words have meaning.

 

[corwin]

That is true but you'd think (or maybe just wish) that being under arrest in the past and the circumstances of the arrest would've given Mr. Zimmerman some foresight.

I don't know about that, interfering with a cop (shoving him) arresting someone at some school thing almost 10 years ago isn't nearly the same, don't even know why the cops were arresting anyone or why he was trying to stop them or whatever...wonder what those protesters in Cali were charged with:hmmrobably something similar to resisting arrest and had one of them pushed an officer there's exactly the same charges, pretty sure a lot of people here were defending them too ...but I think he should have been very measured in how he approached him

 

[corwin]

Try to comprehend, a white kid that was just walking along the sidewalk minding his own damn business. That was their point and it was completely correct. Otherwise, neighborhoods like mine would have 150+ calls a day to the cops

False, try again.

The statement was very clear, that a white person acting in the exact same manner would not have been stopped. This is not even remotely close to the same thing as 'a white kid would have been above suspicion'.

Words have meaning.

Lets see here guys...a kid walking down the street at night wearing a hoodie which conceals his face in an area that has had a string of criminal activity recently...doesn't make a shit of difference what color the kid is it's suspicious.

And let's not forget to add that it's not a kid that's familiar or known...seriously you're race baiting

 

[airdata]

You all are just over complicating the whole thing.

Over-zealous neighborhood watch guy confronts random black kid minding his buisness. His word vs the dead CHILD's word...

End result, he murdered a CHILD when he had no place being near the CHILD. Neighborhood watch entails "WATCHING"... which doesn't include harrassing or murdering people.

 

[Fern]

You are so full of sh!t. Any person with any shred of damn decency knows good and damn well this incident occured because he was black.

You want to jump on the racist train running through here?

Go right ahead.

But you don't "know" shizz. That's a conclusion you're jumping to.

I gotta respect Spidey a little, because this could have gotten out of hand and then this guy was forced to shoot. You can argue about whether or not this guy was shot in accordance of the law, but stop with the bullshit. No where is there any indication this was a hoodlum, thug, or anything else other then a 17 year old guy. If you gonna believe the background research and give the rent a cop some credit, then give the same credance to the background research about this 17 year old. He was not a troublemaker.

I have no damn idea why you're bring up the issue of someone accusing the kid of being a thug etc. I sure as h3ll didn't say anything of the sort.

If you're reacting to my remark about wearing a hoodie, well his clothing has been cited as fact in articles. It is what it is.

Fern

 

[alkemyst]

Well at dog park today, I noticed something suspicious, but before I could call out they set off the alarm of a VW. I was talking to others about the break ins already and had Delray Police on my dial screen already.

They caught the dude and a chick inside the park. Criminal record and from out of town...neither could say why they were at dog park.

go me.

 

[alkemyst]

You all are just over complicating the whole thing.

Over-zealous neighborhood watch guy confronts random black kid minding his buisness. His word vs the dead CHILD's word...

End result, he murdered a CHILD when he had no place being near the CHILD. Neighborhood watch entails "WATCHING"... which doesn't include harrassing or murdering people.

Asking someone a question is not harassment. You do realize there are things as Citizen's Arrests right?

 

[fskimospy]

Lets see here guys...a kid walking down the street at night wearing a hoodie which conceals his face in an area that has had a string of criminal activity recently...doesn't make a shit of difference what color the kid is it's suspicious.

Now we're making progress! You could most certainly argue that the actions of the individual would have been sufficient to stop him regardless of his race. I would not agree, but that would be a valid argument to make.

Fern went off the rails by saying that the statement claimed that someone couldn't be suspicious just because they were white. It didn't.

 

[corwin]

You all are just over complicating the whole thing.

Over-zealous neighborhood watch guy confronts random black kid minding his buisness. His word vs the dead CHILD's word...

End result, he murdered a CHILD when he had no place being near the CHILD. Neighborhood watch entails "WATCHING"... which doesn't include harrassing or murdering people.

And you're over simplifying it...he had every right to stop and ask his business, what happens after that leading to the shooting is purely conjecture. Neighborhood watch is more than just watching

 

[blankslate]

Well at dog park today, I noticed something suspicious, but before I could call out they set off the alarm of a VW. I was talking to others about the break ins already and had Delray Police on my dial screen already.

They caught the dude and a chick inside the park. Criminal record and from out of town...neither could say why they were at dog park.

go me.

According to one particular poster you should've had a CCW permit and been armed so you could approach them yourself...

 

[airdata]

And you're over simplifying it...he had every right to stop and ask his business, what happens after that leading to the shooting is purely conjecture. Neighborhood watch is more than just watching

Not true at all. He doesn't have any right to get into somebody else's business and pretend he's the police or something.

If the kid was just walking down the street, this guy had no place getting out of his car. He should have stayed in his car... or better yet, been at home like a normal person.

 

[alkemyst]

Wow. So if someone responds to you in a hostile but non-physical manner, you will pepper-spray them? Some tough guy you are. A real rambo. This internet tough guy demeanor needs to stop from you racists. It's disgusting and you're just making a fool of yourselves. You've already shown yourself to be someone whom your wife cannot trust. Then you brag about owning a BMW M3 as if it's something special. Now you openly admit to being a pussy and pepper spraying someone who talks back to you. Geez, you have serious issues.

Hostile is threatening bro. I am not going to wait for a blow to land which is the beauty of non-lethal force.

Actually if I am a racist I have only picked white dudes and one spanish guy that tried to run me down with his 4x4 one morning.

M3 is not a special car. However, when posters say ANYONE can afford one is when I question that.

I am 40 now. I have been in my share of fist fights as an adult when I was in the nightclub scene and a gang was after me.

It culminated in SWAT and most of the county Police force at an office I was no longer employed but another with my same first and last name plus middle initial worked.

I trained in wrestling and martial arts for several years.

I have no interest in trying to prove I am a tough guy. Any fight I have been in almost always has me healing a few days to weeks to months. There is no honor in fighting someone 'fairly', one of the last times I tried to do that and let up on a guy I got the fucking piss kicked out of me.

There is a big reason why I am considering carrying a firearm and it's not because I think it will sit on a shelf.

 

[alkemyst]

Not true at all. He doesn't have any right to get into somebody else's business and pretend he's the police or something.

If the kid was just walking down the street, this guy had no place getting out of his car. He should have stayed in his car... or better yet, been at home like a normal person.

You realize by this statement you are acknowledging the kid being out was abnormal. The shooter was part of a neighborhood watch.

Most of you guys are validating his suspicion.

 

[alkemyst]

According to one particular poster you should've had a CCW permit and been armed so you could approach them yourself...

Well there was a fence blocking me so even if I was armed I couldn't have approached them.

They did drive me to them to identify. I wouldn't have shot someone for breaking into a car. They have had to have come at me or appear to be ready to harm me.

When I do carry a pistol, I still plan to carry my Fox 5.3. It's very effective against asshats and bad animals. You also don't have to fill out much paperwork for using it. Just a statement.

 

[corwin]

Not true at all. He doesn't have any right to get into somebody else's business and pretend he's the police or something.

If the kid was just walking down the street, this guy had no place getting out of his car. He should have stayed in his car... or better yet, been at home like a normal person.

He absolutely does have every right to ask anybody anything at anytime, he wasn't "pretending to be the police", he was a concerned citizen asking a suspicious person a question for all we know, most of us would do the same. If you want to bury your head in the sand and not watch out for your neighborhood then so be it, just glad you're not my neighbor.

 

[micrometers]

Now we're making progress! You could most certainly argue that the actions of the individual would have been sufficient to stop him regardless of his race. I would not agree, but that would be a valid argument to make.

Fern went off the rails by saying that the statement claimed that someone couldn't be suspicious just because they were white. It didn't.

His actions warrant a question and a 911 call.

What they do not warrant is a detention. Since this is quasi-public property, that would actually be kidnapping.

Chasing after the kid could be construed as assault IMO.

The fact that Zimmerman is NOT A COP makes all the difference here IMO. He has absolutely zero right to arrest anyone.

 

[micrometers]

He absolutely does have every right to ask anybody anything at anytime, he wasn't "pretending to be the police", he was a concerned citizen asking a suspicious person a question for all we know, most of us would do the same. If you want to bury your head in the sand and not watch out for your neighborhood then so be it, just glad you're not my neighbor.

In your imagining, the kid assaulted Zimmerman for asking a question.

That doesn't really fit in the situation. THe kid is in a hurry to get home to finish watching the basketball game with his family. His family.

He's not just walking in the neighborhood randomly.

What likely happened is Zimmerman told him to stay right there, and then chased after him when he refused. Kid is like WTF did I do to this guy, panics and punches him. Zimmerman shoots.

 

[corwin]

His actions warrant a question and a 911 call.

What they do not warrant is a detention. Since this is quasi-public property, that would actually be kidnapping.

Chasing after the kid could be construed as assault IMO.

The fact that Zimmerman is NOT A COP makes all the difference here IMO. He has absolutely zero right to arrest anyone.

You're welcome to assume all of that but there's no indication he "chased" the kid, followed him yes...there's also no indication of attempts to "detain" him...and who even made any mention of trying to arrest the kid?

 

[airdata]

You realize by this statement you are acknowledging the kid being out was abnormal. The shooter was part of a neighborhood watch.

Most of you guys are validating his suspicion.

Nothing acknowledged at all. I just stated that the guy was out crusing around pretending he was the police. Most likely confronting the underage child simply because he was black and walking on a sidewalk.

Is it wrong of the guy to suspect that the black kid was up to no good based on statistics? Not necessarily. But he had no place even talking to the kid if the kid was doing nothing wrong.

 

[classy]

You want to jump on the racist train running through here?

Go right ahead.

But you don't "know" shizz. That's a conclusion you're jumping to.



I have no damn idea why you're bring up the issue of someone accusing the kid of being a thug etc. I sure as h3ll didn't say anything of the sort.

If you're reacting to my remark about wearing a hoodie, well his clothing has been cited as fact in articles. It is what it is.

Fern

Plain and simple. Here are the facts. The kid was not a thug, hoodlum, there illegally, or commiting any crime. Fact, this cop for whatever reason decided to confront this kid and something transpired where the kid was shot. Only a dumbass would think a hoodie is reason enough for a person to be taken suspcious. People where hoodies all over the fin country and last I checked it was not an offense on any law book. The assinine thing I read over this whole thread is insinuation by YOU and others who want to make this kid out to be a possible thug. Depsite there is zero evidence to support that notion.

No one gives damn where you or anyone else lives. This kid did not deserve to be confronted for any reason. If you have any other evidence that says otherwise please present it, if not well.......................

Now there is no chance in hell he was the first person to walk in that neighborhood with a sweat jacket on who didn't live there on a permanent basis. So unless you have evidence that people unknown were stopped and questioned, then it is safe to assume with damn near 100% certainity this kid was stopped for one reason and one reason only. He was black. Sometimes we bring up race when that may not have been a factor. But based on everything known, that is the ONLY reason that would have any possible credence.