Travon / Zimmerman

So the verdict is in, and now I feel I can offer some comments and my personal views on Zimmerman being put on trial for Murder 2, and Manslaughter. My views are somewhat jaded by being a CCDW (Concealed Carry Deadly Weapons) permit holder.

So here's how I see things;
Travon made one and only one mistake. He attacked a man, with brutal force, for simply following him. Zimmerman made two mistakes. First he disregarded the dispatch instructions to not pursue, second he left his vehicle (strategic advantage for safe withdrawal).

Legally speaking had Zimmerman not pursued his suspect and merely called in to the police department, while watching from a safe distance, there would not have been a shooting. So under Ky law it could be argued that Z was the first aggressor and started the entire sequence of events that led to the death of TM. Ky law also does not permit neighborhood watch persons to be armed.

Since this occurred in FL the local laws prevail and Z was found not guilty on all charges. I am glad to see the jury uphold the initial police findings, as well as the findings of the first attorney to review the case. Prior to this certain groups were threatening to riot if they did not get the verdict they wanted...bring it!! We are not a nation of sheep ready to be led to the slaughter. We will protect ourselves and our loved ones. We will not be bullied into harming another for convenience or to pacify a minority. I expect things to be fairly normal around here, but the national news media is trying desperately to turn this into a race and gun ownership issue. Quite simply this case was about someones right to defend themself from physical harm. This was not and should not be about gun ownership, concealed carry, or anything else. I pray for both families who's lives have been tragically disrupted and will continue to be disrupted until calmer heads prevail.

Crazy stuff.

Well put and I agree completely.

I disagree. We don't know if Trayvon was the agressor. He was a teenage boy trying to get home to his friend to watch a game. George should have stayed in his truck and never followed the boy. I don't agree with the verdict either and hope that this is taken to another court outside of Sanford Florida, where the good ole boy justice system is alive and well. If matters had been reversed and it had been George killed by Trayvon I can guarantee that Trayvon would have been found guilty of murder 2. I have lived in Sanford so I have an inkling as to how the justice system works in that area.

umm, what do you disagree with in my post?

I'm not convinced that Trayvon was the aggressor, or that he brutally attacked George. George had a history of violence. No one can know for sure who attacked who, but with George's history and his frame of mind that night his story just doesn't fit. I believe Trayvon was defending himself.

Oh, yeah the judge disallowed a lot to be brought up.

I believe that George acted in self defense. It is not against the law to follow someone and if they choose to attack then the attacked person has the right to defend himself. While George should not have been following Trayvon it was not against the law to do so. It is not against the law to go against the 911 dispatcher's suggestions either.
The news media showed pictures of Trayvon when he was about 12 years old but did not show any up to date pictures. Why didn't they? The judge would not allow the past to be brought up about Trayvon so we don't know what his past consisted of.
It should never be wrong to defend oneself.
After saying all that, I must say, it is a sad day for all involved in this terrible incident. I feel sorry for Trayvon's family and I feel sorry for George and his family. It would have been better all the way around if George had stayed in his vehicle, but that doesn't make him guilty of murder, if he was defending himself.

The question becomes, was he defending himself or did he start something he couldn't finish. I watched the trial in it's entirety on HLN and Zimmerman told 6 different stories about what happened that night and a lot of it doesn't fit with the evidence.

I read the original police report (friends in high places) should never have gone to trial. In fact he was never detained due to witness stories and his own statements.

The original investigating officer wanted to arrest him, but he was told no.

About Travon:
I still don't know why the News Media insisted on posting pictures of him when he was 12 years old instead of an up to date photo. How deceitful is that? Have you seen the more up to date photo of him lifting his middle finger up?

Also I have read that his posts on facebook, when he was reporting of one of the fights he had, was that his opponent did not bleed enough since he only bled from his nose.

It makes a person wonder what the truth really is. Was he on drugs? Was he just a young thug who attacked the wrong guy?

Or was he attacked by one who was looking for trouble and excitement?
We probably will never know the answer to these questions.
The truth of the matter is that it makes no difference what side you take the court decided that there wasn't enough evidence to convict Zimmerman.

Sonshine wrote:The original investigating officer wanted to arrest him, but he was told no.

umm not according to what I read. Local officer friend also says he would not have arrested him. Maybe the first officer wanted to, but the officer in charge found no cause.

Report: Police Initially Wanted to Make Arrest in Trayvon Martin Case

According to a news report, Sanford Police initially felt they had enough material to arrest George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, but prosecutors were apparently reluctant in quickly making charges.


Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/03/29/report-police-initially-wanted-to-make-arrest-in-trayvon-martin-case/#ixzz2a5KydJdn

SANFORD, Fla. - A lead investigator into the shooting of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin wanted to charge neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman with manslaughter, according to a report from ABC News.

Read more: http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/state/report--lead-investigator-wanted-to-arrest-zimmerman-for-shooting-unarmed-teen#ixzz2a5LLQPIj

This has drifted away from my initial intent. The idea that any group could threaten illegal activity to sway a court should be condemned. The divisiveness brought on by media hype needs to be looked at critically.

I believe the law enforcement in Florida, as well as their judicial system needs to be investigated. I don't agree with the threats that came out due to this case, but I do understand the reasons. As much as people believe racism is no longer an issue in our country, I know from first hand experience that it is still alive and well, especially in the south. As the mother of a biracial, teenage son, I followed this case very closely. There's another case in Florida that will be going to court soon of another teenage black boy, who was unarmed, being shot and killed by a white man. This man is claiming stand your ground law. It will be interesting to see the outcome of this one.

Sonshine wrote:As much as people believe racism is no longer an issue in our country, I know from first hand experience that it is still alive and well, especially in the south.

I believe there are most certainly still racists in America and I am certain there are cases that happen due to racism. However, I do not believe that every bad thing that happens to a person of any color or race is always about their race. Bad stuff happens to us all regardless of race, color, sex, or creed.

In this particular case it is my understanding that all parties involved, including the FBI, the police, and even the Martin families attorney has said this was not about race and there was absolutely no indication that Zimmerman had any racist tendencies.

I believe this was a case of two people acting foolishly and a tragedy was the result. But I don't think it had anything at all to do with the race of either party. It was the people outside the case and the media who were trying to stir up the racial tension - and they did an excellent job, sadly.

My question is this.....

Why was someone wearing a hoodie in Florida, it is something you wear in cold temps. I am glad that Zimmerman was found not guilty.  I believe it was self defense.

In some neightborhoods hoodies are worn by people in places  who trying to hide their faces, when they are doing wrong, so it will be harder to identify them.  

I agree with Rohn,  why did the media only show the picture of him when he was 12.

I was stationed at NAS JAX (Florida) back in the 80's it gets pretty chilly at night during certain parts of the year. Especially when it is drizzling rain. In my mind the hoodie is a non-issue.

The media has become a propaganda machine, it is no longer a news outlet.

Alot of people in Florida wear hoodies. You get them at all the attractions and Florida is known for it's afternoon/evening rains. I have several hoodies from when I lived down there.

When I was there you could almost set your watch by the afternoon rains...about 3:15 to 3:35 it would start to rain, by 4:15 there was steam coming off the roads, then the winds coming off the ocean would chill the night air.