George Zimmerman guilty of murder ? Opinion ?

6/28/2013

                   I say George Zimmerman will be found guilty of murder of
                   Travon Martin , he could have walked away, I believe he
                   instigated it , what is your opinion ?

                                                 Cheers......Joe......

He should have stayed in his vehicle.  I will not hire Zimmerman for a neighborhood watchman, however.

6/28/2013

                  If he gets off, I don't want to know what's going to
                  happen ! It won't be nice , remember Watts, do
                  you remember Newark, Brooklyn, it won't be pretty.
                  There's too many black congressman shouting race
                  and murder and that's throwing fuel into the frying pan !

                                             Cheers.....Joe........

I hope we have moved
 beyond those times.

6/29/2013

                        Alice..

                               It depends on how people look at it ?
                               There are some who race bait....

                                            Cheers...Joe..

Don't even think of it--it is borrowing trouble.

"Don't trouble, trouble till trouble troubles you."

I think George Zimmerman was out making his neighborhood watch rounds and saw a suspicious man walking through the community. As he got closer, I think Zimmerman realized that the man was black, and as the neighborhood had been victimized several times recently by young black men, when Zimmerman saw such a person, one that he hadn’t seen there before, he was justified in thinking the man may be there for less than lawful reasons. And from the size of Trayvon Martin, there is no way Zimmerman could have known he was 17, and not several years older. Remember, it was night and it was raining, Martin was wearing a hoodie, and was holding something in his hands, which may have been a weapon. There was no way Zimmerman could have known what he was holding.

So, now we have a black male, one who is unknown to Zimmerman, holding what might be a weapon, and walking through a neighborhood that had been burglarized several times recently. I think Zimmerman was going to try to stop Martin to ask him what he was doing in the neighborhood.

It was then that Zimmerman called 911 and reported his suspicions, at which time the 911 operator told Zimmerman that they didn’t need him to follow the man, to which Zimmerman said “OK,” and the best anyone can tell he didn’t continue to follow Martin. At this point, while Zimmerman was on the phone, is when I think Martin ran, heading for the other end of the apartment complex, and Zimmerman  then turned and started back to his car. At that time, I think Martin then became the pursuer. I think he circled the area for some 70 yards or so, and then came up behind Zimmerman and hit him. I also think Martin was probably calling Zimmerman names and telling him what he was going to do to him. That’s pretty much standard behavior for people with Martin’s background. I do know that if Martin was 60 or 70 yards away from Zimmerman, he could just have easily gone back to his father’s home as to go back over to where Zimmerman was. I think he intended to beat Zimmerman up, and do as much physical harm to him as possible, because he was mad at Zimmerman for daring to try and stop him and ask him some questions.

I think Martin probably ran at Zimmerman and Zimmerman heard him and turned, and Martin hit him in the face, knocking Zimmerman to the ground. At that point in time, Martin probably got down on top of Zimmerman and continued beating him, and slammed his head into the pavement at least once, and maybe more. Zimmerman had a mashed and broken nose, bloody cuts on the back of his head consistent with it being slammed on the pavement, and Martin had stains on the knees of his pants, indicating that he was straddling Zimmerman.

Zimmerman, still having no idea who this man was, and now fearing for his life, pulled his pistol and shot Martin, killing him.

For those of you who don’t think beating a man with your fists consists of using force with a deadly weapon, consider the many people who are beat to death each year. It’s a fact that a person using his fists and slamming your head into the pavement may actually kill you, and there’s a good chance that anyone would act to protect himself in this situation. A man who is carrying a weapon would naturally use it. After all, self protection is why people carry weapons, and while nobody ever wants to use it, if you are fearful of your life, using the weapon would not only be an option, but perhaps your only option.

And to address the idea of Zimmerman profiling Martin, here’s a unique idea. The neighborhood had been burglarized several times, and apparently there had been more than one instance of violence in that neighborhood, all of which involved young black men. So, while anyone is out on neighborhood watch, should they be looking out for old white women? Of course not. They’re watching for the people who have been committing the crimes and that’s young black men. It’s not profiling when it’s a fact.

I think Zimmerman acted in self defense, and should be acquitted of all charges.

"If he gets off, I don't want to know what's going to happen! It won't be nice , remember Watts, do
you remember Newark, Brooklyn, it won't be pretty. There's too many black congressman shouting race and murder and that's throwing fuel into the frying pan !"

So, if this does happen, maybe we should just turn the National Guard loose with orders to shoot to kill. We cannot be held hostage in our own cities by violence or threats of violence by any group, and when it happens. it should be treated as any other terrorist threat would be treated.

Now, with that said, let me say one other thing. I don't know George Zimmerman or Trayvon Martin. I doubt that anyone else here knows them either. I, and the rest of you, weren't there that night, and the only way we have of forming an opinion is what the media tells us, and what we have in our hearts.

I will not have a problem with whatever verdict the jury returns, simply because I think they will have a much better understanding of what happened than I do, and so I will lawfully abide by their decision.

I can only hope the rest of the country will do the same.

E. Don Harpe wrote:

Now, with that said, let me say one other thing. I don't know George Zimmerman or Trayvon Martin. I doubt that anyone else here knows them either. I, and the rest of you, weren't there that night, and the only way we have of forming an opinion is what the media tells us, and what we have in our hearts.

I will not have a problem with whatever verdict the jury returns, simply because I think they will have a much better understanding of what happened than I do, and so I will lawfully abide by their decision.

I can only hope the rest of the country will do the same.

 I agree!

By the way, E. Don, 

 It is so good to have you back giving your opinions--please do it more often.  LOL

Yes, Don, we need your spice.

Very interesting case.  I don't want him acquitted.  He was overzealous in his watch job in my opinion.
He followed him because  he felt safe to do so--after all, he had a gun.

joefrank wrote:

6/28/2013

                   I say George Zimmerman will be found guilty of murder of
                   Travon Martin , he could have walked away, I believe he
                   instigated it , what is your opinion ?

                                                 Cheers......Joe......

 I think he should have walked away.

7/2/2013

                   I can't stand it when Al Sharpton and several black congresswomen
                   start screaming at the press " He killed Travon Martin like a mad dog, "
                   this congresswoman was from MD , Al Sharpton is another one and so
                   is Jesse Jackson , their race baiters ! This is what divides this country,
                   we are Americans , not black, not white, not chinese, not german, not
                   spanish but ": AMERICANS ," until we as Americans realize this then
                   we're doomed as a nation.

                                                                  Cheers...Joe...

The guilt lies in a system that permits a citizen, untrained in law enforcement, hand-to-hand, and the proper use of firearms and whose emotional stability has not been vetted, to legally patrol a neighborhood while armed.

A real cop would not have found himself on the sidewalk getting his head pounded into the pavement.

All the arguments about profiling, stand your ground, gun control, and who drew first blood are irrelevant. Put the blame where it belongs. Zimmerman shouldn't have been out there in the first place.

I lived in a community in Virginia where we had an active "citizen's patrol." My friends on the police force thought them to be pains in the ass.

What Al said.

What Al said.

Thanks, Al, for the voice of reason.  There's a good reason for training policemen.  My understanding of neighborhood watch was just that, "watch."  Watch and call the authorities.  Zimmerman is going to say whatever he believes will set him free.  The child is not here to defend himself.  It's a terrible type of trial in which to find any justice.

 I believe Zimmerman should have made his call, remained in his car and/or left.  Not following the instructions he was given is a fact. The rest is all hearsay but for the death of a child without reason. 

Whether that child was tall or had bad reports at school does not change the basic mistake made by Zimmerman.

What Al and DK said.  I agree.

I agree with Ann too.

7/3/2013

                  When the police told him to leave he should have left, he's an
                  idiot , he wouldn't be in this mess today if he had listened ! I
                  think he wanted to prove how macho he was or he was afraid
                  of black people.....

                                                       Cheers..Joe...

Clearly, having a gun, emboldened him.  I am not impressed with him in any way, shape or form. 
He is what the community ought to fear.  Having minors shot and killed for no reason is scary.

I have only guesses as to what each was thinking.  I do believe, however, if Zimmerman had followed the protocol, a young man would still be alive.

I don't agree with Al at all. He's looking at this in a very simplistic way. There are always layers, and everything Al says depends upon his conclusion that "Zimmerman shouldn't have been out there in the first place."

I think there's a good chance that Al, and a lot of others here, have not spent a lot of time in an environment where fights are a nightly, and sometimes an hourly, occurrence, and where you can get hurt very bad in a very short time, especially if someone hits you when you aren't looking at them.

There had been a lot of burglaries in the neighborhood, Zimmerman was watching for anything suspicious. Martin was suspicious, and there in no doubt whatsoever about that. There is no doubt that Zimmerman lost Martin, or that Martin walked some 70 yards and confronted Zimmerman which is what led to the altercation. I think Martin came up behind Zimmerman, knocked the hell out of him, and then jumped down on him and started beating his head into the sidewalk. I don't if you guys know it or not, but that hurts a hell of a lot. Had it been me, I'd have shot Martin as soon as I could have gotten my pistol out. For those of you who don't understand the nature of street fights, stop second guessing. Go out and pick a fight with a 6' tall 17 year old street kid and see how much mercy he shows you. By the time he's beat you half to death you'll be wishing you had a gun of your own.