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So.......

SFG75

SFG75

Well-Known Member
I'm just on pins and needles wondering about the Trayvon Martin verdict. I'm on my third pot of coffee, not sure if I can handle another day of deliberations if they can't reach a decision today. Anyone else besides yours truly and Peder in the same boat?o_O
 
I wouldn't say I'm on pins and needles, but I am pretty interested. We haven't had a good race riot in this country in a while..... :eatpop
 
I try not to get too wrapped up in the outcome, not being an eyewitness myself, and journalistic coverage being so inaccurate and incomplete regarding what the jurors actually have heard at the trial. IMO anything is possible and we'll just have to take their word for it. But, yes, I am probably as curious as anyone else. Justice is a difficult thing.
 
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1. whatever was heard in court / reported in the press was not the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It never is.

2. WHY must these things always become about race? A. would as much fuss be made if the races were the other way around ie White youth / Black man? B. Why can't we get past these labels? Why can't it just be Man shoots Youth? And appropriately investigated as simply a case of whether or not he was justified in the shooting irrespective of who was what colour?
 
What bothers me is this is the second person to kill a kid who a FL jury lets go free
 
Open season on killing folk in Florida! Just use the "it's coming right for us!" excuse*.







*If you haven't seen South Park, you won't know what I am talking aboot, eh.
 
Well. I don't know what to think about the verdict.
From the standpoint of justice, I think something should have happened to Zimmerman. Not saying murder conviction necessarily. But, if his ignorant butt wouldn't have followed Martin after being told not to by the police, Martin wouldn't have died that night.
From a legal standpoint.... I understand why Zimmerman was acquitted. I can't help but think Florida and a lot of states (mine included) with these "Stand Your Ground" laws are going to have to deal with a lot more cases like Zimmerman/Martin.

Like Peder said, anything is possible, because we weren't there and don't know what happened. My opinion of what happened goes like this :

Zimmerman has a gun, it makes him feel ballsy, he wants to be an authority figure. He follows Martin. Probably aggravates him. He is still feeling confident. Martin commences to whupping his ass. He is not feeling confident anymore. He probably is genuinely afraid that Martin is going to kill him. He shoots him.

The end.
 
I think speculating about the events is ultimately a fruitless exercise. I just wish we could find a way forward out of the racial discourse on these things. It just isn't always racial, but it is always made to be racial and it feels like we have reached a time where seeing everything through those perspectives is getting very counter-productive.
 
Well.... I agree and I don't. I don't think racism is going to be a valid excuse for people any longer, but to pretend it doesn't exist isn't realistic either. I seriously wonder if the kid had been white, if Zimmerman would have even followed him. It's a valid question...
 
753C said:
Zimmerman has a gun, it makes him feel ballsy, he wants to be an authority figure. He follows Martin. Probably aggravates him. He is still feeling confident. Martin commences to whupping his ass. He is not feeling confident anymore. He probably is genuinely afraid that Martin is going to kill him. He shoots him.
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I think that it went down similar to this except that Martin realized he was being followed, turned around to face Zimmerman, and putting on his best thug face tried to intimidate Zimmerman into stopping his pursuit (yo man, yo got a problem?). One thing led to another and suddenly Zimmerman found his ass being kicked and pulled out his gun and fired.

That's my version of what happened.
 
I think that it went down similar to this except that Martin realized he was being followed, turned around to face Zimmerman, and putting on his best thug face tried to intimidate Zimmerman into stopping his pursuit (yo man, yo got a problem?). One thing led to another and suddenly Zimmerman found his ass being kicked and pulled out his gun and fired.

That's my version of what happened.
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I concur. Some similar version of that is probably how it went down.
It's funny, I remember how me and my friends were at 17. We were very much like Martin. We all smoked weed, listened to NWA, sagged our pants and in general acted pretty bad. If someone would have run up on me at that age, when I really wasn't doing anything wrong, there would have been a situation.
But... I don't think anyone would like to be harassed by some over zealous wannabe cop when your just walking down the street.
 
I must have missed something w/all the coverage, but is there a reason they didn't also (or instead) try to charge him with manslaughter? I don't necessarily think he's guilty of Murder, but he should have to serve something. Although, he'll likely be a public pariah for the rest of his life...

And I wonder how many book/movie-of-the-week deals this is going to result in. All because a kid is dead and another guy's life is trashed. Ugh.
 
I must have missed something w/all the coverage, but is there a reason they didn't also (or instead) try to charge him with manslaughter? I don't necessarily think he's guilty of Murder, but he should have to serve something. Although, he'll likely be a public pariah for the rest of his life...

And I wonder how many book/movie-of-the-week deals this is going to result in. All because a kid is dead and another guy's life is trashed. Ugh.
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By the nature of the law, as long as Zimmerman thought that his life was in danger, he was well within his rights to shoot Martin. So, the jury really couldn't convict him of manslaughter either.
 
sparkchaser said:
Manslaughter was on the table.
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but sprung on the jurors at the end of the trial. Had he originally been charged with Manslaughter and the prosecution based their case around that rather than second degree murder, it may have been a bit different in the end.

753C makes a valid point as well. The law was always on his side in the end.
 
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