To anyone who supports Zimmerman, I have this for you.
Zimmerman will make a career out of being an idiot. He avoided jail this time, but I think he is stupid enough to ensure that jail time will be his fate at some point in his life. Look at those ridiculously paranoid 911 calls, his assaulting an officer (that was downgraded due to who his dad is), his history of domestic abuse, his obvious poor judgement in shooting a teenager, and now those molestation charges. Jail is a certainty and it's because he is stupid. He's a troubled man. He's OJ in that sense. OJ couldn't stay out of jail. All he had to do was not be stupid. All he had to do was make better choices than he made in the past. He was incapable of such a feat, wasn't he? This will be Zimmerman. More of his past will come to light and rightfully so. The Trayvon Martin case won't be a lesson learned, his past proves that. He's not smart enough to not make more awful decisions. He doesn't have the capacity for it. He won't be a repeat offender in the sense that he will kill more people. Instead he will create a new legacy of poor decisions. His past shows that he is capable of a downfall.
I love how we focus on what type of person Martin might have been
But we ignore Zimmerman's arrest record, the restraining order by his ex-finace, the sexual allegations and multiple people at his work saying he was a bully. Also how multiple people said his family had a culture of racism.
He's obviously a guy who's very capable of unprovoked aggression
Maybe others are, but that's not the point I'm trying to make, and I don't think that some of the other more level headed minds are saying that either.
The reason people are bringing that up is because of media spin, that's all. That and the fact that the general public typically doesn't understand that the jury doesn't get ALL the information, like me or you sitting at home get.
They AREN'T allowed to discuss Martin. He wasn't on trial.
If you or anyone thinks the shootings in Chicago (which have PLENTY of outrage and rallies and the like) are simply a matter of black on black crime (which also by the way is coded language when virtually ALL crime Is intraracial, like white on white crime rates are virtually the same) then you need to read a lot more on the socioeconomic issues, housing discrimination practices dating back decades, the "drug war", bank lending practices, education failures, the prison industrial complex, an plenty of other things. Like y'all throw out "well look at Chicago" like that is in some vacuum. Google and read about the things actually impacting that behind the scenes, that is simply a tragic byproduct of an entire system failing. If you want to be real, the killing of man by man has always been sport dont just target black on black as if its any different.
My issue was with the OP statement that its open season on us now and I wanted to refute his comment by pointing out to him/her that blacks are not getting killed by only non-blacks and that it happens daily at the hands of other blacks. I was actually interested to know how he came up with his conclusion based on the results from this trial.
You make some very good and valid points on Chicago. I do have one issue though. The protests were mostly within that city and the passion and outrage was low compared to this case. There were no angry mobs. I think the national media has a lot to blame for it. Whether they admit to it or not, they create angry mobs and black/black crimes don’t get ratings. As for this trial, the media tried to create something out of something that simply wasn’t there. In my opinion, that’s why there’s no riots. Americans were smart enough to see through their BS.
The George Zimmerman trial, in which a man was tried for murder for murdering a unarmed teenage boy by the name of Trayvon Martin, has been a point of heated contention in America over the past few months. It has sparked intense debate, cause more than a little online uproar, and highlighted the reality of racial tension in the country (which I was supposed to believe no longer existed, like somebody just flipped the Jim Crow switch and turned it off one day).
I'm going to assume you know the facts of the case. They've been repeated so often I could recite them like the Pledge (and they're both equally alarming when you weigh them against reality). Point is, Zimmerman was absolved of guilt for any criminal conduct. Naturally, this pissed a lot of people off...and deservedly so.
Even for me, a person who believes race goes about as deep as a banana's peel does, it's hard to separate the implications of the case from certain issues rooted in the color of my own flesh wrapper.
President Obama (whose theoretical son would, by his own estimation, resemble the slain teen and thus be marked for death in the great state of Florida) asked for calm reflection in lieu of mindless rage where this result is concerned. While it's hard not to feel the latter and I'm trying even as I type, the former offered me an opportunity to think a while about how this case impacted my life and the lessons to take away from this unfortunate incident.
Of course, a popular opinion is that what happened had nothing to do with me and that I should get over it, preferably sooner than later. My newfound semi-maturity has allowed me to open my mind to the concept, and carefully consider whether I'm just mentally making a big deal out of nothing. I still haven't decided whether to just move past it, but I had to evaluate all the relevant factors in order to make a sound decision. In order to get over it, I'd have to accept the following: - My presence is a deadly threat in some areas. In case you didn't know, this writer inhabits the body of a large black man. Since the most anyone credible can prove about the victim is that he was walking forward, apparently doing so is reasonable suspicion to investigate a person. I do that all the time and had no idea how intimidating I was. Perhaps I'll prance daintily from place to place from now on to make people feel safer.
- The squeaky wheel gets the trial. Let us all remember that the local police weren't even going to arrest him, let alone give him a trial. Normally, even a justified shooting might require a field sobriety test, a drug screening, a records check for a violent criminal history or even a few hours in the clink while they straighten everything out, none of which took place regarding George Zimmerman on that fateful night. Not sure why none of that took place, but good to know all it takes is national outrage to start up an investigation into a potential murder.
-A hooded sweatshirt is criminal paraphernalia. If you wear one, you're probably up to no good. It makes one question the motives of anyone in the rain, speculate on Mark Zuckerberg's thug life and wonder whether New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was out playing shoot 'em up with his tight end, as he's known to wear one everywhere. ******' punks.
- Victims can be placed on trial. We all know Trayvon Martin was suspended from school a few times and possessed marijuana at one point. Of course, this makes him less eligible for the protection of law and a likely facilitator of the kind of crime George Zimmerman was trying to prevent when he shot the kid. It's just like bringing up a rape victim's slutty Facebook pictures at her rapist's trial...that's cool, right?
- Assumptions are powerful. The self-defense claim largely hinges on the contention that Zimmerman feared for his life because of Martin's wiry frame and advanced fighting techniques. The fact that Zimmerman was the only formally trained fighter in the situation aside, how is it assumed that Martin had any ability to inflict that kind of damage? For all anyone knows, he would've lost to his shadow in a boxing match. Sure, one might assume that he had some fight in him based on his background and history, but Zimmerman's domestic violence charge shows he's not without his aggressive streak as well. Speaking of which...
- George Zimmerman is an athletic role model. Yes, the gym that took over a year to apply all their combat expertise into making him a "soft, uncoordinated" killing machine (and inexplicably trimming 80lbs off him during all his unathletic flailing) now offers his legendary ZimMA training program. Now, you too can get manhandled in the street for stalking an underage teen then shoot him when you decide you don't like the ***-kicking you were looking for. Making literal sport of a crime is great marketing, and something I wish I was funny enough to make up. Next there will be fighting classes for abusive husbands to hone their wife-beating skills and running clubs specifically for gays who feel bashed so they can improve their foot speed and escape harm.
- Fear plays offense. I know the first thing I would do if I feared for my safety is to leave my secure location that the threat had passed by and ignored me to pursue it. By that logic, if you're camping and hear a bear coming, you don't thank your deity of choice once he passes your tent by, you get out there and attack once his back is turned! Chase it down if you have to...if not, they'll get away like always. Of course, fear has a pretty safe hiding spot behind a gun, so that is something to consider.
- Justice is for sale. Essentially, it's not who is right and who is wrong, it's who can afford the best lawyer. Admittedly, Zimmerman's defense lawyer was some kind of Sith Lord, playing mind games with any witness who crossed his path, distorting the plain facts of the case with conjecture and selective interpretation, and instructing the jurors not to make assumptions on what happened right before playing a 3D computer simulation based purely on guesses and hearsay. That is a lawyer's job, and he did his well, but the idea that someone can explain away killing another if they get the funding is a little uncomfortable
- Dead men don't testify. Zimmerman's aquittal was based largely on Zimmerman's story, since only two people know for a fact what happened that night and one was unavailable. His shaky and ever-changing story was the key expert witness in the trial, as everyone seemed to operate based on what he said and not what made sense. Making sure your story paints you in the best possible light is a pretty good strategy in court...wonder why nobody has ever tried it before?
- My kid is less safe than kids painted a different color. Sure, he's a babbling toddler who is cute to everyone now, but one distant day he will be a young black man in America. Had Trayvon Martin been a different color, he would be alive today. He wasn't, so he's dead. I don't have anything more fundamentally impactful than those sentences.
- It could have been any of us. I know if some weirdo was following me through an unfamiliar area at night, the verbal confrontation that would ensue would likely lead to a fight. I would have been dead in that situation, and the fact that I'd say I died defending myself from a mysterious gunman would be of little comfort to the people that care about me.
- The American justice system is not designed to protect me. Protection of the rule of law is pretty much the main reason people agree to be confined by the constraints of civil society. We give up the freedom to punch people for talking on the phone too loud and trade it for the ability to come home and not find other people have claimed your apartment for their own until you do something about it. Quid pro status quo. When people feel as though they lack this protection, they have little to lose through any of their conduct...and perhaps, that's the scariest thing of all.
That's a lot to ask me to just get over, and I'm not entirely sure I'm up to the task. Some of those things are really hard to accept, and the fact that they were this way before Trayvon even bought those Skittles doesn't help much. The irony, of course, is that George Zimmerman now has to worry himself about the judgements of people he doesn't know and the capricious bloodlust of some crazed vigilante. He'll just have to get over it. Get used to this spot on the totem pole, Georgie. I've had to.
Anyway, the not guilty verdict didn't really come as a shock. It's not as much a surprise as a big reminder that 200 years ain't all that long a time. Footnotes in history sometimes span a couple of centuries, and as American racism is not one of these footnotes nor is it history, it makes the chilling actuality of things all the more significant. I'm pretty sure this post is all I'll have to say about this particular case, but what I learned will be etched on my mind until the day I die. I suppose I can only helplessly hope that day doesn't come because of my clothing choices.
...but we want to talk about marriage laws and some baby in England. Give me a ******* break.
He's essentially said trayvon deserved to die that night.
And he's a smug, pompous,arrogant, person who really needs to get some sense BEATEN into him.
There was also a posting and/or link when he he was interviewed by CNN:
Near the end of the interview, CNN anchor Don Lemon felt compelled to ask Zimmerman Jr. a question on the potential opportunity for racial healing now that such a polarizing case has come to an end.
Lemon asked:
"You said you want to start some sort of dialogue, and much has been made about race in this particular case. And you, your brother, your family—you have a unique opportunity in this country to address that. What would you like to see happen when it comes to race, healing the divide, and do you plan to do anything about that, and will you ask your brother to do anything about that?"
What seemed like a chance for Zimmerman Jr. to begin some semblance of a reconciliation process quickly morphed into a bizarre indictment of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old shot and killed by George Zimmerman.
"I want to know what makes people angry enough to attack someone the way Trayvon Martin did. I want to know if it is true, and I don't know if it's true, that Trayvon Martin was looking to procure firearms, was growing dru.. marijuana plants or was making 'lean' or whatever he was doing. I want to know that every minor, high schooler that would be reaching out in some way for help and they may feel it's by procuring firearms or whatever it is they may be doing, that they have some kind of help."
For those saying "why don't black people react this way for black on black crime?" and "what happens when you take color out of the picture?" my question is how often does this get to the national media level? In this particular case even if zimmerman had been black chasing down trayvon and it ended up in a murder, i would STILL expect his sorry behind to go to trial and get buried under the jail.. wrong is wrong.. i would be just as upset for a black guy getting off for murdering a black guy as i am for zimmerman doing it.. The 911 call, Zimmerman's background, and the way Trayvon was demonized throughout this whole thing is what upsets me.. Zim is actually a THUG if we want to call names.. Assaulting Cops, domestic violence, all things we associate with thugs.. What were Trayvon's priors? Finally we all know if this had been black on black this wouldn't have never made it to the national level anyways, black on black crime is sadly normal in the US, and just not that enticing of a story..my cousin got his 2 year old daugher kidnapped, he was gunned down, and dumped in a parking lot last year, none of that outside of a shooting in his apartment complex resulting in a homicide even made the local news...
This is why people need to stop believing what the media is trying to feed them. I was just on the NY Post (I know, I know) website and they were talking about the US being on the verge of a race war......race war, with WHO? Blacks vs. Hispanics? Blacks vs. Whites? WHO?
Ninja identifies himself as latino, but people in here vehemently argue that he is black. Obama is genetically as white as Zimmerman, yet I hear a lot of praise for our "black" president. Zimmerman and Obama both have the same amount of European "white" ancestry. I could Identify as Asian, that doesn't mean that i will be accepted as that.This whole trial and uproar and media circus is just an attempt to distract the masses anyways.
