The Official Zimmerman Trial Verdict Thread

[Gracie]

I once again call your attention to the applicable laws here. You can only claim self defense if you're in eminent danger of serious bodily harm. Just because someone is following you does not give you the right to attack them.

Au contraire. I'm a small woman. Say I'm out walking late at night...had to go check on a neighbor or something...reason doesn't really matter why. This is America and I can walk around at night if I want to.

Someone starts following me. That's going to scare me. Maybe I even tell them to get away. But they keep following. And then they approach me.

I'm going to defend myself, right then and there. And I have every right to.

As does a grown man, a little old lady, and anyone else...including a teenage boy.

What if whomever is scaring you turns around and walk away from you? Are you going to defend yourself by attacking him once he is out of sight and you relocate him?
Probably not. But martin decided to go tracking his tracker. That is what got him killed.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

Take a look at the photos of Zimmerman. Note that his hands have no abrasions on them. It's obvious that he wasn't punching anyone with those hands. Then look at his nose. It's obvious that he got popped a good one right in the beak. Then look at the back of his head. Those are classic concussive lacerations...the kind of injury you receive when your head is struck by something. All those things tell me that George Zimmerman got his ass beat by Trayvon Martin.

Doesn't mean Martin started it.

I'm just going with what makes sense. If you've got two combatants...one of which is beat up and the other is shot fatally...it's common sense to think that the beating took place BEFORE the gun shot. You want me to believe a scenario that's hard to picture...that Zimmerman attacks Martin but has no damage to his knuckles and Martin has no injuries other than the gun shot wound. Sorry but that's hard to buy.

What does make sense is that Trayvon Martin took exception to someone following him and decided to give that person a beating, not knowing that the man had a gun. He punches Zimmerman in the face...doing the very obvious damage to his nose...takes him to the ground (where one of the witnesses says they saw a man "mounting" the other like a MMA fight and slamming his head into the ground...doing the damage to the back of Zimmerman's head.

You know, when you stalk people out on the streets at night, you have to expect them to defend themselves. If Zimmerman wasn't stalking people at night, especially when he's been told to knock it off, those people wouldn't feel the need to defend themselves.

 

[Gracie]

Y'all keep missing the point. He WENT LOOKING FOR ZIMMERMAN. There is no "defending oneself" if there is no threat. There was no threat!! Until HE went to the tracker who was LEAVING.

 

[dilloduck]

Doesn't mean Martin started it.

I'm just going with what makes sense. If you've got two combatants...one of which is beat up and the other is shot fatally...it's common sense to think that the beating took place BEFORE the gun shot. You want me to believe a scenario that's hard to picture...that Zimmerman attacks Martin but has no damage to his knuckles and Martin has no injuries other than the gun shot wound. Sorry but that's hard to buy.

What does make sense is that Trayvon Martin took exception to someone following him and decided to give that person a beating, not knowing that the man had a gun. He punches Zimmerman in the face...doing the very obvious damage to his nose...takes him to the ground (where one of the witnesses says they saw a man "mounting" the other like a MMA fight and slamming his head into the ground...doing the damage to the back of Zimmerman's head.

You know, when you stalk people out on the streets at night, you have to expect them to defend themselves. If Zimmerman wasn't stalking people at night, especially when he's been told to knock it off, those people wouldn't feel the need to defend themselves.

Cmon--he wasn't "stalking" him. He was watching to see what he was going to do--he called the police to report his actions. Martin was defending his ego--not his life. He lost both.

 

[AmyNation]

Y'all keep missing the point. He WENT LOOKING FOR ZIMMERMAN. There is no "defending oneself" if there is no threat. There was no threat!! Until HE went to the tracker who was LEAVING.

That is what Zimmerman is claiming.

 

[Gracie]

Ok. It's late at night. I am going to go to the worst neighborhood in LA with a huge prada bag and walk real slow. I know eventually someone is going to look and perhaps follow me a ways. I will let them. But when they turn around or stop to light up a cig or take swig of beverage, I am then going to turn around, walk up to THEM, and start smacking them with my prada bag. They pull out a gun and shoot me.
Or, I just might not smack them at all. They dared to "scare me", so fuck it. I'll just pull my 357 out of my prada bag and shoot their face off because they deserved it for upsetting me.

Sound about right?

 

[Luissa]

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-kno...ur-ground’-cases-you-should-know-about/14039/

Here is an article a few cases that have been dropped due to stand your ground in Florida and in other states.
If you go by this, Martin had every right to attack an armed man that was following him, and would have got off if Zimmerman actually retreated.

 

[Luissa]

I once again call your attention to the applicable laws here. You can only claim self defense if you're in eminent danger of serious bodily harm. Just because someone is following you does not give you the right to attack them.

Have you looked up cases that were not filed or dropped due to stand your ground yet?

Luissa, I live in Florida and have a concealed carry permit. I'm quite aware of the applicable laws here.

Have you looked up cases that have been dropped?

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

I once again call your attention to the applicable laws here. You can only claim self defense if you're in eminent danger of serious bodily harm. Just because someone is following you does not give you the right to attack them.

Au contraire. I'm a small woman. Say I'm out walking late at night...had to go check on a neighbor or something...reason doesn't really matter why. This is America and I can walk around at night if I want to.

Someone starts following me. That's going to scare me. Maybe I even tell them to get away. But they keep following. And then they approach me.

I'm going to defend myself, right then and there. And I have every right to.

As does a grown man, a little old lady, and anyone else...including a teenage boy.

What if whomever is scaring you turns around and walk away from you? Are you going to defend yourself by attacking him once he is out of sight and you relocate him?
Probably not. But martin decided to go tracking his tracker. That is what got him killed.

Well, if someone is stalking me, I'm damn well going to keep them in my sight. If they stop for a moment to make a phone call, I'm going to keep an eye on them and their whereabouts.

Did Martin lose sight of him and then relocate him? Do we know that for a fact? Or was he hiding behind a tree, watching to see what Zimmerman would do? Did Martin approach Zimmerman? Do we know that for a fact? Or did Martin simply call out to Zimmerman, "Hey man, why are you following me!?" And then Zimmerman approached him? Do we know for a fact?

The one thing we do know for a fact is that this teenage boy was minding his own businss, not doing anything wrong, and Zimmerman started harrassing him. Even after the police told him not to follow the kid, he followed.

 

[Gracie]

Y'all keep missing the point. He WENT LOOKING FOR ZIMMERMAN. There is no "defending oneself" if there is no threat. There was no threat!! Until HE went to the tracker who was LEAVING.

That is what Zimmerman is claiming.

Does not the police reports show he was on the phone stating he lost martin and was heading back to his vehicle? Which would back up zimmermans claim. Wouldnt it?

Like I said..interesting case. And I look forward to watching it unfold although I am not much of a trial watcher person.

 

[Luissa]

I am still trying to figure out how you think a person would not fear for imminent death or bodily arm when being followed by an armed man?

 

[Gracie]

Au contraire. I'm a small woman. Say I'm out walking late at night...had to go check on a neighbor or something...reason doesn't really matter why. This is America and I can walk around at night if I want to.

Someone starts following me. That's going to scare me. Maybe I even tell them to get away. But they keep following. And then they approach me.

I'm going to defend myself, right then and there. And I have every right to.

As does a grown man, a little old lady, and anyone else...including a teenage boy.

What if whomever is scaring you turns around and walk away from you? Are you going to defend yourself by attacking him once he is out of sight and you relocate him?
Probably not. But martin decided to go tracking his tracker. That is what got him killed.

Well, if someone is stalking me, I'm damn well going to keep them in my sight. If they stop for a moment to make a phone call, I'm going to keep an eye on them and their whereabouts.

Did Martin lose sight of him and then relocate him? Do we know that for a fact? Or was he hiding behind a tree, watching to see what Zimmerman would do? Did Martin approach Zimmerman? Do we know that for a fact? Or did Martin simply call out to Zimmerman, "Hey man, why are you following me!?" And then Zimmerman approached him? Do we know for a fact?

The one thing we do know for a fact is that this teenage boy was minding his own businss, not doing anything wrong, and Zimmerman started harrassing him. Even after the police told him not to follow the kid, he followed.

Agreed. Lots of questions...no answers.

 

[Gracie]

I am still trying to figure out how you think a person would not fear for imminent death or bodily arm when being followed by an armed man?

Did martin know zimmerman was armed? Because if he did know...this puts a whole new twist on things, doesn't it?

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

Y'all keep missing the point. He WENT LOOKING FOR ZIMMERMAN. There is no "defending oneself" if there is no threat. There was no threat!! Until HE went to the tracker who was LEAVING.

That is what Zimmerman is claiming.

Right. And I believe everything Zimmerman says.

 

[dilloduck]

I am still trying to figure out how you think a person would not fear for imminent death or bodily arm when being followed by an armed man?

I'm still trying to figure out why he didn't fucking call the cops or run away----attacking isn't the only option you know. STOOOPID

 

[AmyNation]

Y'all keep missing the point. He WENT LOOKING FOR ZIMMERMAN. There is no "defending oneself" if there is no threat. There was no threat!! Until HE went to the tracker who was LEAVING.

That is what Zimmerman is claiming.

Does not the police reports show he was on the phone stating he lost martin and was heading back to his vehicle? Which would back up zimmermans claim. Wouldnt it?

Like I said..interesting case. And I look forward to watching it unfold although I am not much of a trial watcher person.

I've seen analysis' of the evidence that suggests it backs up his claims and I've seen some that shows serious flaws and suggests the evidence refutes it.

I'm just pointing out that your argument is what the defense will claim, but its not a fact. The prosecutor will argue that the evidence shows no such thing.

 

[Luissa]

I am still trying to figure out how you think a person would not fear for imminent death or bodily arm when being followed by an armed man?

I'm still trying to figure out why he didn't fucking call the cops or run away----attacking isn't the only option you know. STOOOPID

It isn't. But I am failing to see how Zimmerman's only option was to follow a teenage boy who had committed no crime. Couldn't he have just called the Police before ever following the boy?

 

[dilloduck]

I am still trying to figure out how you think a person would not fear for imminent death or bodily arm when being followed by an armed man?

I'm still trying to figure out why he didn't fucking call the cops or run away----attacking isn't the only option you know. STOOOPID

It isn't. But I am failing to see how Zimmerman's only option was to follow a teenage boy who had committed no crime. Couldn't he have just called the Police before ever following the boy?

Zimmerman called the cops---Martin did not--Why ?

 

[Luissa]

I am still trying to figure out how you think a person would not fear for imminent death or bodily arm when being followed by an armed man?

Did martin know zimmerman was armed? Because if he did know...this puts a whole new twist on things, doesn't it?

He had a holster, where was his holster? He said he pulled it out of his holster during the fight. From that my money would be on it being in full view in a belt holster.

 

[Luissa]

I'm still trying to figure out why he didn't fucking call the cops or run away----attacking isn't the only option you know. STOOOPID

It isn't. But I am failing to see how Zimmerman's only option was to follow a teenage boy who had committed no crime. Couldn't he have just called the Police before ever following the boy?

Zimmerman called the cops---Martin did not--Why ?

He did after following the boy armed.