Why is George Zimmerman still free? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

wiseguy182 · 03-21-2012, 02:17 AM

it's pretty obvious to me that he is a murderer and his self-defense claims are a bunch of malarkey. I mean, why did he have a problem with Trayvon? Because he was walking down the street minding his own business? Because he had his hands in his pockets (I do this ALL THE TIME and I never carry a weapon.) Why did he call the police, and why did the police even bother to respond?

TracyLynnS · 03-22-2012, 10:04 AM

I tried to respond to this yesterday and couldn't. I had a huge post all written and everything. I'm also reading the discussion about this case on another forum and can't bring myself to post there either. I don't want you to think that because no one responded that no one cares about Trayvon's murder, so here's some of what's going on in my head. I'm going to try to not get too emotional.

Yesterday afternoon, the city began taking steps to remove the chief of police, Lee, by a 3/2 vote of "no confidence".

IMO, this is a straight up racially motivated murder committed by a guy who already had run ins with the law (resisting arrest or in any event pushed a cop's hands away from him while drunk), and had to undergo a program about it, had a history of domestic violence with a girlfriend and they kept getting restraining orders against each other, and a few other things.

I'm a pro 2nd amendment person, but I don't know how this guy had a legal concealed carry permit with this stuff in his recent criminal history. He is obviously a cop-wannabe and was already showing signs of being a DANGEROUS cop-wannabe before this happened.

The police department involved has a history of racism, including not arresting the son of a cop who beat a black homeless man, unprovoked, just because the guy happened to be there. The attacker just walked out of a storefront bar or something, looked at the guy, paced around a bit, then sucker punched him, slamming his head into a pole, and knocking him unconscious. He knew it was being filmed by multiple witnesses and didn't care.

It looks like they didn't conduct proper interviews the night of Trayvon's killing or even follow normal procedures when investigating a shooting fatality, even if they did believe it was justified. They are all trying to hide behind Florida's Stand Your Ground Law, and I don't think they have any protection under that. Zimmerman claimed it from the beginning and the cops said the law prevented them from arresting him because he killed Trayvon in self defense. I've read the law. It focuses a lot on what you can do when you're confronted in your Dwelling (the word Dwelling is used a lot), and in your occupied car, etc. It also protects cops who have to use deadly force in performing their jobs. But it absolutely does not protect anyone who provokes a fight and when he begins to lose that fight, resorts to deadly force to escape. This is what Zimmerman is claiming, that Trayvon attacked him so he had to shoot.

This happened in the dark. Trayvon was a teenager walking back to his dad's house from the 7-11. He was actually very close to home, only a few houses away, when he was killed.

While walking in the neighborhood, he stopped to put his hoodie over his head because it began to rain. Zimmerman followed him in his unmarked, personal vehicle. Against advice of the police department, who he was on the phone with, he got out of his car and followed Trayvon on foot. He was not wearing any kind of uniform IDing him as a Neighborhood Watchman (which I've since learned he was not. IMO, he was a control freak who decided to patrol the neighborhood on his own. He'd also placed nearly 50 911 calls since 1/2011 regarding suspicious people in the neighborhood.) As far as Trayvon was concerned, this was probably some creeper following and chasing him in the dark. He had no way to know who this guy was, if indeed, he was official.

The PD tried to withhold the 911 calls from public release forever (apparently Florida's Sunshine Laws prevailed) and now we know why they tried to withhold them (the racial slur, the disobeying of LE telling him to not pursue the child, etc) they are accused of making a witness change her statement, dang.. I can't even remember everything the screwed up or covered up right from the start.

Looks like rampant incompetence, racism, and a good ole boy system in that department and I hope this case brings them down. Unfortunately, I don't think Zimmerman is going to be charged with 1st degree murder and I don't think he's going to have to pay as much as he should for stalking and killing a kid. There's already been a bunch of Passing the Buck going on and it seems no one in authority wants to touch this case. I'm not even sure if they know where he is right now. They've dawdled along and a grand jury is not set to hear this until about April 10. They've given him way too much time to get out of the state or out of the country, imo.

----------
edited to correct info about the attack on the black homeless man, perpetrated by a policeman's adult son and Zimmerman's unofficial self appointed neighborhood watch captain status

TracyLynnS · 03-22-2012, 11:31 PM

A lot of details about the case so far. Includes sources for each of the points made in the blog:

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/201...012/?mobile=nc

TracyLynnS · 05-26-2013, 09:05 AM

Wiseguy, have you still been following this case?

Zimmerman's lawyers released a bunch of photos and texts taken from Trayvon Martin's cell phone that show him displaying a gun, supposedly smoking pot, claiming he was mad about losing a fight earlier, etc. All the people commenting on those articles are saying things like, See, I told you that kid was a no good thug!, etc....

This really aggravates me. I knew the news was spinning the story to make Trayvon seem like the perfect angel, displaying the picture of him when he was still a young and innocent kid, and stuff like that, but geez... Just because the kid had problems doesn't mean he should have been stalked and shot by some wannabe cop.

From everything I can tell, all Trayvon did was get snacks at the 7-11 and walk back to his dad's girlfriend's house. He wasn't casing houses to burglarize. It doesn't look like he was targeting Zimmerman and initiating a fight.

Oh, and along side all the "bad" photos of Trayvon, they are showing "good" photos of Zimmerman in his college graduation cap and gown. The only problem is Zimmerman ain't no angel either. He's got a criminal record and wasn't even graduating from college at the ceremony. He was participating in the commencement but not graduating.

The media has gone from manipulating the story to make Trayvon look like a saint to manipulating information to make Zimmerman look like a saint.

Truth is, they both had some serious troubles going on. I wish they'd just report facts and leave out the spin.

wiseguy182 · 05-26-2013, 02:33 PM

I can't stomach to watch too much coverage of this case anymore, haven't for awhile. Politics has gotten in the way, big time. Pretty much all of George Zimmerman's actions make me sick to my stomach, from panhandling for money for his defense (which some stupid people did give him money) to his hiding about what his net worth is. His wife isn't a role model either. They had some jerk-off claim that the photo of Zimmerman wearing an orange shirt was "jailhouse orange" and that it resembled a prison jumpsuit and claimed biased media coverage. All I have to say to that is

catlover79 · 05-26-2013, 02:40 PM

The guy creeps me out, plain and simple. Right from the word go, something just did not add up about him to me.

*ROGER* · 05-26-2013, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiseguy182

why is George Zimmerman still free?

His trial begins on June 10th.

catlover79 · 05-26-2013, 06:35 PM

Did he get that change of venue he wanted? I'm guessing no.

*ROGER* · 05-26-2013, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

Did he get that change of venue he wanted? I'm guessing no.

I'm not sure if he got the change of venue. I do know that he is only being charged with 2nd degree murder. If it was up to me, he would get the chair. I don't know who sickens me more .....George Zimmerman or Casey Anthony.....both child killers. I just hope Zimmerman doesn't completely get away with anything.

TVFactFan · 05-26-2013, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiseguy182

it's pretty obvious to me that he is a murderer and his self-defense claims are a bunch of malarkey. I mean, why did he have a problem with Trayvon? Because he was walking down the street minding his own business? Because he had his hands in his pockets (I do this ALL THE TIME and I never carry a weapon.) Why did he call the police, and why did the police even bother to respond?

He was actually walking down the street looking like a criminal which made George suspicious. I would have been defensive too if I saw a tall black man outside my home with a hoodie when I am not used to seeing that type.

*ROGER* · 05-26-2013, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

I would have been defensive too if I saw a tall black man outside my home with a hoodie when I am not used to seeing that type.

Trayvon's father lived in that same neighborhood. That's why Trayvon was there. He was watching the game with his father and brother. During half time, Trayvon walked to the 7-11 to buy iced tea and candy.

Trayvon's father lived in the neighborhood, so there was nothing uncommon about seeing a black man walking down the street.

TVFactFan · 05-26-2013, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *ROGER*

Trayvon's father lived in that same neighborhood. That's why Trayvon was there. He was watching the game with his father and brother. During half time, Trayvon walked to the 7-11 to buy iced tea and candy.

Trayvon's father lived in the neighborhood, so there was nothing uncommon about seeing a black man walking down the street.

I know but the hoodie is what made him look suspicious. If I walk outside right now and see a tall black man coming down the street wearing a hoodie when it's not cold or rainy then I will be on guard because it's the look of a criminal.

Now Zimmerman wasn't supposed to attack him but I understand why he became concerned

*ROGER* · 05-27-2013, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

I know but the hoodie is what made him look suspicious.

It actually was raining the night Trayvon was killed. That's why he had his hoodie on.

TracyLynnS · 07-14-2013, 08:50 AM

I had to basically quit following the case. I don't watch televised trials anyway, ever since the OJ debacle. The only part of Casey Anthony's trial I watched was part of Dr. G's testimony.

This case was spun in all directions by the media. The news needs to report facts, not turn everything into the national enquirer. I think the truth got lost in their spin.

This will probably be an unpopular opinion, but I actually believe the prosecution didn't want Zimmerman convicted. They didn't seem to try to prosecute the crime. Not sure of the motive.... maybe they thought a conviction would end up with a challenge to the Stand Your Ground law.

I actually like the stand your ground law, when used properly, but I don't think it was here. I don't believe that Zimmerman confronted Martin, then turned away and walked back to his car, and THEN was jumped by Martin. (I saw this in a news report on dailymail.co.uk today.) (Back when this first happened, I also saw a report that said Martin confronted Zimmerman in his car, dragged him out of the car and beat him on the ground. WTH? Nothing shows the fight took place in the street by the car! What are the facts? No one is reporting FACTS.) I think Zimmerman instigated the fight, started to lose, then pulled his gun. That's NOT standing your ground. Did they end up using the Stand Your Ground as a defense in this case?

And I'm sick of seeing news reports calling Z a Neighborhood Watch Volunteer, or a Neighborhood Watch Captain. He was a private citizen, with a criminal record, with basically an illegally obtained gun carry permit (if his record had been checked, it would never have been issued, but the authorities only checked his record in one county, iirc), who stalked a teenager in the dark.

Seems to me like the jury wanted real time video footage of the event, just like the idiots in the Casey Anthony trial, before they could get past Reasonable Doubt. No video - oh well, can't prove he's guilty then... gah!

TracyLynnS · 07-14-2013, 08:50 AM

oops - double post

03-21-2012, 02:17 AM	#1
wiseguy182 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 11, 2006 Location: Wendy's salad bar Posts: 7,030	Why is George Zimmerman still free? it's pretty obvious to me that he is a murderer and his self-defense claims are a bunch of malarkey. I mean, why did he have a problem with Trayvon? Because he was walking down the street minding his own business? Because he had his hands in his pockets (I do this ALL THE TIME and I never carry a weapon.) Why did he call the police, and why did the police even bother to respond?

03-22-2012, 10:04 AM	#2
TracyLynnS Don't Look Up Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 07, 2009 Posts: 3,107	I tried to respond to this yesterday and couldn't. I had a huge post all written and everything. I'm also reading the discussion about this case on another forum and can't bring myself to post there either. I don't want you to think that because no one responded that no one cares about Trayvon's murder, so here's some of what's going on in my head. I'm going to try to not get too emotional. Yesterday afternoon, the city began taking steps to remove the chief of police, Lee, by a 3/2 vote of "no confidence". IMO, this is a straight up racially motivated murder committed by a guy who already had run ins with the law (resisting arrest or in any event pushed a cop's hands away from him while drunk), and had to undergo a program about it, had a history of domestic violence with a girlfriend and they kept getting restraining orders against each other, and a few other things. I'm a pro 2nd amendment person, but I don't know how this guy had a legal concealed carry permit with this stuff in his recent criminal history. He is obviously a cop-wannabe and was already showing signs of being a DANGEROUS cop-wannabe before this happened. The police department involved has a history of racism, including not arresting the son of a cop who beat a black homeless man, unprovoked, just because the guy happened to be there. The attacker just walked out of a storefront bar or something, looked at the guy, paced around a bit, then sucker punched him, slamming his head into a pole, and knocking him unconscious. He knew it was being filmed by multiple witnesses and didn't care. It looks like they didn't conduct proper interviews the night of Trayvon's killing or even follow normal procedures when investigating a shooting fatality, even if they did believe it was justified. They are all trying to hide behind Florida's Stand Your Ground Law, and I don't think they have any protection under that. Zimmerman claimed it from the beginning and the cops said the law prevented them from arresting him because he killed Trayvon in self defense. I've read the law. It focuses a lot on what you can do when you're confronted in your Dwelling (the word Dwelling is used a lot), and in your occupied car, etc. It also protects cops who have to use deadly force in performing their jobs. But it absolutely does not protect anyone who provokes a fight and when he begins to lose that fight, resorts to deadly force to escape. This is what Zimmerman is claiming, that Trayvon attacked him so he had to shoot. This happened in the dark. Trayvon was a teenager walking back to his dad's house from the 7-11. He was actually very close to home, only a few houses away, when he was killed. While walking in the neighborhood, he stopped to put his hoodie over his head because it began to rain. Zimmerman followed him in his unmarked, personal vehicle. Against advice of the police department, who he was on the phone with, he got out of his car and followed Trayvon on foot. He was not wearing any kind of uniform IDing him as a Neighborhood Watchman (which I've since learned he was not. IMO, he was a control freak who decided to patrol the neighborhood on his own. He'd also placed nearly 50 911 calls since 1/2011 regarding suspicious people in the neighborhood.) As far as Trayvon was concerned, this was probably some creeper following and chasing him in the dark. He had no way to know who this guy was, if indeed, he was official. The PD tried to withhold the 911 calls from public release forever (apparently Florida's Sunshine Laws prevailed) and now we know why they tried to withhold them (the racial slur, the disobeying of LE telling him to not pursue the child, etc) they are accused of making a witness change her statement, dang.. I can't even remember everything the screwed up or covered up right from the start. Looks like rampant incompetence, racism, and a good ole boy system in that department and I hope this case brings them down. Unfortunately, I don't think Zimmerman is going to be charged with 1st degree murder and I don't think he's going to have to pay as much as he should for stalking and killing a kid. There's already been a bunch of Passing the Buck going on and it seems no one in authority wants to touch this case. I'm not even sure if they know where he is right now. They've dawdled along and a grand jury is not set to hear this until about April 10. They've given him way too much time to get out of the state or out of the country, imo. ---------- edited to correct info about the attack on the black homeless man, perpetrated by a policeman's adult son and Zimmerman's unofficial self appointed neighborhood watch captain status
	Last edited by TracyLynnS; 03-22-2012 at 11:49 PM.

05-26-2013, 02:40 PM	#6
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	The guy creeps me out, plain and simple. Right from the word go, something just did not add up about him to me.
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

03-22-2012, 11:31 PM	#3
TracyLynnS Don't Look Up Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 07, 2009 Posts: 3,107	A lot of details about the case so far. Includes sources for each of the points made in the blog: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/201...012/?mobile=nc

05-26-2013, 09:05 AM	#4
TracyLynnS Don't Look Up Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 07, 2009 Posts: 3,107	Wiseguy, have you still been following this case? Zimmerman's lawyers released a bunch of photos and texts taken from Trayvon Martin's cell phone that show him displaying a gun, supposedly smoking pot, claiming he was mad about losing a fight earlier, etc. All the people commenting on those articles are saying things like, See, I told you that kid was a no good thug!, etc.... This really aggravates me. I knew the news was spinning the story to make Trayvon seem like the perfect angel, displaying the picture of him when he was still a young and innocent kid, and stuff like that, but geez... Just because the kid had problems doesn't mean he should have been stalked and shot by some wannabe cop. From everything I can tell, all Trayvon did was get snacks at the 7-11 and walk back to his dad's girlfriend's house. He wasn't casing houses to burglarize. It doesn't look like he was targeting Zimmerman and initiating a fight. Oh, and along side all the "bad" photos of Trayvon, they are showing "good" photos of Zimmerman in his college graduation cap and gown. The only problem is Zimmerman ain't no angel either. He's got a criminal record and wasn't even graduating from college at the ceremony. He was participating in the commencement but not graduating. The media has gone from manipulating the story to make Trayvon look like a saint to manipulating information to make Zimmerman look like a saint. Truth is, they both had some serious troubles going on. I wish they'd just report facts and leave out the spin.

05-26-2013, 02:33 PM	#5
wiseguy182 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 11, 2006 Location: Wendy's salad bar Posts: 7,030	I can't stomach to watch too much coverage of this case anymore, haven't for awhile. Politics has gotten in the way, big time. Pretty much all of George Zimmerman's actions make me sick to my stomach, from panhandling for money for his defense (which some stupid people did give him money) to his hiding about what his net worth is. His wife isn't a role model either. They had some jerk-off claim that the photo of Zimmerman wearing an orange shirt was "jailhouse orange" and that it resembled a prison jumpsuit and claimed biased media coverage. All I have to say to that is

05-26-2013, 06:35 PM	#8
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	Did he get that change of venue he wanted? I'm guessing no.

07-14-2013, 08:50 AM	#14
TracyLynnS Don't Look Up Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 07, 2009 Posts: 3,107	I had to basically quit following the case. I don't watch televised trials anyway, ever since the OJ debacle. The only part of Casey Anthony's trial I watched was part of Dr. G's testimony. This case was spun in all directions by the media. The news needs to report facts, not turn everything into the national enquirer. I think the truth got lost in their spin. This will probably be an unpopular opinion, but I actually believe the prosecution didn't want Zimmerman convicted. They didn't seem to try to prosecute the crime. Not sure of the motive.... maybe they thought a conviction would end up with a challenge to the Stand Your Ground law. I actually like the stand your ground law, when used properly, but I don't think it was here. I don't believe that Zimmerman confronted Martin, then turned away and walked back to his car, and THEN was jumped by Martin. (I saw this in a news report on dailymail.co.uk today.) (Back when this first happened, I also saw a report that said Martin confronted Zimmerman in his car, dragged him out of the car and beat him on the ground. WTH? Nothing shows the fight took place in the street by the car! What are the facts? No one is reporting FACTS.) I think Zimmerman instigated the fight, started to lose, then pulled his gun. That's NOT standing your ground. Did they end up using the Stand Your Ground as a defense in this case? And I'm sick of seeing news reports calling Z a Neighborhood Watch Volunteer, or a Neighborhood Watch Captain. He was a private citizen, with a criminal record, with basically an illegally obtained gun carry permit (if his record had been checked, it would never have been issued, but the authorities only checked his record in one county, iirc), who stalked a teenager in the dark. Seems to me like the jury wanted real time video footage of the event, just like the idiots in the Casey Anthony trial, before they could get past Reasonable Doubt. No video - oh well, can't prove he's guilty then... gah!