Not Guilty (2 Viewers)

[Toy Soldier Brigade]

The main stream media and other groups keep portraying this kid like he was an honor student and not capable of any wrongdoing. I'm also tired of seeing his picture from when he was twelve. How about showing a recent picture like the one of him showing off his mouth full of gold teeth.

Facts:
He was staying at that residence because he had been suspended from school. His third suspension.
Also Suspended when his school caught him carrying burglary tools and a bag containing womens jewelry.
Also suspended for tardiness, and excessive absences.
Third Suspension was because he was caught with drug paraphernalia.
Had a violent temper. His friends reported that he was constantly fighting.
He had been suspected of selling weapons.
He tested positive for drug use during his autopsy.

Of course they won't report any of this because they are trying to turn him into a martyr.

 

[Phantom Warrior]

The main stream media and other groups keep portraying this kid like he was an honor student and not capable of any wrongdoing. I'm also tired of seeing his picture from when he was twelve. How about showing a recent picture like the one of him showing off his mouth full of gold teeth.

Facts:
He was staying at that residence because he had been suspended from school. His third suspension.
Also Suspended when his school caught him carrying burglary tools and a bag containing womens jewelry.
Also suspended for tardiness, and excessive absences.
Third Suspension was because he was caught with drug paraphernalia.
Had a violent temper. His friends reported that he was constantly fighting.
He had been suspected of selling weapons.
He tested positive for drug use during his autopsy.

Of course they won't report any of this because they are trying to turn him into a martyr.

I agree with using the photo of how he looked at 17 - not necessarily with gold teeth.

The temper and fighting should have been debated in the trial as it goes directly to who attacked. The only other point I can comment on is the School coverup of the women's jewellery which has been since identified as stolen at a nearby robbery.

Terry

 

[Poppo]

The main stream media and other groups keep portraying this kid like he was an honor student and not capable of any wrongdoing. I'm also tired of seeing his picture from when he was twelve. How about showing a recent picture like the one of him showing off his mouth full of gold teeth.

Facts:
He was staying at that residence because he had been suspended from school. His third suspension.
Also Suspended when his school caught him carrying burglary tools and a bag containing womens jewelry.
Also suspended for tardiness, and excessive absences.
Third Suspension was because he was caught with drug paraphernalia.
Had a violent temper. His friends reported that he was constantly fighting.
He had been suspected of selling weapons.
He tested positive for drug use during his autopsy.

Of course they won't report any of this because they are trying to turn him into a martyr.

Are those reasons to be shot to death? I don' t think so. There is prison for those things.....Or do you wish to shoot in the head every little dealer or thief?
I say again that in Europe that killing is seen as a crime. A professional should be able to let quiet someone whithout taking his life. I was also amazed to see in new york some months ago the tv cam of a man losin his head with a knife in the street. He was surrounded by 10 or 15 policemen; then all of them shot him....Unbeliveable, If I hadn' t seen that .....In Paris or Italy a killing by police is so rare...

 

[wds0855]

Zimmerman insitgated this altercation and should have left this to the police "as he was told" to do BY THE POLICE....At that point his life was NOT in danger....BUT..... He tried to play Charles Bronson/Police Officer and it resulted in tragedy. He is at least culpable on civil grounds....He was a frustrated wanabe police officer...rejected by the police force from what I understand. That's why.

One of the main problems with people understanding the verdict in this case is that they simply do not know the facts, but listen to the main stream media instead.
Case in point. Zimmerman was NOT told anything by the Police. He called a 911 dispatcher. The dispatcher's job is to call law enforcement or emergency personnel or both. The dispatcher is not a licensed police officer or law enforcement official. The dispatcher cannot order anyone or tell anyone to do anything. They can ask questions and make suggesstions, but that is it. If people would simply listen to the evidence and understand what actually happened then they can understand the verdict. This was a very tragic situation, but the correct verdict in this case was delievered, based on the facts.

 

[Toy Soldier Brigade]

Are those reasons to be shot to death? I don' t think so. There is prison for those things.....Or do you wish to shoot in the head every little dealer or thief?
I say again that in Europe that killing is seen as a crime. A professional should be able to let quiet someone whithout taking his life. I was also amazed to see in new york some months ago the tv cam of a man losin his head with a knife in the street. He was surrounded by 10 or 15 policemen; then all of them shot him....Unbeliveable, If I hadn' t seen that .....In Paris or Italy a killing by police is so rare...

No, but they do show that he wasn't the incent teen that is being reported. You may have seen the beheading incident reported on US news, but it happened in the UK. Believe me if there had been 10 to 15 NYPD officers there he would have been dealt with accordingly.

 

[PanzerAce1944]

In Europe you can' t defend your property killing someone, especially when outside a building and the suspect without weapons.The self defence here has very stricted limits, you must be in danger for your life , otherwise you commit a murder. In any european country a guy killing a teenager without weapons would have come to jail very probably, and at least fired from his job, so I m not amazed that there have been so many demostrations in the street after the fact.

Here in Texas if someone comes to your home and starts smashing your car in the driveway of your property you have a right to defend yourself and protect your personal property, even if it means using a firearm !
My point was why riot and destroy innocent peoples property that had absolutely "Nothing" to do with all of this ! Even worse is the cable news shows are milking this for every minute that they can get out of this.
All they are doing now on T.V. is analyzing everything after the fact. Should have, would have, could have . Give us all a break here. Verdict..................Innocent...................Done Deal.

 

[Peter Reuss]

Gents, we've given some leeway to allow people to discuss this hot topic, but I think it's time to move on before we devolve into a 'you're an idiot...no you're an idiot' conversation :0

People do disagree this topic.

 

[BLReed]

.In Paris or Italy a killing by police is so rare...

It is rare [a relative term] in the U.S. also. Population of France 65 million, Italy 60 million,
and the U.S. 315 million.
The police force in the U.S. is made up of many factions. Mostly local of which the Sheriff is elected by vote.
As are Prosecutors elected. As such often politics enter the fray and the law is left to juries.

Here is an interesting survey http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/lif_con_in_soc_ins_pol-lifestyle-confidence-social-institutions-police of citizens
confidence in their police. Apparently citizens in the U.S. are for the most part satisfied. Certainly more so than with
some other institutions, which will go un-named.

Lastly, please don't rely on media outlets. Police doing the day-to-day job of safeguarding the public doesn't
often enter the conversation. Doesn't sell [$$$$]. Here is a basic write-up that may give more insight.

" Whatever the [entertainment] media show is the opposite of what is true. In every subject category – crimes, criminals, crime fighters, the investigation of crimes, arrests, the processing and disposition of cases – the entertainment media present a world of crime and justice that is not found in reality. Whatever the truth about crime and violence and the criminal justice system in America, the entertainment media seem determined to project the opposite. Their wildly inaccurate and inevitably fragmentary images provide a distorted reflection of crime within society and an equally distorted reflection of the criminal justice system’s response to crime. The lack of realistic information further mystifies the criminal justice system, exacerbating the public’s lack of understanding of it while constructing a perverse topsy-turvy reality of it."

 

[OzDigger]

The main stream media and other groups keep portraying this kid like he was an honor student and not capable of any wrongdoing. I'm also tired of seeing his picture from when he was twelve. How about showing a recent picture like the one of him showing off his mouth full of gold teeth.

Facts:
He was staying at that residence because he had been suspended from school. His third suspension.
Also Suspended when his school caught him carrying burglary tools and a bag containing womens jewelry.
Also suspended for tardiness, and excessive absences.
Third Suspension was because he was caught with drug paraphernalia.
Had a violent temper. His friends reported that he was constantly fighting.
He had been suspected of selling weapons.
He tested positive for drug use during his autopsy.

Of course they won't report any of this because they are trying to turn him into a martyr.

That certainly puts a different perspective on the matter, considering the above and other relevant facts no doubt made available to the jury, I feel they made the correct decision. Someone keeps mentioning Europe as some shining light of civilization, not really the case considering the past and present record of some of the countries in Europe. If lethal force is allowed in self defence in Florida, that is their law, they made it, they live with the consequences. Some will consider that law bad, some will say it is a good law, no different from most other laws in that respect.

 

[gk5717]

Gents, we've given some leeway to allow people to discuss this hot topic, but I think it's time to move on before we devolve into a 'you're an idiot...no you're an idiot' conversation :0

People do disagree this topic.

Pete, I,ve read every post on this and what I see is about 99% agreement on the verdict and no real controversy. Just from one person in Europe who more or less stated they don,t have many shootings on the continent. When I started this post Saturday night, I really thought there would be some who would be against the verdict, as it turns out we all think alike. I know this is a toy soldier board but threads like this are much more stimulating than discussing FL,s size compared to K&C,s size.
Gary

 

[OzDigger]

Pete, I,ve read every post on this and what I see is about 99% agreement on the verdict and no real controversy. Just from one person in Europe who more or less stated they don,t have many shootings on the continent. When I started this post Saturday night, I really thought there would be some who would be against the verdict, as it turns out we all think alike. I know this is a toy soldier board but threads like this are much more stimulating than discussing FL,s size compared to K&C,s size.
Gary

This thread may be more interesting to some members but it's not as relevant as discussions about TS size on a TS forum, which are only boring if you read them, no ones holding a gun to your head.......yet ^&grin

 

[Vezzolf]

The main stream media and other groups keep portraying this kid like he was an honor student and not capable of any wrongdoing. I'm also tired of seeing his picture from when he was twelve. How about showing a recent picture like the one of him showing off his mouth full of gold teeth.

Facts:
He was staying at that residence because he had been suspended from school. His third suspension.
Also Suspended when his school caught him carrying burglary tools and a bag containing womens jewelry.
Also suspended for tardiness, and excessive absences.
Third Suspension was because he was caught with drug paraphernalia.
Had a violent temper. His friends reported that he was constantly fighting.
He had been suspected of selling weapons.
He tested positive for drug use during his autopsy.

Of course they won't report any of this because they are trying to turn him into a martyr.

Very interesting facts.....Certainly Martin is no martyr.....and YES I am sick and tired of the media portraying him as an innocent harmless 12 year old...But we cannot have neighborhood watch groups and people like Zimmerman carrying guns and confronting people in their neighborhood like Charles Bronson or Clint Eastwood....That is ridiculous and will surely lead to more tragedy and violence....That message also needs to be clearly sent to police "wanabes" like Zimmerman....it simply cannot be condoned or we will have chaos. He was told not to approach this individual...there was no urgency for him to act and his life nor anyones elses was in danger at that time...He should have left this to the police as he was told...I accept the decision fully but he could have been found guilty of manslaughter very easily....I do think that He will and should be found guilty in the civil suit. A clear message needs to be sent to vigilantes.

 

[BLReed]

....But we cannot have neighborhood watch groups .......

That should be left to the local communities. Here they are sponsored by the Sheriffs Department.
Not vigilantes by any means. More media hype I suspect. Previously gangs were trying to get a foothold.
Now those gangs packed up and left. The only difference locally off hand is that the watch groups
have to go in pairs.

 

[Panzer ace]

Do I sleep better knowing my wife carries and works off hours? Absolutely. She is both responsible as well as completely versed in firearms. I doubt there is a forum member who would not want their significant other to be be able to have the same security.

As for me? All I can say is that a concealed carry permit comes with great responsibility, I act no different because of it, however, I am constantly mindful of my duty to act reasonably and carefully in accordance with the gravity of the ability to carry a deadly weapon.

 

[tdubel]

Very interesting facts.....Certainly Martin is no martyr.....and YES I am sick and tired of the media portraying him as an innocent harmless 12 year old...But we cannot have neighborhood watch groups and people like Zimmerman carrying guns and confronting people in their neighborhood like Charles Bronson or Clint Eastwood....That is ridiculous and will surely lead to more tragedy and violence....That message also needs to be clearly sent to police "wanabes" like Zimmerman....it simply cannot be condoned or we will have chaos. He was told not to approach this individual...there was no urgency for him to act and his life nor anyones elses was in danger at that time...He should have left this to the police as he was told...I accept the decision fully but he could have been found guilty of manslaughter very easily....I do think that He will and should be found guilty in the civil suit. A clear message needs to be sent to vigilantes.

Frank
Not a lawyer, but believe you are incorrect on the manslaughter. His defense team did not invoke the Stand your Ground law, if he would have been charged with Vol. Manslaughter, I read where they would have and that law is a specific defense to that charge.

No, he should not be liable civilly, at the end of the day, facts are pretty clear, he was in a fight for his life and felt it was in danger. In my opinion , there is too much leeway on civil liability, way too many lawsuits. If the criminal law is clear and a verdict is clear (as in this case), then there should be zero civil liability. I just fundamentally disagree with these types of lawsuits.

Now, do I believe in product liability lawsuits where a Company or individual can be both criminally and civilly liable, absolutely.

Tom