503 replies to this topic

[Mr. Roboto]

Discuss.

[artcinco]

This week's media/twitter frenzy where people try and shoehorn something horrible into some type of ammunition for their causes.

Seems like some Hispanic guy who fancied himself a jr. policeman because of neighborhood crime got in a situation that ended horribly.


#iThing #word

[Mr. Roboto]

I read an article today that quoted family members of the shooter who said he believed once the evidence was presented in full he would be totally exonerated. They also reported he has been crying non stop since the shooting. My guess is that the Feds are going to step in and charge this guy at some point.

[PERM BANNED]

Can the Feds stop in? Do they have jurisdiction? Florida's stand your ground law is just that, the law. I'm interested in hearing the whole story and not just the headlines. It's a shame for sure, but only hearing opinions from people who weren't there doesn't mean a whole lot.

[artcinco]

^ That applies to all the talking heads too.

Without any eye witnesses we may never know how it played out.

What is known from the reporting I have seen is that the neighborhood watch guy thought the teen was up to no good and called police. The police told him not to follow the teen. He did not do so and some type of altercation ensued. The guy ends up shooting the teen. Seems like NW guy was the instigator of the situation.

Have any of you read enough to know if the teen lived in the neighborhood or was he passing through to get to the convenience store? Some reports suggest it is a gated community.


#iThing #word

[PERM BANNED]

What people don't know is what happened when the altercation occured. The video I saw this morning from the alleged Shooter's friend seemed to suggest that Martin may in fact have been the aggressor or even pulled the trigger himself in a struggle. I don't know what happened, but when Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton show up, you know the original meaning has been completely lost.

This whole thing is a damn shame and the loss of child is never positive. But it angers me greatly to see how these people come from the woodwork to use this tragedy to push their agenda. Stand your ground is a good, solid law. No one should ever have to run away from their aggressor. And something as simple as castle doctrine isn't universal in all states and some have just recently applied it during the past couple of years. If the shooter is guilty, try him and convitct him. But don't turn this into a media circus about hate crimes or how guns are a bad thing. Cause you're really showing you don't give a damn about the dead 17 year old, you just found an audience willing to your bullshit.

[Mr. Roboto]

I don't know how it would apply to "Stand your ground" if the accused was following this kid. The guy was not in his car or his home when he "defended" himself. Even if the kid attacked him, lethal force was obviously not necessary. I'd say nothing would have happened if he had not followed the boy. He was also talking to his girlfriend and told her he was being followed moments before the deadly shooting, hardly the act of a thug looking for trouble. I'd be more inclined to believe a scuffle broke out after this wanna be cop tried to restrain him.

[freedom78]

What people don't know is what happened when the altercation occured. The video I saw this morning from the alleged Shooter's friend seemed to suggest that Martin may in fact have been the aggressor or even pulled the trigger himself in a struggle. I don't know what happened, but when Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton show up, you know the original meaning has been completely lost.

This whole thing is a damn shame and the loss of child is never positive. But it angers me greatly to see how these people come from the woodwork to use this tragedy to push their agenda. Stand your ground is a good, solid law. No one should ever have to run away from their aggressor. And something as simple as castle doctrine isn't universal in all states and some have just recently applied it during the past couple of years. If the shooter is guilty, try him and convitct him. But don't turn this into a media circus about hate crimes or how guns are a bad thing. Cause you're really showing you don't give a damn about the dead 17 year old, you just found an audience willing to your bullshit.

So if Florida has a stand your ground law and one of these individuals has a gun and the other doesn't, doesn't that mean that Martin had the right to stand HIS ground when an armed man started following him?

I don't see this as a hate crime, but it seems reasonable that this is a situation based on prejudice and stereotype. I say that as a person who is somewhat pro-gun and anti-hate crime laws. My only agenda is in recognizing the fact that justice has often poorly served our minority communities. It's possible that this was just, but I haven't heard a thing to suggest that the kid was instigator or aggressor.

[Zimbochick]

I'm inclined to believe Martin's only crime was WWB (walking while black).

[PERM BANNED]

New reports are coming out saying that Zimmerman was assaulted and hit repeatedly by Martin (as documented by witnesses) prior to pulling and discharging his weapon. I know self defense laws vary from state to state, but if someone is repeatedly striking you, you are allowed to esculate. Severe bodily harm, as can happen when someone has their head repeatedly slammed into a sidewalk, is justification to withdraw a weapon as a deterence. The article I read also claimed Martin went for the gun, which is almost universally accepted as cause to fire the weapon.

I want to hear more eye witness accounts of what actually transpired rather than a bunch of talking heads portraying Martin as an innocent child who was essentially shot in the back for WWB as Zimbo seems to believe above. I don't know what happened, but I have a feeling Zimmerman acted within the confines of the law as his side of the story is starting to come out. I love how the media is trying to portray Zimmerman as half-white. Looking at his picture, I would identify him as some sort of hispanic ethnicity. Are they going to start calling Obama half-white too? Or is it just convienient in this case to toss the flames of racism onto the fire.

[artcinco]

[artcinco]

Why Manipulate the Tragedy of Trayvon Martin?

[freedom78]

I'm having trouble reconciling this with what Flagg said. In #1, it would seem that Zimmerman is aware of Martin but not being attacked. So he what? Follows him, from all reports.

So...an hour after sunset, in a strange place, being followed by a strange person who is armed. If Martin DID attack first, I wouldn't be surprised...who wouldn't be wary in such a situation?

[PERM BANNED]

God damnit Art. Don't bring facts into the argument. A lot of angry people are yelling right now and they don't want the curtain of fantasy and lies to be removed.

[PERM BANNED]

I'm having trouble reconciling this with what Flagg said. In #1, it would seem that Zimmerman is aware of Martin but not being attacked. So he what? Follows him, from all reports.

So...an hour after sunset, in a strange place, being followed by a strange person who is armed. If Martin DID attack first, I wouldn't be surprised...who wouldn't be wary in such a situation?

That's why I want to hear a thorough report of what actually did happen. We're just now getting the other side of the story, and objective people should be skeptical of both sides. My primary concern is the original rage directed at the stand your ground law. I want to know if the law was applied appropriately before we appease the cries of the uninformed masses. Before you can determine if the law applies, you have to have all the facts. If Zimmerman killed an innocent person, he needs to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. But if as one report claims, Martin approached Zimmerman as he was entering his car and started the altercation, that changes the whole dynamics.