George Zimmerman makes initial court appearance in Trayvon Martin shooting, will plead not guilty

[seekerz]

Indeed. But, the deceased’s father called in the next morning. There was no need for the police to do a door-to-door search, at that point.

Did I suggest one at that point? I suggested it should have been done that very night.

 

[catharina]

It does not matter what the race relations were or were not.

The facts are what matter.

I find people using race to justify the current lynch mob mentality almost as repugnent as the race peddlers themselves.

Why is anyone making that reference
when there are NO facts given to support it?

Mighty sad.

 

[catharina]

And that is just the two most recent examples.
Please be honest. Any ‘news junkie’ will have seen these, they have been highlighted in several news agencies.

New Black Panthers
and Mike Tyson???

Not exactly impressive.

 

[L_piperatus]

I can’t speak for Nancy Grace. I do believe Trayvon had a right to strike GZ if the man had threatened him; I don’t know who threatened who. What lesson is in here for teens? Demand their rights to Stand Their Ground too. That’s ‘eye for an eye’ message in the whole way this incident unfolded and was responded to. Only the states in which those laws reign can determine if that’s the message they want to be sending to 17 yr olds.

OK let’s also look at Trayvon’s facebook and twitter posts. He was friends with thugs and drug users and someone of his friends posted to the effect that Trayvon “swinged on a bus driver”.

Did he truly swing on a bus driver? Did he swing on GZ, too? Did he walk up to GZ from behind and left, asked GZ “Do you have a f…ing problem?” and then when GZ replied “No”, said “Well you have a problem now” and punched GZ in the nose? These are questions for the investigation to determine. Either GZ is telling lies and a story he pulled out of thin air, or Trayvon was a thug and he brought this tragedy on himself. At any rate, he was friends with thugs and drug users, and his friends claimed that he “swinged on a bus driver” previously.

So yeah, there is a lesson in there for teens. And the lesson is, don’t swing your fists on others because you may get shot in return.

 

[seekerz]

New Black Panthers
and Mike Tyson???

Not exactly impressive.

Yeah, looking to those sources for ‘news’ is kinda like me scrounging for dessert in the corner dumpster.

 

[seekerz]

OK let’s also look at Trayvon’s facebook and twitter posts. He was friends with thugs and drug users and someone of his friends posted to the effect that Trayvon “swinged on a bus driver”.

Did he truly swing on a bus driver? Did he swing on GZ, too? Did he walk up to GZ from behind and left, asked GZ “Do you have a f…ing problem?” and then when GZ replied “No”, said “Well you have a problem now” and punched GZ in the nose? These are questions for the investigation to determine. Either GZ is telling lies and a story he pulled out of thin air, or Trayvon was a thug and he brought this tragedy on himself. At any rate, he was friends with thugs and drug users, and his friends claimed that he “swinged on a bus driver” previously.

So yeah, there is a lesson in there for teens. And the lesson is, don’t swing your fists on others because you may get shot in return.

Which Twitter account? And let’s not do the username thing 'cause I just dispensed with that yesterday. Show me that it was set up before Trayvon died and that he was the one who set it up, and then maybe we can have a conversation.

There is a lesson in here for internet users: even a well-trained pet, depending on its brain capacity, can open a Twitter account.

 

[SwizzleStick]

I doubt he saw and heard it. As a father, I would call the police sooner than the next day if he were missing and I heard a nearby commotion with police, ambulance, coroner, etc.

As a worrier and mother, I would call the police without hearing any commotion at all if my 16-year old wasn’t home by midnight. . We are still in the driving her around stage and taking turns with other parents, but I know those nights are probably coming in just a few short years when she is out really late with friends and I’ll have to learn to deal, but those are nights I’m not looking forward to.

As far as Martin’s Dad hearing a commotion, I guess he didn’t because I read here that he and his fiancee were out for the evening. I don’t have another source for that, but it sounds reasonable.

 

[catharina]

Nancy Grace said on TV that if Trayvon truly punched GZ in the nose, and truly decked him, he was still right because GZ followed him. Pnewton said here on this thread that if Trayvon punched first, it was still GZ who started the altercation.

I disagree with the above perspectives, and I think they are going to lead to more people getting killed. Because people will not put up with someone swinging their fists at them and punching them when they didn’t punch first.

So, I stand by what I said. This tragedy is a good occasion to clarify: if GZ’s version is true, if it was truly Trayvon who walked up to him and punched him in the nose, then Trayvon really brought this tragedy on himself. And we need to say that out loud, lest some teenagers misunderstand the situation and think that it’s OK to start physical fights, and end up dead just like Trayvon did.

I also believe I am on the side of protecting teenagers from doing stupid things and getting killed, when I say this.

Nancy Grace? Who cares?

Pnewton whose posts I respect?
He stated that Zimmerman intitiated the
encounter - because Zimmerman DID
initiate the encounter. If Zimmerman had
STAYED AWAY as the dispatcher said -
then there would heve been NO encounter.

 

[catharina]

I doubt he saw and heard it. **As a father, I would call the police sooner than the next day if he were missing and I heard a nearby commotion **with police, ambulance, coroner, etc.

Truly completely irrelevant!

 

[seekerz]

Nancy Grace? Who cares?

Pnewton whose posts I respect?
He stated that Zimmerman intitiated the
encounter - because Zimmerman DID
initiate the encounter. If Zimmerman had
STAYED AWAY as the dispatcher said -
then there would heve been NO encounter.

And instead we see people focusing on what teens can learn from this incident.

I’d say the biggest lesson here is ‘mind your own business’ and ‘don’t try to be the world’s policeman’. Your car’s safe? Your house’s safe? Your family’s safe? Then go play video games if you feel like a game of cops 'n robbers. See something? Say - not, do - something.

 

[SwizzleStick]

I doubt he saw and heard it. As a father, I would call the police sooner than the next day if he were missing and I heard a nearby commotion with police, ambulance, coroner, etc.

Truly completely irrelevant!

It is only relevant in the sense that Martin maybe could have been identified sooner if Dad had noticed the commotion around the complex that night. I had said I thought it was sad to think that maybe he had noticed something was going on, but didn’t know about his son. I have now read that he and his fiancee were not at home and so he probably didn’t see or hear anything at all since Zimmerman was at the police station for questioning by around 8:00, I think. Anyway, as it was, Martin was a John Doe until Dad called the police and found out what had happened.

 

[Dawnia]

And instead we see people focusing on what teens can learn from this incident.

I’d say the biggest lesson here is ‘mind your own business’ and ‘don’t try to be the world’s policeman’. Your car’s safe? Your house’s safe? Your family’s safe? Then go play video games if you feel like a game of cops 'n robbers. See something? Say - not, do - something.

As opposed to the lesson of don’t mess with people who have guns and could shoot you?

 

[L_piperatus]

Which Twitter account? And let’s not do the username thing 'cause I just dispensed with that yesterday. Show me that it was set up before Trayvon died and that he was the one who set it up, and then maybe we can have a conversation.

There is a lesson in here for internet users: even a well-trained pet, depending on its brain capacity, can open a Twitter account.

Oh c’mon, you say you are a news junkie and you aren’t aware that Trayvon was friends with thugs and drug users, on twitter and facebook? It was all over the news, with irrefutable evidence, with photographs of Trayvon posted by himself.

 

[pnewton]

Martin may or may not have initiated the physical altercation, but he did not initiate the confrontation.

The timeline, Zimmerman’s own words. He noticed Martin and started following him while he was still on the phone and this part is recorded. Also, we have the other person on the end of Martin’s phone saying that Martin was being followed

 

[St_Francis]

Okay. So, it must have happened close, right? How close. Please provide distance and the details I asked about in my previous post. Then, you might have a valid point.

The point is that the police *did not know *where he was from, where he was staying. They *could *have wasted man-hours knocking on every door in the area and *still *not found anyone who could id him, if he hadn’t been staying there. Or then again, they could have knocked on a certain number of doors and his family be just beyond those.

The police have a procedure to follow when an event like this occurs. If a body is found somewhere, they do not knock on doors asking if anyone there can id the body. Yes, it seems cold, but it’s not like the police have unlimited resources; they only have a certain amount of time, people, etc., with which to fulfill *all *their functions.

 

[seekerz]

Oh c’mon, you say you are a news junkie and you aren’t aware that Trayvon was friends with thugs and drug users, on twitter and facebook? It was all over the news, with irrefutable evidence, with photographs of Trayvon posted by himself.

Source? Like I said, I only watch news, not trash written by anonymous bloggers cowering over their keyboards to attack a child they couldn’t measure up to even on their tippy-toes.

 

[seekerz]

The point is that the police *did not know *where he was from, where he was staying. They *could *have wasted man-hours knocking on every door in the area and *still *not found anyone who could id him, if he hadn’t been staying there. Or then again, they could have knocked on a certain number of doors and his family be just beyond those.

The police have a procedure to follow when an event like this occurs. If a body is found somewhere, they do not knock on doors asking if anyone there can id the body. Yes, it seems cold, but it’s not like the police have unlimited resources; they only have a certain amount of time, people, etc., with which to fulfill *all *their functions.

Procedure has a time and place. So does compassion. If they had knocked on every surrounding door, more likely than not, they’d have found his relatives.

Failing to do so just seems COLD.

 

[St_Francis]

Okay, he didn’t live there permanently - he was a guest. What difference does it make? His little brother certainly looks old enough to give a telephone number to the police.

And if his little brother was taught, as I taught my children, not to answer the door when they’re in the house alone, then, no, he wouldn’t have been able to give the number to the police.

Moreover, police are not permitted to question children in the absence of their parents.

 

[seekerz]

And if his little brother was taught, as I taught my children, not to answer the door when they’re in the house alone, then, no, he wouldn’t have been able to give the number to the police.

Moreover, police are not permitted to question children in the absence of their parents.

Well we don’t know what he would have done because the police never knocked. I’m assuming he’s old enough to use a telephone and call his dad to report that police had been at the door?

 

[pnewton]

Now, that is what we, the public, know. We’ve heard altered audio tape of a telephone call between Zimmerman and the 911 operator (yes, altered).

There are also the unaltered recording, which is what I listened to. Just because NBC edited doesn’t meant that is the only one available.