The Tragedy of Trayvon Martin
Thursday, March 22, 2012 at 2:16PM 
PLEASE READ MY NEW POST HERE:
By now, the entire world knows who Trayvon Martin is — the unarmed 17-year-old African-American lad shot dead in his tracks by an overzealous Neighborhood Watch captain, George “Triggerman” Zimmerman, on February 26 in Sanford, Florida. Before delving too deeply into this tragedy, just what is Neighborhood Watch, and who (or what) gives people the right to shoot anyone?
Actually, the National Neighborhood Watch Institute has no authority or control over anything. According to the NNWI Website, it “was formed to supply law enforcement agencies and individual’s [sic] better tools for their crime prevention dollar.”
Basically, NNWI sells the materials, including signs and manuals, necessary for police departments to train people like “Triggerman” Zimmerman. In my opinion, whatever the police department was that trained him, they did a remarkably lousy job. While the NNWI strives to “provide excellent educational materials and products that build observation and reporting skills,” somewhere along the line, all of Zimmerman’s training went out the window with one squeeze of the trigger. Not only did the system fail him, he failed the system dreadfully.
The location of the shooting was inside the gated community of The Retreat at Twin Lakes. Zimmerman lives in that community and he’s the self-appointed Neighborhood Watch captain. Apparently, he called 911 at least 47 times between August 12, 2004 and Feb. 26 of this year. Most of the calls started the same way about suspicious persons, “We’ve had a lot of break-ins in our neighborhood recently and I’m on the Neighborhood Watch.”
George Zimmerman 911 Call History
How revealing it is that most of those suspicious characters were black, yet this shooting is not supposed to be about racial profiling? Give me a break.
I went to the scene on March 21 and spoke to several people. I took photos of the spot where Trayvon died, and I laid it all out in the pictures displayed below to give you a good idea of what went down that tragic Sunday evening.
CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE
This map shows the route Trayvon Martin took when he returned.
Visiting from Miami, Trayvon walked to a nearby 7-Eleven, but when I say nearby, it was about a 2-mile hike. I’m sure, like other boys his age, he got restless inside his father’s girlfriend’s house and needed to get out to do what 17-year-olds do; they text and talk on their phones. That’s not all. He wanted to buy something for his soon-to-be stepbrother, so when he got to the store, he bought a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea, turned around and headed back. Very suspicious, huh?
Almost immediately after Trayvon returned to the gated community, Zimmerman began to slowly tail him in his pickup truck. It’s as if he were lying in wait… lurking… ready to pounce at any moment. He dialed 9-1-1 to, once again, report a suspicious character, whose crime thus far was merely being black. When Trayvon put his hoodie up to keep the falling rain off his head, he suddenly morphed into a black thug. You see? This is racial profiling, plain and simple.
Straight ahead, between the two perpendicular rows of buildings, is the sidewalk Trayvon took to escape Zimmerman. It was the way back to where he was staying.
Zimmerman has a concealed weapons permit and was carrying a Kel Tek 9mm PF9 semi-automatic handgun. Why, in God’s name, anyone like him needs to carry a gun in his capacity as a nobody with no authority whatsoever is beyond me. Today, he is a murderer in my book.
In recorded 911 calls, Zimmerman acknowledged that he was following a suspicious person. At some juncture, he parked his truck and began pursuing Trayvon on foot. In his subsequent statements to police, he claimed that Trayvon attacked him and he shot the teenager in self-defense, but here’s where his story falls apart. (Continued below the photos)
This is the path Trayvon took, looking south. Scott is on the left. Both are from a Japanese media organization. Facing me is the direction Trayvon took. Zimmerman parked his truck somewhere near the red car and pursued on foot.
This is the spot where Trayvon died, just to the left of the small tree.
Trayvon never left the sidewalk. He followed the path to where he was staying. As he approached his destination, the sidewalk went from being parallel to the street to winding around the side and backside of two rows of townhouses. In order to continue following his prey, Zimmerman had to get out of his pickup to pursue him. He had to run, too, which is clearly evident on one of the 911 recordings, where he acknowledges to the dispatcher that he is running after him. The dispatcher tells him not to do that, to which Zimmerman says “OK” yet ignores the request. Incidentally, dispatchers have no authority. They are civilians and all they can do is offer advice.
This is the scene looking south. The shooting took place on the sidewalk to the left.
This is what Trayvon last saw as he tried to make it back to safety, although it was dark.
From what I was told near the scene, Zimmerman raced in front of Trayvon and swung around abruptly to face him. Both stopped in their tracks. Trayvon was on the phone with his girlfriend at that moment. Bear in mind that Zimmerman weighed about 100 lbs. more than Trayvon. Trayvon asked Zimmerman why he was following him and Zimmerman demanded to know why he was there.
STOP! BACK UP!
Here’s where it gets tricky. If a nutbasket like Zimmerman came up to me, I’d want to know who gave him the authority to question who I am and why I’m anywhere. I’d ask him if he were a cop. No? Then get out of my face. It’s none of his business. That’s a natural reaction. Someone pushed first. It doesn’t matter who, because, in no time at all, a senseless vigilante pulled out his weapon and shot an innocent person dead on the spot. He shot him point blank in the chest. I’ve heard rumors he did it while the teenager was lying on the ground, on his back, but I haven’t heard anything official yet.
One of the people I spoke to was Sly, who lives nearby, but not inside The Retreat. He said that, obviously, Zimmerman knew all about the Stand Your Ground law, where you shoot to kill and claim self-defense. Without a witness, who’s there to contest it? Because of that law, the Sanford Police Department chose to not arrest Zimmerman, but my big question to them is quite simple — has there ever been an incident anywhere in the world where a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea was used to threaten someone or cause death or great bodily harm?
I didn’t think so.
Trayvon was on his cell phone talking to his 16-year-old girlfriend within minutes of his death. He told her he was being followed. She told him to run. He told her he’d walk a little faster, but he wasn’t going to run. Trayvon had no idea who this dude was or what he wanted. When he walked around the corner of a building, Zimmerman zipped on by and swung around.
“What are you following me for?” Trayvon asked.
“What are you doing around here?” Zimmerman demanded.
Trayvon must have been pushed, his girlfriend assumed, because his headset fell to the ground and the phone went dead. Who pushed who first doesn’t matter. This is clearly the case of a cop wannabe. Zimmerman took the law into his own hands, as if he had the power of a real law enforcement officer. This was his goal in life — to be a cop. In one loud pop, that dream went down the drain as blood flowed from Trayvon’s chest. Trayvon’s own dreams faded into oblivion in a matter of seconds.
There’s a good reason why Zimmerman never became a police officer. What’s sad is that no one looked at him intently enough to know he was a threat to everyone’s safety; a guy who took his self-proclaimed title as captain of the neighborhood too seriously. Today, he’s nothing more than a cold-blooded murderer. He alone provoked the incident. Would someone please tell the Sanford Police Department that you cannot be the instigator and then claim Stand Your Ground self-defense?
Incidentally, police confiscated Zimmerman’s gun. He says he needs to buy a replacement to keep up his work as a Neighborhood Watch captain. Would someone please tell me this is not an insane world?
Tonight, I will try my best to join thousands of others in the National Rally for Justice on behalf of Trayvon Martin.
Dave Knechel | tagged Al Sharpton, National Action Network, Trayvon Martin Map | in 18th Circuit Court, Dave Knechel, David B. Knechel, David Knechel, FBI, FDLE, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, George Zimmerman, Marinade Dave, Marinade Dave Knechel, NNWI, Neighborhood Watch, Sanford Police Department, Stand Your Ground, The Retreat at Twin Lakes, Trayvon Martin, marinadedave | Share Article | 1 Reference 
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Reader Comments (134)
Zimmerman has a concealed weapons permit and was carrying a Kel Tek 9mm PF9 semi-automatic handgun. Why, in God’s name, anyone like him needs to carry a gun in his capacity as a nobody with no authority whatsoever is beyond me.
Because he is an American.
[So was Trayvon Martin. Notice the past tense word - WAS.]
Media distortion:
http://news.yahoo.com/nbc-news-regrets-editing-trayvon-shooting-call-220720073.html
A different view of Skittles And Tea.
http://classicalvalues.com/2012/04/skittles-and-tea/
[Interesting slant. I would prefer that no one politicize this tragedy.]
Ah....see...now it's a few weeks later and we have learned so much that makes your initial post look like a little premature, no? Zimmerman wasn't 100 pounds heavier, was he? nope, he was shorter and only 10 pounds heavier than Martin. Zimmerman wasn't a white guy, was he? Nope, he mentored black kids and was an activist against police violence against a black homeless man in his town. Zimmerman wasn't a convict , was he? Nope, he wasn't. Martin wasn't a little 110 pound pre teen was he? Nope, he was a 6 foot,160 pound football player. Martin didn't say "coons" did he? Nope ABCNews analysis shows he said "f-ing COLD".
So much of the narrative has changed since you jumped on the bandwagon and wrote this crappy post., you need to print an apology. A few days ago, an elderly man in Florida was beaten by black youths as retaliation for Trayvon's "murder". People like you are responsible for that. Shame on you.
[I imagine you fancy yourself to be God's quantum gift to the universe, don't you? If only you had an iota of intellect your namesake had, you'd be a pretty fart smeller... or is that smart feller? Either way, your "facts" are even worse than mine, Einstein.]
Thanks for the great pictures, but: "This is what Trayvon last saw as he tried to make it back to safety"?
The evidence is that Trayvon decided he would try something OTHER than to make it back to safety. The evidence is that he decided he would try to murder Zimmerman.
"Zimmerman’s training went out the window with one squeeze of the trigger."
He saved his own life, which along with saving other people's lives from criminal assailants is exactly what folks are supposed to do with their legally carried handguns.
The EVIDENCE says that Trayvon was the perpetrator and Zimmerman was the victim. It is not good when perpetrators die, but it is better than when victims die.
Once Trayvon attacked, one of them was going to die. Does Dave think it would be better if that person was George Zimmerman?
[I'm here, Alec... this is Dave... the blog dude... you can talk directly to me if you want. Since the NW manual stresses to never carry a gun, and it also states to never follow or confront a suspect, then yes, his training went right out the window. Period. He ignored the dispatcher, too. If his training DID NOT go out the window, it would be only because he was never trained to begin with. Some kind of NW captain he was, huh?]
Frank Enstein~~ I am going to address my comments to you. I have a few questions.
What has weight or stature have to do with anything when one of the two is packing a semi automatic and the other is unarmed? Does this not give more weight to the one who is armed?
How many gun owners do you see going down to their neighborhood gym and working out to tone up their muscle power? How many of these same gun owners go out to a shooting range and practice to get their power in a bull's eye?
Have you notified all the media outlets and informed them that they were premature in getting their facts straight? Please tell me which ones you contacted and when.
Do you feel that any media outlet should not put their news to bed until all the evidence has gone before the courts and proven to be 100% factual?
When Zimmerman was en route to a target store and packing a concealed weapon in his waist band, do think he had the right to pursue a suspicious person while being armed? Do you feel he broke a major rule by being armed and taking on the capacity of a Neighborhood watchman? Do you think Zimmerman was negligent in not heeding the advice of the dispatcher, not to pursue the suspicious individual? Do you think that, since the dispatcher told him that they had an officer en route, Zimmerman should have stayed in the safety of his truck and let the police handle things?
Since you have said that Dave has it all wrong, I am giving you the opportunity to set us straight by answering the questions above.
You referred to Dave's post as crappy so I don't mind asking a favor of YOU. Let me know when you want to sell your big ole gun. The one you used to come in here and shoot your Chit with.
Am I being a tad sarcastic? You wanna believe it as I decided to come down to your level. ~~Snoopy
Frank Enstein~~I will not be your favorite person before this day is over....
I quote you... A few days ago, an elderly man in Florida was beaten by black youths as retaliation for Trayvon's "murder". People like you are responsible for that. Shame on you.
I wish to inform you that the elderly man was beaten by both white and black youths. It was not substantiated that this beating was in retaliation for Trayvon's murder. This was an assumption on the elderly man's part. So, shame on you for not getting your facts straight.
The elderly man beaten was in Ohio and not Florida. Read the entire article and then make up your mind if he was really beaten in retaliation for Trayvon being shot.
Revenge for Trayvon: Elderly man beaten for being white
Actually, we've gotten way more good info here than anywhere on this case, "Frank". The map showing the complex layout, the pics, the links, etc. Dave has been no more mistaken on the relatively minor points you cite than the major news sources. Corrections and clarifications occur along the way as better or more relevant info emerges (like older pics vs. newer ones). To say Dave or "people like you" is responsible for any other person's actions is, in fact, itself irresponsible. And ludicrous.
Hello Dave!
I read your blog post as I was looking around at timelines of the events that took place during this incident. If things truly happened the way you describe then of course I would agree that Zimmerman should be in jail and it seems like this is cold-blooded murder. Unfortunately there are few other things to consider and I hope you are open to discussion (I apologize if any of this has been covered but I haven't read all of the comments).
First of all the timeline of events are clear that from the time Zimmerman tells dispatch that Martin is running to the end of the dispatch call is about 80 seconds. Since all of this happened about 100 yards from where Martin was staying, it would have taken Martin (a healthy football player) about 30 seconds to get home, leaving about a minute to get inside the house. However, it seems like he didn't do that since the scuffle took place close to beginning of the walkway. If Martin was scared, I would like to know why he didn't run home during that time? Instead he would have had to stand there seemingly waiting for Zimmerman or doubled back from his house.
This blog post sort of shows the timeline and also the aerial view of the neighborhood:
http://www.wagist.com/2012/dan-linehan/evidence-that-trayvon-martin-doubled-back
Also, Zimmerman is the only one with wounds to his face and cuts to the back of his head - indicating that he was being beat up. An eye witness seen in this video says it was the person in the red jacket being beat up, and this is a view from a few feet away:
http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/seminole_news/022712-man-shot-and-killed-in-neighborhood-altercation#ixzz1phFMGCu4
I also read another article articulating the details of the break-in's in the Twin Lakes gated community within the last year. I only post this as perhaps a reason why Zimmerman might have been on high alert:
"Olivia Bertalan was home alone with her infant son one morning last August when a man came to her door, knocked, and rang the doorbell. She peered out a window, didn't recognize the man and called police when another man came to her back door. Bertalan, 21, ran upstairs and locked herself and her son in a bedroom as the second man entered her home, which was in the Retreat at Twin Lakes, a gated, middle-income neighborhood of 260 townhouses in Sanford, Fla., outside Orlando. Terrified, she and her son cried as the man tried to turn the knob of the door where they hid. Both men ran when police arrived, but not before stealing a laptop and digital camera.
"It was terrible," said Bertalan, who moved from the neighborhood last month after about half a year, because of this and other burglaries. "I'm sure he could hear me in there because my son was crying, and I was crying. ... Who knows what would have happened if the police hadn't been there."
Three weeks before Martin’s death another Twin Lakes resident arrived home to discover a kitchen window open and a laptop and gold necklaces missing. Two witnesses said they saw a young black man standing nearby, but they did not see the man break into the home, according to a police report. One witness said he believed it was the same man who had stolen his bike. The next day officers responding to a call confronted three black men and one white man on bikes near the neighborhood. The same witnesses identified one of the men as the same man they saw near the burglarized home. The officers found the laptop in the man's backpack.
Last July a rental car was stolen from one townhome along with the car keys, which were inside on a dining room table. The resident awoke in the morning to discover her sliding glass door open. The car was eventually found abandoned. In August a PlayStation and videogames were stolen from another townhome. In September someone vandalized a townhome under construction. In December someone broke into a foreclosed townhome, stopped up a toilet and started the water running. According to a police report, the water flooded the bedroom and caused drywall in the garage to collapse"
Anyway, this is all just food for thought!
Take care,
Carrie
[Yes, Carrie, I am open to all discussions. Also, I just published a new post that, coincidentally, covers the timeline. As for witnesses, the initial police report indicated that six separate witnesses were interviewed that night. One of the standard replies I use over and over again came from a seasoned police officer. He told me if 12 people witness an accident, you get 12 different versions of the truth. Somewhere in between "lies" the truth.
I will take good looks at your links, and I really do appreciate them. I also realize that crimes are everywhere, but that means all over, not just at The Retreat at Twin Lakes. Yet, we don't seem to have the types of shootings in higher crime areas compared to George's turf. Certainly, you can understand that people with the type of training George must have taken in order to be a "captain" are the last people you would expect to put himself into this sad sort of situation. I understand where you're coming from, but I also understand that had George left Trayvon alone, no harm would have come to anyone. For sure, George should have left the job to real professionals; real police. That's my point in this.
Thank you very much. I do appreciate your comment and please feel free to do it again. - Dave]
Bertalan's situation sounds terrifying, but the theft stuff is pretty commonplace in any multi-unit housing complex in the Orlando area, and I imagine most of that occurred in ground floor units. What I want to know is- A) What's the point of this being a gated community anyway, and B) So, why haven't they invested in security cameras over there? Would that they had some operational ones on the night this tragedy happened- the management, etc. might not be facing a likely lawsuit now.
None of which changed the fact Trayvon would be alive now if Zimmerman had just stayed sat in his vehicle, and done what he was very clearly advised to do.
{That's funny, Karen, because that's what I just said to Carrie. Sorry.]
Well said, Karen C.~
Most of the volitilty began before Dave put up his first post.
[I agree, Sherry! Thank you.]
Really, though, I do want to know- why the heckaroo doesn't this place have security cams? Even if they had them just in the parking areas, we'd know if Zimmerman is lying or not about where the confrontation part took place. I really doubt Trayvon did any circling back, let alone taking some dude on at dude's vehicle.
Karen, There ARE security cams at this community. They are visible in pics of the front gate.
Now, whether they actually gathered any info that night is the question.
My guess is that the cameras are focused on cars and not much else. Also, bear in mind that this was at night, and those cameras are not equipped with night vision. Plus, it was rainy.
I don't know how you guys would react in the same situation if you were either Zimmerman or Trayvon. You should ask yourself those questions before hanging Zimmerman or Trayvon.
If Trayvon was fearful for his safety then he would've ran home. Plain and simple. You guys are blowing this out of proportion and putting your own emotions into it. Use logic and facts, not emotions.
Very interesting. You say, "I don't know how you guys would react in the same situation if you were either Zimmerman or Trayvon. You should ask yourself those questions before hanging Zimmerman or Trayvon."
Very good statement except for one thing. Clearly, you have already hung Trayvon. Did you ask yourself the same question or are the rules different for you?
WHAT FACTS??? You need to straighten out the prosecutor. Her facts don't match yours.
Dear JohnJOHN;
Nice incongruous twist of logic.
You state, arguendo, that Trayvon would have just ran.
How do you "OutRun" a bullet?
-----------------
Disingenious to banter the premise that Trayvon must run and not Stand His Ground
Whilst Zimmerman can "Pursue" Trayvon - with a gun - and then claim SYG when he kills.
---------------
Leading to the greatest pervsion of your obfuscation - yet apropos.
The one legal premise that none have publicly discussed is the fact that Zimmerman had a Gun
All he had to do is pull it and say Stand Still (most likely when Trayvon yelled help)
Or = are you so twisting the logic - you would argue that once the gun was pulled, that is when Trayvon jumped on Zimmerman?
-----------------
Finally, to assauge you from your candor, I will give you BACK your own words
Zimmerman had the fiduciary responsibility to mitigate the escalated situation by "RETREATING"
Your amount of force must match the amount of immediate harm.
Zimmerman did NOT shoot Trayvon outside his truck - he was NOT retreating.
ITA, John John. Trayvon did start running and Zimmerman lost him. I can't remember the minutes but it was enough to get to his father's fiancee's home.
For the SYG to work one must be carrying a gun-duh.
@Laser Haas "How do you "OutRun" a bullet?"
You run. Its not like Zimmerman was going deer hunting with a rifle. Zimmerman had a Kal Tec 9mm hand gun which is not that accurate when your target is more then 25 yards away. Know some facts before you start screaming for other people's head considering that the shooting happened at close range. Not to mention, it was mentioned in the police report that Zimmerman was treated for injuries which proves that Trayvon was the aggressor.
Talking about twisted logic, look at yourself first. When Zimmerman was keeping a visual contact on a possible burglar, there was nothing wrong with his action. His only wrong action was for even carrying about his neighbors and the community.
I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand your logic, JohnJohn. You lambaste commenters for being so one-sided, yet you are as slanted as they come. What you are clearly stating is that your account of events is right and everyone who disagrees with you is patently wrong. That's what I would call twisted logic more than anything else.
We all have a right to discuss this tragedy, but you can't just come in here and trash all who don't conform to your assessment of the facts, none of which any of us know to be true. That includes you, as well. Zimmerman's lawyer isn't talking and the prosecutor already stated her case. The truth will eventually come out, but until then, what qualifies any of us to set our ideas in stone?
@Dave
I'm picking the side that sounds reasonable. It's easy to pick either side. But going off of the leaked evidence, it points to a more likely event that Zimmerman did use the gun in self defense.
You Trayvon supporters are being slanted towards Zimmerman just because the person killed was a kid. You guys act like criminals can only be adults or something.
Of course we have the right to talk about this topic, but hearing you guys be so favored towards Trayvon because he was a child. It shows you guys are acting on your emotions and using it to influence others into agreeing with you by playing the sympathy role.
That's better, JohnJohn, but I never proclaimed Trayvon 100% innocent. There is no proof right now about who was attacked first, but I still place the responsibility on Zimmerman because he left his truck carrying a loaded gun. Without that gun, would he have had the gonads to tail the kid? I doubt it. Yes, he had every right to carry a weapon, but most of the cops I know do not carry when off duty. There's a time and a place for everything. To me, Zimmerman was a cop wannabe and that spelled his downfall. It also spelled D-E-A-T-H.
In my opinion, the state of Florida did not charge Zimmerman for nothing more than political reasons. Something called common sense tells me that you and I know much less about this incident than the state. Just like every other trial, it will be ferreted out in court. However, that doesn't mean we cannot discuss it among ourselves.
I am not sure the following information will be beneficial in trying to make some sense out of what really may have happened on the evening of Feb 26th. Since none of us know what took place, we are relying on snippets of information to speculate and opine.
It is quite evident that forensics will have to play a crucial role in trying to come to a conclusion in what transpired just prior to that fatal shot being fired.
For what it is worth, I am not sure if this will add or take away from some of the flames that have been ignited in the heated exchange in here.
Zimmerman's 'Aggravated Stalking' Charge
What's interesting about that article is, once again, the misinformation. The writer addresses statute 782.04 2n: unpremeditated murder as a result of aggravated stalking. However, nowhere on the Issue Capias does it state that specific statute at all. As a matter of fact, there is no 782.04 2n or anything like it on the indictment. Instead, it states: 782.04(2), which is precisely what Corey's document reads:
The unlawful killing of a human being, when perpetrated by any act imminently dangerous to another and evincing a depraved mind regardless of human life, although without any premeditated design to effect the death of any particular individual, is murder in the second degree and constitutes a felony of the first degree, punishable by imprisonment for a term of years not exceeding life or as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
The writer of that article, Jeff Lipkes, begins with a premise that is not true.
@Dave
Just reading what you have to say about Zimmerman shows to me how biased you are against him. Even if he had a gun or not, how would you know what Zimmerman felt like when confronted Trayvon that day? Just because you wouldn't confront anyone without a firearm doesn't mean others wouldn't too. Just because you know some cops that don't carry off duty doesn't mean that all don't. I know quite a lot of peace officers who carry all the time. Its at their discretion to carry or not.
Again, it sounds like you're using your emotions to make opinions on this incident of Trayvon and Zimmerman. To me, Zimmerman was looking out for his neighbors in the gated community. This situation of Trayvon and Zimmerman is a damn if you do and damn if you don't situation. What would've happen if this or that took or didn't take place? The only results of this incident are bad parenting on Trayvon's parents part and Zimmerman concerning himself about the safety of his gated community.
@SnoopySleuth
That pretty much helps Zimmerman's defense. If he was out for blood why would he have the decency to call 911 prior to the scuffle and shooting death of Trayvon then calls them back. Its on the prosecution to paint some elaborate picture to prove the case of 2nd degree murder. If anything, this is media lynching of a man who killed in self defense IMO.
Dave & John John~~I post alerts that come into my mailbox so have no idea if they are facts or more misinformation by someone who just wanted to write an article without doing their homework.
It may be in the interest of all concerned, if I refrain from posting things that I may think are interesting. In that way, I will not be feeding in any misinformation.
I voiced my own personal opinion and that was ; "I hope Zimmerman will get immunity as I believe that Trayvon ended up dead because it was an accident and not intentional." By voicing that opinion, I have found I am now on the hot seat and no matter what I say or post, it will be scutinized.
So in the meantime............
Oh, come on, Snoopy. You weren't scrutinized, the writer of that article was. You provided the link, that's all.
JohnJohn - Here's the problem and we can disagree forever. For you to call me biased and you not is really strange. If Zimmerman was working in his capacity as a Neighborhood Watch captain, the NW rules state that you should never carry a weapon, nor should you attempt to tail someone. Zimmerman did both. He was not a cop! Someone is dead because he broke his own rules, for crying out loud.
Now, here's the most blatant statement of them all, and it came from you: The only results of this incident are bad parenting on Trayvon's parents part and Zimmerman concerning himself about the safety of his gated community.
You call me biased and turn right around and blame Trayvon's parents for bad parenting? How dare you. No one else has the audacity to say that. What the hell are you trying to do? Who are you to make such a claim?
@Dave
Neighborhood watch guide lines are just guide lines not law. Following someone is fine and is not against the law. As a US citizen, not a neighborhood watch under such rules or guide lines, he still had every right to follow a suspicious person while carrying a firearm.
Yes, bad parenting. My 8 year old niece knows to run away from strangers and call 911. She knows when it's dark it's time to come inside. So yes, I would say that is bad parenting on his parents part.
But JohnJohn, I don't think most kids get up in the morning, no matter what their parents teach them, and think that they would die. Kids are kids and they are rebellious at that age. What you are saying is tantamount to stating that parents are always to blame and that lays such a false and guilt-ridden onus on them. Don't you think that the guy with the gun had any blame here? Is it OK to kill a kid because you say so? And what George Zimmerman did was right because Trayvon's parents did a dreadful job raising him?
The fact remains that Trayvon had been staying there for weeks. If George Triggerman was so good at his job, he should have recognized that. To him, Trayvon was on drugs and he said so. You need to contact the medical examiner who found no drugs in the boy's system. Tell him he was wrong about that. Better yet, tell the Zimmermans what a great hero they raised.
Wow. Now that all of the actual facts, evidence, and eyewitness testimony have been openly and exhaustively examined in a court of law (On videotape for all to see) I really just don't know where to begin in regard to your hyperbole, assumptions, opinions, accusations, and allegations in this article that have been so thoroughly debunked by the actual facts.
Wow. was doing some research and stumbled on this convoluted misinformed mess of an article. You would think after all the evidence came out you would take this down, unless its meant to show how misinformed people can be and quick to judgement.
pc - This was the first article I wrote about the Zimmerman case. As information became available, I amended my articles. It was a work in progress. Most importantly, I do not delete articles at the whim of a reader. I do not remove posts because evidence shows otherwise. The date of publication speaks for itself. You cannot undo what is written in a newspaper. You cannot undo what is aired on the evening news. This is a blog, not a news organization, which is even more skewed than what I wrote about it.
My opinion evolved over time, but I still think George Zimmerman is a total ass hat. When he called NEN, he should have waited until the police arrived. He caused the death because he acted like a clown. He was a cop wannabe and he'll never even be able to get a job as a security guard at a defunct amusement park.
BTW, just how informed were you on March 22, 2012?
Fair enough , in hindsite leaving it up is actually the best thing to do, shows the world how emotions and misinformation gets out there and clouds peoples judgements. I was also misinformed as most when this story first came out but I sat back and adopted a "wait and see" philosophy. I started getting wise when the media narrative started to show holes. I disagree with your opinion since GZ was in fact assaulted at the T where he was waiting for the police and was not following Trayvon as many people, even now, still think. The fact that Trayvon could have gone in the house but chose to go back and commit the assault puts his death squarely on him. GZ may have acted like a clown but Trayvon acted like a criminal.
Because of the media circus and death threats GZ wont be working any job anytime soon.
"When he called NEN, he should have waited until the police arrived. He caused the death because he acted like a clown."
The thing is he was waiting on the Police, he was assaulted at the T 20 yards from his vehicle. You keep posting misinformation...did you ever once ask why Trayvon came back to the T? Not sure what acting like a clown entails? You mean calling the police and following the direction of the dispatcher? Is acting like a clown preferable to becoming violent and assaulting people? Do you have a general issue with Neighborhood Watch? You are correct about Zimmerman not getting a job, the shit storm stirred by the media ruined an innocent man's life and nobody will hire him.
I was unaware that you were there at the time, pc. I shot videos at that location and it was clear to see that Zimmerman's version of events (which you are basing your opinion entirely on) did not happen that way. If you want me to link one of the videos, which includes the NEN call, I'll be happy to do it. By the way, his body was found over 30 feet away from that T, and there were no trees to hide behind. Zimmerman is a jerk and his latest escapades prove it. BTW, this was a very early write-up. As more info was released, I wrote accordingly.
I really do appreciate your input, even if we disagree. Thanks!