Fox News Readers: Trayvon Martin A ‘Little Thug Ghetto Monkey.’

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

That doesn't square with the police report,

Based on the police report, Zimmerman was originally to be charged with manslaughter. However, the local state prosecutor declined to do so. In the meantime, the governor has appointed someone other than the local state prosecutor to examine the facts, and present them to a grand jury.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/03/28/149518721/reports-police-pursued-manslaughter-charge-in-trayvon-martins-death

Edited March 28, 2012 by ☼

[one...two...tree 2,762]

That doesn't square with the police report, so maybe the facts are still in dispute? Does it sound plausible to you that a short, overweight guy, ten years older than Martin could chase Martin down and "corner him" in the open streets of a residential neighborhood? But since this is the interpretation of MARTIN'S GIRLFRIEND, Mister Fancypants now has a body of unimpeachable fact with which to make a final judgement.....lol. A more plausible scenario is found in the police report, indicating that martin, in fact, initiated an assault on Zimmerman as he returned to his vehicle. http://miami.cbsloca...-defense-claim/

Pretending to be a cop? Get a grip.....people have every right to be vigilant in securing their own neighborhood. I can certainly ask a stranger in my neighborhood- one I deemed was suspicious certainly- what their business is. It is perfectly reasonable to follow them as well... and if someone physically assaulted me for this, then self-defence certainly could come into play. IF Zimmerman initiated a physical altercation, then his case is much weaker.....but you are only speculating and cherry-picking the accounts.

It was by Zimmerman's own admission that he was pursuing Martin. The 911 dispatcher told him not to do so. So he first calls the cops, then ignores what they tell him to do. During the 911 call, you can hear him say, "These a$holes always get away." Zimmerman made other comments that demonstrate he concluded that Martin was a criminal, but with no evidence to such other than the kid was out at night and wearing a hoodie. It was raining, but never mind that tidbit for the master sleuth.

I don't know about your neighborhood, but most streets are public domain. But assuming that this was private property, it was still a community property where Zimmerman was not the exclusive owner. How does he know that Martin didn't live there? How would he know that anyone out at night in the rain lives there? That's why these neighborhood watch groups have rules on how to handle situations like that. You can't just come up to anyone you don't recognize and harass them.

Edited March 28, 2012 by Mister Fancypants

[mari&Ryan 93]

Wonder why those two Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are not marching, protesting, yelling about these crimes commited in last hours? Oh I know it doesn't fit in their racist agenda. Those two are just despicable.

16-year-old boy shot to death on South Side street

2 girls shot in their East Chicago home

3 men fatally shot on South Side

Violence in Chicago leaves 3 injured, one dead in shootings, stabbings

Edited March 28, 2012 by mari&Ryan

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Wonder why those two Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are not marching, protesting, yelling about these crimes commited in last hours? Oh I know it doesn't fit in their racist agenda. Those two are just despicable.

16-year-old boy shot to death on South Side street

2 girls shot in their East Chicago home

3 men fatally shot on South Side

Violence in Chicago leaves 3 injured, one dead in shootings, stabbings

How is Sharpton or Jackson relevant to this case? Racist agenda? What the hell does that even mean?

[slim 1,525]

What that means is folks are really, really, really fired up over Trayvon's end but yet, 10 more folks get killed and nobody notices. Where's the outrage?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

What that means is folks are really, really, really fired up over Trayvon's end but yet, 10 more folks get killed and nobody notices. Where's the outrage?

Yes, lets focus on how people might be reacting to a case rather than the case itself because that's how we will get to the truth.

Slim, I sense you've got another stereotype brewin in the back of your mind about black people again. Why don't you come out and say it.

Edited March 28, 2012 by Mister Fancypants

[Harsh_77 718]

When does the deceased child get his day in court? Mr. Zimmerman hunted him down and shot him with a weapon he should not have been carrying as a member of a neighborhood watch. How is that self-defense?

Even if Zimmerman was not a member of any watch group but if he had CCL or CCW or he was open carrying he could do that. That would not be illegal, police has also said he was not part of such watch but they were aware he was helping them by watching out for gated community that he was living in.

Also the new portion of the police report that has been leaked out says zimmerman did have bloody nose his back was wet from being on ground and had grass stains on the his back.

Witness statement is kid was sitting on top of the zimmerman...... if these are true then Zimmerman can claim self defense and there is nothing wrong in it.

Also on side note it seems the kid had been suspended from the school... which means he is not so innocent as portryed by media or the circus.

[Harsh_77 718]

Wonder why those two Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are not marching, protesting, yelling about these crimes commited in last hours? Oh I know it doesn't fit in their racist agenda. Those two are just despicable.

16-year-old boy shot to death on South Side street

2 girls shot in their East Chicago home

3 men fatally shot on South Side

Violence in Chicago leaves 3 injured, one dead in shootings, stabbings

Those two just love to create tension in name of racism and they love to make African American community belive that they are getting shaft.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Even if Zimmerman was not a member of any watch group but if he had CCL or CCW or he was open carrying he could do that. That would not be illegal, police has also said he was not part of such watch but they were aware he was helping them by watching out for gated community that he was living in.

Also the new portion of the police report that has been leaked out says zimmerman did have bloody nose his back was wet from being on ground and had grass stains on the his back.

Witness statement is kid was sitting on top of the zimmerman...... if these are true then Zimmerman can claim self defense and there is nothing wrong in it.

Also on side note it seems the kid had been suspended from the school... which means he is not so innocent as portryed by media or the circus.

Then why did the lead investigator want him charged with manslaughter? Why did the local prosecutor refuse to do so? Why did the governor take the matter out of the hands of local authorities, and appoint a different prosecutor to take the matter to the grand jury? This is not over yet.

[xebec 195]

It was by Zimmerman's own admission that he was pursuing Martin. The 911 dispatcher told him not to do so. So he first calls the cops, then ignores what they tell him to do. During the 911 call, you can hear him say, "These a$holes always get away." Zimmerman made other comments that demonstrate he concluded that Martin was a criminal, but with no evidence to such other than the kid was out at night and wearing a hoodie. It was raining, but never mind that tidbit for the master sleuth.

I don't know about your neighborhood, but most streets are public domain. But assuming that this was private property, it was still a community property where Zimmerman was not the exclusive owner. How does he know that Martin didn't live there? How would he know that anyone out at night in the rain lives there? That's why these neighborhood watch groups have rules on how to handle situations like that. You can't just come up to anyone you don't recognize and harass them.

Perhaps, (and it seems likely) Zimmerman did infer something based on race. That really isn't the issue, in the end. If you read carefully, you'll see that I am not doing any "sleuthing" .... I'm simply witholding judgement for now. You were the one who said "Sounds like someone pretending to be a cop. Zimmerman ignored the directions of the 911 dispatcher, disregarded standard neighborhood watch rules, didn't bother to even be recognized as a neighborhood watchman, and instigated the whole thing."

Further, I can certainly ask the business of a suspicious person in my neighborhood.... it makes no difference if it is on my lawn, the sidewalk, or the middle of the street. You chose the word "harass" because you have reached your conclusion.....presumably by your "sleuthing skills." It's really quite simple in principle. If the account you are pushing (innocent teen jumped by a vigilante, and murdered in cold blood) is true, then Zimmerman deserves to be prosecuted for murder. If he acted recklessly and negligently, then manslaughter. If, however, Martin launched an assault on Zimmerman because he felt harassed, then Zimmerman had a right to defend himself. Of course, the defensibility of his claim to self-defence will be colored by his actions.

[xebec 195]

Then why did the lead investigator want him charged with manslaughter? Why did the local prosecutor refuse to do so? Why did the governor take the matter out of the hands of local authorities, and appoint a different prosecutor to take the matter to the grand jury? This is not over yet.

These developments do little to shed light on the events. Police often prefer to arrest and seek charges, even on sketchy evidence. Another factor is that these reports are coming from unamed sources and reported by the media.....not some published, contemporaneous police report, as you indicated above. There is a real possibility that some police are in full CYA mode......I'm sure I would be, given the national attention. The local prosecutor probably refused to charge because he felt that there wasn't enough evidence that Zimmerman had committed a crime (logical, eh?). The governor is certainly appointing a a new prosecutor because the proverbial sh_t has hit the fan.....we now have congressmen politically grandstanding the issue on the floor of the house, and the Black Panthers issuing bounties.

[xebec 195]

Yes, lets focus on how people might be reacting to a case rather than the case itself because that's how we will get to the truth.

Slim, I sense you've got another stereotype brewin in the back of your mind about black people again. Why don't you come out and say it.

Are you really interested in the truth? You seem to have this all figured out......

I think the point is that people are wondering why this particular case has garnered so much media and public attention......and everywhere one turns, there seems to be self-serving rhetoric motivated by politics and race (thus your instinctive insinuation that someone who disagrees with you is a racist).

Edited March 28, 2012 by xebec

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Perhaps, (and it seems likely) Zimmerman did infer something based on race. That really isn't the issue, in the end. If you read carefully, you'll see that I am not doing any "sleuthing" .... I'm simply witholding judgement for now. You were the one who said "Sounds like someone pretending to be a cop. Zimmerman ignored the directions of the 911 dispatcher, disregarded standard neighborhood watch rules, didn't bother to even be recognized as a neighborhood watchman, and instigated the whole thing."

Further, I can certainly ask the business of a suspicious person in my neighborhood.... it makes no difference if it is on my lawn, the sidewalk, or the middle of the street. You chose the word "harass" because you have reached your conclusion.....presumably by your "sleuthing skills." It's really quite simple in principle. If the account you are pushing (innocent teen jumped by a vigilante, and murdered in cold blood) is true, then Zimmerman deserves to be prosecuted for murder. If he acted recklessly and negligently, then manslaughter. If, however, Martin launched an assault on Zimmerman because he felt harassed, then Zimmerman had a right to defend himself. Of course, the defensibility of his claim to self-defence will be colored by his actions.

The part in red is well established. Based on those well established facts, Zimmerman instigated the altercation. Yes, there a lot of people jumping to various conclusions about what happened and why but ironically it was Zimmerman who was jumping to conclusions about Martin and then acted on those assumptions rather than follow what the police instructed him to do, so it's all fair game in the court of public opinion.

Edited March 28, 2012 by Mister Fancypants

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Are you really interested in the truth? You seem to have this all figured out......

I think the point is that people are wondering why this particular case has garnered so much media and public attention......and everywhere one turns, there seems to be self-serving rhetoric motivated by politics and race (thus your instinctive insinuation that someone who disagrees with you is a racist).

Sure, I'd like to know the truth. I was not one of those who immediately thought this was racially motivated. If you listen to what those people are saying though (ignoring the media whores out there), they have trouble with the notion that a person minding their own business can be classified as a criminal based on their appearance - whether it's the clothes they wear or the color of their skin. Would I be alarmed if I saw some teenager walking in the dark with a hoodie on? Probably. But I wouldn't go out and confront him without provocation beyond just appearances. If I saw him standing next to my neighbor's car and knowing that it's not his car, that's when I'd call the police and then let them handle it. For one, my neighbor most likely has a car alarm. Secondly, confronting the suspect could lead to all kinds of unpredictable outcomes and there would be no benefit for me to confront him at night, in the dark with no one else around. That would be stupidity. Zimmerman should have stayed in his house, locked his door and peered through the window like a good paranoid person who doesn't want trouble. Gun or no gun, it's stupid to engage a stranger at night unless somebody's life is in eminent danger.

[xebec 195]

The part in red is well established. Based on those well established facts, Zimmerman instigated the altercation. Yes, there a lot of people jumping to various conclusions about what happened and why but ironically it was Zimmerman who was jumping to conclusions about Martin and then acted on those assumptions rather than follow what the police instructed him to do, so it's all fair game in the court of public opinion.

I didn't disagree with this. That is why I said that his actions will ultimately color the Jury's understanding of his claim to self-defence, if it ever reaches that stage. But, you can only assume that Zimmerman jumped to conclusions....He may well have had real reason to be suspicious. We don't know enough about Martin's actions and reactions to draw any conclusions. The police did not instruct him not to follow :

911 dispatcher:

Are you following him? [2:24]

Zimmerman:

Yeah. [2:25]

911 dispatcher:

We don’t need you to do that. [2:26]

Zimmerman:

OK. [2:28]

911 dispatcher:

Alright, sir, what is your name? [2:34]

Zimmerman:

George. He ran.

911 dispatcher:

Alright, George, what’s your last name?

Zimmerman:

Zimmerman.

911 dispatcher:

What’s the phone number you’re calling from?

Zimmerman:

407-435-2400

911 dispatcher:

Alright, George, we do have them on the way. Do you want to meet with the officer when they get out there?

Zimmerman:

Yeah.

911 dispatcher:

Alright, where are you going to meet with them at?

Zimmerman:

Um, if they come in through the gate, tell them to go straight past the clubhouse and, uh, straight past the clubhouse and make a left and then go past the mailboxes you’ll see my truck.

Notice that the 911 transcript seems to indicate that he initially followed, then was told by the dispatcher that they didn't need him to do it. Then Zimmermann seems to comply with the wishes of the dispatcher. Read the rest too..... does that sound like the phone conversation of a short, overweight person who is chasing an obviously younger and more phycially fit teenage athlete? I don't know.....but the hysterical media account just doesn't seem to fit these facts very neatly.