Zimmerman cleared of all charges

WitchSabrina · July 14, 2013, 07:05:43 AM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/1 ... 88743.html

I just don't know how I feel about this.
I never really agreed with murder charges - but I don't think he should get off scott-free either.

What say you?

SGOS · July 14, 2013, 08:25:06 AM

Not knowing how you feel is an appropriate response when you don't really know what happened. I still wouldn't know if he had been found guilty. I haven't followed this closely at all, but I haven't seen any substantial evidence one way or the other. I began reading an article on the verdict this morning because I was hoping to read something about why the jury gave that particular verdict, but after 6 or 8 paragraphs of reading about how angry protestors were and how happy supporters were, I decided this was just a continuation of the media exploiting an event for it's controversy.

It reminds me of the creationist strategy of teaching the controversy, rather than the theory. It's a good strategy when controversy is the only asset. I'll tune in to NPR this afternoon and see if there is any light that can be shed on it.

As a side issue, NPR has recently dropped one of their most helpful blockbuster programs, Talk of the Nation, and replaced it with nothing much as far as I can tell. I hope this is not the beginning of an NPR trend toward modern "journalism".

Johan · July 14, 2013, 08:30:26 AM

I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it either. I'm not surprised by it. I find it interesting and somewhat disappointing that more attention wasn't focused on the stand your ground statute during the trial and/or deciding whether Zimmerman met the criteria adequately.

Did Zimmerman have cause to 'reasonably believe he was in danger of imminent death or great bodily harm'? I didn't see where that was really discussed at all but I might have missed it.

My fear is that this verdict sets a dangerous precedent in terms of what counts as fear or great bodily harm and the burden of proof required to justify use of deadly force in self defense.

Are we going to get to the point where the cops show up to a person standing over a lifeless body and person says 'well he was threatening me and pushing me and saying he wanted to kick my ass and I was in fear of my life so I shot him in the face' and the cops say ok you're free to go, have a nice night. That is what I'm afraid this could lead to. Time will tell I suppose.

WitchSabrina · July 14, 2013, 08:37:55 AM

k... I feel a little less crazy. Thanks guys. Seriously, I felt weird for not knowing my own opinion. I just do not know what to make of it.
too many empty holes for me

Solitary · July 14, 2013, 09:27:36 AM

If I'm approaching someone hiding and he jumps out of the bushes comes running toward me and knocks me down and start pounding my head into the concrete and I have a gun I would think my life is in danger. And if I thought he was trying to get my gun when reaching behind me I'd shoot him too. The prosecution did a really poor job, it was like watching the OJ trial, accept for a glove it was done with a box of skittles.

The jury didn't buy a word of what they said. The only thing Zimmerman did, that he shouldn't have, was not wait for the police because he didn't want him to get away when he ran and hid. It's one thing to profile like Arpaio and the police do in Arizona because they are prejudice and do it because they fit the description of known criminals in a crime area. I don't agree with Bill Maher on his take on this. Solitary

surly74 · July 14, 2013, 09:32:56 AM

a young man is dead for seemingly no reason and that is a shame. how someone can shoot another person and not have anything happen is beyond me. even in self defence killing another person should be a man slaughter crime.

as long as people can use the self defence argument for justification of killing someone then there will be results like this.

//http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/313726.html

in another case the "stand your ground" law didn't work and now a mother goes away for 20 years leaving 11 month toddlers to grow up with out her. obviously circumstances are a bit different but perhaps it would have been better for this woman if she would have killed her husband.

Florida...you are one fucked up state.

surly74 · July 14, 2013, 09:35:11 AM

Quote from: "Solitary"If I'm approaching someone hiding and he jumps out of the bushes comes running toward me and knocks me down and start pounding my head into the concrete and I have a gun I would think my life is in danger. And if I thought he was trying to get my gun when reaching behind me I'd shoot him too. The prosecution did a really poor job, it was like watching the OJ trial, accept for a glove it was done with a box of skittles.

don't follow people around and make them jump out of bushes.

Solitary · July 14, 2013, 09:45:37 AM

Have you ever been attacked by someone by surprise? I have, and when they were saying they were going to kill me while bashing my head into a brick wall I would have killed him if I had had a gun. I did say he should have waited for the police and that he didn't want him to get away. I also had, who I thought was a stranger, following me one dark night too, I didn't turn around and run toward him and start beating his head into the ground after I ran and hid. Are you trying to tell me that you would have done what the perpetrator did while being followed? When he attacked Zimmerman he was no longer innocent even if he was before, which I doubt very much. Solitary

surly74 · July 14, 2013, 09:57:38 AM

Quote from: "Solitary"Have you ever been attacked by someone by surprise? I have, and when they were saying they were going to kill me while bashing my head into a brick wall I would have killed him if I had had a gun. I did say he should have waited for the police and that he didn't want him to get away. I also had, who I thought was a stranger, following me one dark night too, I didn't turn around and run toward him and start beating his head into the ground after I ran and hid. Are you trying to tell me that you would have done what the perpetrator did while being followed? When he attacked Zimmerman he was no longer innocent even if he was before, which I doubt very much. Solitary

doesn't mean that the guy deserved to die and that the person who shot him shouldn't be charged with man slaughter or similar crime. when you have a literal get out of jail free card at your disposal then stuff like this will continue to happen. you have zimmerman with a gun doing something he's not trained for and ends up shooting a person, and does so because he has the law to back him up to defend himself. if it's self defence, he don't go to jail.

this..."when martin attacked zimmerman he was no longer innocent" bullshit has to end. both were wrong but neither needed to die but zimmerman started following the kid in the first place. that's fucked up.

wolf39us · July 14, 2013, 10:16:25 AM

Manslaughter carries the same weight as murder in the 2nd (30 yrs to life). It is not in terms of punishment, anything lesser.

Solitary · July 14, 2013, 10:19:08 AM

He deserved to die because he was beating Zimmerman's head into concrete which could have killed him. What would say if he had, that Zimmerman deserved to die, or that he didn't either?
Tell me: What would you do if all you were doing is following someone in a high crime area at night and they ran away and hid and you went looking for them and they jumped out of the bushes and started beating your head into the concrete? Nothing? Solitary

surly74 · July 14, 2013, 10:25:40 AM

Quote from: "wolf39us"Manslaughter carries the same weight as murder in the 2nd (30 yrs to life). It is not in terms of punishment, anything lesser.

then why have it? that makes no sense.

surly74 · July 14, 2013, 10:30:54 AM

Quote from: "Solitary"He deserved to die because he was beating Zimmerman's head into concrete which could have killed him. What would say if he had, that Zimmerman deserved to die, or that he didn't either?
Tell me: What would you do if all you were doing is following someone in a high crime area at night and they ran away and hid and you went looking for them and they jumped out of the bushes and started beating your head into the concrete? Nothing? Solitary

i have no idea what i would do because i don't follow people around at night. i don't play policeman.

Johan · July 14, 2013, 10:33:37 AM

Quote from: "Solitary"Tell me: What would you do if all you were doing is following someone in a high crime area at night and they ran away and hid and you went looking for them and they jumped out of the bushes and started beating your head into the concrete? Nothing? Solitary

Which bushes are you referring to exactly? The bushes that Zimmerman claimed Martin jumped out of that don't actually exist? You mean those bushes?

Jack89 · July 14, 2013, 10:39:45 AM

I say that the news media is really good at riling people up.

The reason people think this murder case was so much more important than the thousands of others that have occurred since, is because the media told us to think it was more important. A hint of controversy and racial tension and it gets turned into a sensationalized national affair.

What concerns me is how the media spin affects the judicial process. Was there ever enough real evidence to bring this to trial, or was it the political pressure caused by biased media?

News:

Zimmerman cleared of all charges