Current News: George Zimmerman Case
This one is going to be a bit different. My past posts so far have dealt with past/closed cases. I admit that I have not completely kept up on this case, I have gotten bits and pieces. How can you not? It is rare that you can turn the television or the Internet on and not see something about this case.
Here's what I do know: On February 2, 2012 17 year old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. Zimmerman was armed with a 9mm gun and Trayvon was armed with Skittles and iced tea.
It was IMMEDIATELY known that it was Zimmerman. He had called the police before approaching Trayvon as a member of a neighborhood watch reporting he found him suspicious. The police asked if he was following Trayvon and when he said he was the police told him not to. Zimmerman states that when he approached Trayvon he was hit, pushed to the ground and beaten to which he shot in self defense. Trayvon died..... Zimmerman was not arrested.
Today, April 11, 2012... 45 days after the shooting George Zimmerman has been charged with 2nd degree murder. Why? I mean the police chief in Florida told Trayvon's mother Zimmerman would not be arrested. After that his parents made it their mission to get to the bottom of things. There were protests and marches all over the country; the DOJ got involved; the governor of Florida got involved. A special prosecutor was put in charge of the case and today it has suddenly been decided he should be charged with 2nd degree murder? It took 45 days to investigate this and come to this conclusion? Do the prosecutors truly believe they have a case or are they caving to public pressure? There has already been comments being made about the charges, what needs to be proved, how they will prove it and yes... comments about asking if they are seeing another case in Florida that is being "overcharged." This was an issue that Casey Anthony's lawyers brought up often in her case stating that the 1st degree was too high a charge, leaving no other options.
One thing I do have to do research on is a law in Florida called "Stand Your Ground." It has been mentioned several times. From my cursory understanding it is a self defense law dealing with not running away. Often times in murder cases that self defense is brought up you hear lawyers or judges talk about having the opportunity to walk away (you hear a lot of this in domestic violence cases). I absolutely could be wrong but by the sounds of it this law does not require one to walk away but "stand your ground." One of the lawyers for Trayvon's family pointed out something however, you cannot be the aggressor and then claim Stand Your Ground. By ALL accounts Zimmerman approached Trayvon.
Do I absolutely know what happened? No. What I do know is that an UNARMED person (yes he was a child) was shot and killed by an ARMED man who was never arrested or spent one night in jail (until tonight). What I do know is that the police department originally in charge of this case was inept and apparently took a man for his word on self defense without investigating anything.
There has been too much twisted out in the media... I have heard so many conflicting reports on injuries to Zimmerman. Some say he had none; some say he had minor injuries and some say he had major things such as a broken nose.
I honestly believe regardless of what the evidence in trial, may or may not show if there is not a conviction in this case there will be trouble. Legal experts have weighed in saying that they do not see a plea bargain being offered. I am not sure I agree. I can honestly see a plea being offered (AND TAKEN) to appease the public/
Here's what I do know: On February 2, 2012 17 year old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. Zimmerman was armed with a 9mm gun and Trayvon was armed with Skittles and iced tea.
It was IMMEDIATELY known that it was Zimmerman. He had called the police before approaching Trayvon as a member of a neighborhood watch reporting he found him suspicious. The police asked if he was following Trayvon and when he said he was the police told him not to. Zimmerman states that when he approached Trayvon he was hit, pushed to the ground and beaten to which he shot in self defense. Trayvon died..... Zimmerman was not arrested.
Today, April 11, 2012... 45 days after the shooting George Zimmerman has been charged with 2nd degree murder. Why? I mean the police chief in Florida told Trayvon's mother Zimmerman would not be arrested. After that his parents made it their mission to get to the bottom of things. There were protests and marches all over the country; the DOJ got involved; the governor of Florida got involved. A special prosecutor was put in charge of the case and today it has suddenly been decided he should be charged with 2nd degree murder? It took 45 days to investigate this and come to this conclusion? Do the prosecutors truly believe they have a case or are they caving to public pressure? There has already been comments being made about the charges, what needs to be proved, how they will prove it and yes... comments about asking if they are seeing another case in Florida that is being "overcharged." This was an issue that Casey Anthony's lawyers brought up often in her case stating that the 1st degree was too high a charge, leaving no other options.
One thing I do have to do research on is a law in Florida called "Stand Your Ground." It has been mentioned several times. From my cursory understanding it is a self defense law dealing with not running away. Often times in murder cases that self defense is brought up you hear lawyers or judges talk about having the opportunity to walk away (you hear a lot of this in domestic violence cases). I absolutely could be wrong but by the sounds of it this law does not require one to walk away but "stand your ground." One of the lawyers for Trayvon's family pointed out something however, you cannot be the aggressor and then claim Stand Your Ground. By ALL accounts Zimmerman approached Trayvon.
Do I absolutely know what happened? No. What I do know is that an UNARMED person (yes he was a child) was shot and killed by an ARMED man who was never arrested or spent one night in jail (until tonight). What I do know is that the police department originally in charge of this case was inept and apparently took a man for his word on self defense without investigating anything.
There has been too much twisted out in the media... I have heard so many conflicting reports on injuries to Zimmerman. Some say he had none; some say he had minor injuries and some say he had major things such as a broken nose.
I honestly believe regardless of what the evidence in trial, may or may not show if there is not a conviction in this case there will be trouble. Legal experts have weighed in saying that they do not see a plea bargain being offered. I am not sure I agree. I can honestly see a plea being offered (AND TAKEN) to appease the public/
Like the Knox case, I have tried to NOT watch the media drama. This case, like hers, has become more of a platform for personal agenda than the case itself.
ReplyDeleteI know this: an unarmed kid was killed by a legally armed adult, whom he didnt know beforehand. I feel terrible for his mother and father.
I also know this: "Stand Your Ground" is a legal defense. That means that, even if you assaulted someone, you may offer this law as justification for your behavior. To my understanding, this does NOT mean that you wont be arrested, or have to answer to authorities for your actions. I dont know why it took 44 days to arrest Zimmerman, who obviously assaulted someone. A legal "defense"- FL law or otherwise- should be offered at trial. I suspect that, if not for the media stink, this man would never have faced trial.
As a parent, I allow my kids (too young to drive) to walk to the store or library in our town.... I cannot imagine someone harming them and not being arrested. I think Trayvon's mother is acting with amazing composure and grace.
I agree about his mother. Her comments yesterday broke my heart. I also fear that with all the media if there is not a conviction we will see riots like the Rodney King riots.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that we will ever again have Rodney King style riots. The reason that the mobs were able to get that far out of contol, was that they completely took the LAPD by surprise. The police assumed that by making their presence visible on the streets, the mobs would just obey. Wrong, indeed.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, we had a white police office found not guilty in the manslaughter of a black teen (I think he was like 19). They were SO prepared for mod riots, that they had full swat gear on the streets all over Cinci, especially in the rough neighborhood in which the shooting occurred. Right behind the SWAT teams? MEDIA, of course. So, no one did much beyond throw a couple of rocks and chant, and the police gloated. Of course, it all backfired-- the police were made out to be SO racist that they sent out the top enforcement squads to handle a few old church ladies with pictures of the fallen teen.
I'm not saying Cinci doesnt have race issues... I think this is the most bigoted place I have EVER visited or lived (and my family is from South GA and FL!). The cops, I think, are the one of the worst part of the problem, either in their behavior or their turning a blind eye to the behavior of others. Historically, Cinci was a major hub on the Underground Railroad... we were further advanced in thinking at the time of the Civil War, it sometimes seems.
In any case, I think the media is just drooling over this story, and it sucks. By comparison, no one has been arrested in the local case of the teen murdered on her way home... but she was white, in a "white trash" neighborhood, and we dont even get case updates from the media anymore. Again i will state that this poor kids has been used for the agendas of others, and the true guilt or innocence of Zimmerman may never be objectively determined, at this point.
I agree... Zimmerman is already convicted in public opinion without the facts as of now.
ReplyDelete