George Zimmerman Not Guilty

[Anny Nym]

This whole story is heartbreaking.

I must admit that I come from what is basically a disarmed country, which has been so for years, so I'm probably quite biased- but I can't believe that someone with his history was allowed to buy a gun. That doesn't seem right.

:(

I just thought about writing the almost same comment. Just want to add:

To me, it´s un-fuckin´believeable Zimmerman was found NOT guilty. He is a murderer and should go straight to jail!

[Deloris]

This case makes me sick. From what I gather he was found not guilty under Florida law even though he was determined to be the one who incited the violence. Incredibly sad. Laws need to be changed.

[OnceModestTwiceShy]

Sharpton and Jackson do what they do because, like it or not, they bring visibility to many race issues that are otherwise swept under the rug. White America will plug its ears and refuse to pay attention to racist policies and events unless they are hit over the head with a sledgehammer. And they prove their own necessity when, every time something happens that significantly impacts the African American community, someone says, "Oh boy, now Sharpton and Jackson are going to rile up the Blacks!"

[Shirley MacLaine]

Sharpton and Jackson do what they do because, like it or not, they bring visibility to many race issues that are otherwise swept under the rug. White America will plug its ears and refuse to pay attention to racist policies and events unless they are hit over the head with a sledgehammer. And they prove their own necessity when, every time something happens that significantly impacts the African American community, someone says, "Oh boy, now Sharpton and Jackson are going to rile up the Blacks!"

YES

GOD BLESS

[bananacat]

Zimmerman hunted down and unarmed person. He did so even after the 911 dispatcher told him not to. He provoked Martin, and then when Martin tried to defend himself, Zimmerman got scared or angry or whatever and proceeded to murder him. With a gun. Against an unarmed person.

And yet, Zimmerman and his defenders surely claim to be pro-life.

Zimmerman is a murderer and a hypocrite of the highest degree, and instead of going to jail he'll probably get a cushy job as a talking head on Fox News. And many people will continue to rush to the defense of Zimmerman and even give him money. It's sickening.

[bananacat]

Whether Zimmerman is actually guilty or not, my stomach is churning at the thought of what Al Sharpton is going to do to light the fuse.

Also either way, a boy died and even a guilty verdict would still not bring him back. :(

But putting Zimmerman in jail could prevent him from murdering other people. By your logic we should never bother to put any murderers in jail because it will never bring anyone back.

[AnywhereButHere]

My heart breaks for the Martin family. Whatever happened on that street was all set in motion by Zimmerman getting out of his car after being expressly told not to. He and his twisted superhero/vigilante complex are completely to blame.

Sharpton and Jackson have said many things that make me uncomfortable, that make me cringe, and that's exactly why they need to be saying them. We need them to shine that spotlight on all of us so the roaches can't go scurrying back into their walls protected not only by the scum who think like them, but also by the uncomfortable indifference of those who take the moment to say "What a shame. How horrible" and then go hide behind the blanket of "Well, it won't happen in my neighborhood, because I'm not like that.", and then go back to sleep until the next time.

Ah hell, I don't even know if I'm making any sense. It sounded a whole lot more concise before I started typing. I just don't know how to fix it...

[dairyfreelife]

I think all black men in FL should legally get weapons. Then, they should go to white neighborhoods and follow "suspicious" looking men who are doing things like walking home from the store, or the bus stop, or...anywhere. They follow them and then ask him what he is doing? If the white guy gets scared and hits him, he can be shot and killed right there, on the spot. Even though the shooter was not in his own neighborhood and the white guy wasn't doing anything wrong.

Maybe then they can feel what Trayvon felt.

What the ever-living fuck?!

One: Zimmerman is biracial (hispanic/white). He's not white.

Two: This is not cute or funny. I get that you want something more done, but this is not the answer at all. I have a black boyfriend, I know full well that racism exists, but this is insane to even suggest. You think because I'm white a black person should be allowed to murder me just because I'm white and I'm walking home? That will not solve the racial issues in this country and in fact would only make the whole "blacks are criminals" attitude that many racist non-blacks have worse.

[Minerva]

What the ever-living fuck?!

One: Zimmerman is biracial (hispanic/white). He's not white.

Two: This is not cute or funny. I get that you want something more done, but this is not the answer at all. I have a black boyfriend, I know full well that racism exists, but this is insane to even suggest. You think because I'm white a black person should be allowed to murder me just because I'm white and I'm walking home? That will not solve the racial issues in this country and in fact would only make the whole "blacks are criminals" attitude that many racist non-blacks have worse.

I WTFed when I read that too, but I'm 99.9% sure she didn't mean that literally. "We should do X to Y and see how they like it" is a pretty common thing for people to say when they're pissed off about some form of inequality, but I think it's generally understood that the person doesn't really mean it.

[wild little fox]

The lawyer in me hates that I support the verdict BASED ON THE PROSECUTION'S CASE. I wouldn't have convicted him, either. They dropped the ball, man.

That said, 'not guilty' does not ever equate to 'innocent'. He knows what he did. He could have stopped as soon as 911 told him not to follow the boy.

And I call bullshit on the "he was going to kill me by bashing my head on the cement". Uhhuh. And from such violent, blunt force trauma of a skull on concrete you had two miniscule scrapes.

I can't even go into it further. It kills me. And everybody on facebook thinks they're a goddamn lawyer. I'm allowed to say that because I AM a goddamn lawyer.

I appreciate your input. I figured that is what happened in the trial.

I am extremely upset. I feel Martin was killed for "walking while black" and that Zimmerman had NO business taking matters into his own hands. And WHY in the hell did he have a gun? Why in the hell did he take it with him when he got out of the car? I'm a gun owner. I was taught from a young age that you DO NOT take your gun out unless you intend to use it. To me, Martin was the one defending himself.

[JenniferJuniper]

Here's what that piece of filth Geraldo Rivera had to say on Fox and Friends before the verdict came back:

"I see those six ladies in the jury putting themselves on that rainy night, in that housing complex that has just been burglarized by three or four different groups of black youngsters from the adjacent community. So it's a dark night, a 6-foot-2-inch hoodie-wearing stranger is in the immediate housing complex. How would the ladies of that jury have reacted? I submit that if they were armed, they would have shot and killed Trayvon Martin a lot sooner than George Zimmerman did. This is self-defense."

So it's okay to go around shooting tall black kids wearing hoods and minding their own business just in case they might turn out to be burglars?

There are no words.

[fundiefun]

As a person of color who a brother who is black I fear for his safety whether people admit it or not the scariest thing to be is a black male in society walking around in ur own neighborhood at night or being pulled over by the cops in a nice car because you're african american in the white part of town.

[Minerva]

Here's what that piece of filth Geraldo Rivera had to say on Fox and Friends before the verdict came back:

"I see those six ladies in the jury putting themselves on that rainy night, in that housing complex that has just been burglarized by three or four different groups of black youngsters from the adjacent community. So it's a dark night, a 6-foot-2-inch hoodie-wearing stranger is in the immediate housing complex. How would the ladies of that jury have reacted? I submit that if they were armed, they would have shot and killed Trayvon Martin a lot sooner than George Zimmerman did. This is self-defense."

So it's okay to go around shooting tall black kids wearing hoods and minding their own business just in case they might turn out to be burglars?

There are no words.

Because being 6'2" and wearing a hoodie is totally a threat to people's personal safety. I murder people all the time because they're tall and dress casually. /sarcasm

[CallmeChaCha]

So this means Zimmerman will still be allowed to own a gun since it was a not guilty verdict?

[JenniferJuniper]

So this means Zimmerman will still be allowed to own a gun since it was a not guilty verdict?

I read or heard somewhere that he's planning on continuing to carry the same gun that killed Martin.

He believes it was God's will that he shoot the boy so maybe God has even more plans for that Zimmerman and his gun.

[fundamentalistnomore]

The lawyer in me hates that I support the verdict BASED ON THE PROSECUTION'S CASE. I wouldn't have convicted him, either. They dropped the ball, man.

That said, 'not guilty' does not ever equate to 'innocent'. He knows what he did. He could have stopped as soon as 911 told him not to follow the boy.

And I call bullshit on the "he was going to kill me by bashing my head on the cement". Uhhuh. And from such violent, blunt force trauma of a skull on concrete you had two miniscule scrapes.

I can't even go into it further. It kills me. And everybody on facebook thinks they're a goddamn lawyer. I'm allowed to say that because I AM a goddamn lawyer.

I blame the laws in FL for the verdict. 'Not guilty' does not ever equate to 'innocent' This is what most people are forgetting. Unfortunately, race does play a part in this. I'm avoiding logging into facebook because I don't want to see all the reactions. That being said, Mela99, this is for you:

(I can't get it to show for some reason)

http://imgur.com/gallery/MwR0Ag0

[GenerationCedarchip]

The facts of this case are tragic and as the writeup in the Atlantic said, we'll probably never know exactly what went on that night. I do suspect, though, that the civil trial against Zimmerman will likely be much uglier than the criminal. The standard of proof is lower, and often(though not always) the courts will give more leeway on determining what evidence is relevant to the issues at hand than in the criminal arena.

However, as a lawyer, I have to say that I think the jury on this criminal trial got it right from a legal standpoint. The prosecution had to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt and considering the jumbled up narrative that found its way to the jury, I agree that they didn't meet that burden. Their own witnesses backfired on them and the wheels just seemed to fall off from there. I suspect this trial will be used in future as an example of shoddy case prep, just like the OJ trial is often used as a primer in how NOT to be an effective trial judge.

Here's the link to the article in The Atlantic that I referenced - it's one of the better ones I've seen on this trial: http://www.theatlantic.com/national/arc ... an/277772/

[CallmeChaCha]

I read or heard somewhere that he's planning on continuing to carry the same gun that killed Martin.

He believes it was God's will that he shoot the boy so maybe God has even more plans for that Zimmerman and his gun.

WTF... I just can't even with these people.

[Mecca]

So this means Zimmerman will still be allowed to own a gun since it was a not guilty verdict?

Yes. Not only that, but Zimmerman gets back the same gun he used that night.

I find it very disturbing this person was able to even own a gun before all this happened. This case is a prime example of what is wrong with the guns laws and the lack of adequate background checking in many states. Zimmerman has proven time and time again he has a violent temper, so it makes perfect sense to let him own a gun. :wtf:

[Jenny]

I was sad but not surprised to hear the verdict. After all, the legal sytem aquitted OJ and Casey Anthony.

[Mama Mia]

Here's what that piece of filth Geraldo Rivera had to say on Fox and Friends before the verdict came back:

"I see those six ladies in the jury putting themselves on that rainy night, in that housing complex that has just been burglarized by three or four different groups of black youngsters from the adjacent community. So it's a dark night, a 6-foot-2-inch hoodie-wearing stranger is in the immediate housing complex. How would the ladies of that jury have reacted? I submit that if they were armed, they would have shot and killed Trayvon Martin a lot sooner than George Zimmerman did. This is self-defense."

So it's okay to go around shooting tall black kids wearing hoods and minding their own business just in case they might turn out to be burglars?

There are no words.

Wow. That is just appalling. I'm not convinced Zimmerman wouldn't have shot any young male, no matter what race/ethnic group he appeared to be. Teen boy at night often equals trouble in too many people's minds. I think Zimmerman might have reacted like an aggressive bully regardless, and an innocent kid would be dead....but I think the initial handling of the case would have been different if it was a white kid he shot. In that case I think the initial spin would have been on how this Hispanic guy got aggressive and paranoid and shot an innocent child.

[Buzzard]

The lawyer in me hates that I support the verdict BASED ON THE PROSECUTION'S CASE. I wouldn't have convicted him, either. They dropped the ball, man.

That said, 'not guilty' does not ever equate to 'innocent'. He knows what he did. He could have stopped as soon as 911 told him not to follow the boy.

And I call bullshit on the "he was going to kill me by bashing my head on the cement". Uhhuh. And from such violent, blunt force trauma of a skull on concrete you had two miniscule scrapes.

I can't even go into it further. It kills me. And everybody on facebook thinks they're a goddamn lawyer. I'm allowed to say that because I AM a goddamn lawyer.

As a prosecutor I completely agree. The case should not have been filed as it was, the evidence simply was not there. From the storage/contamination of the clothes to the shoddy autopsy work, the case simply could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The jury did the correct thing.

There will be no federal civil right violation case, all that remains is a wrongful death suit. Considering Zimmerman has between jack and shit assets I suspect that will end in mediation.

I heard in the beginning the hoa paid a settlement of more than a million at the beginning of last year but that hasn't been mentioned again. No idea how that was worded or if it would preclude an additional wrongful death suit.

[Katiebug]

The lawyer in me hates that I support the verdict BASED ON THE PROSECUTION'S CASE. I wouldn't have convicted him, either. They dropped the ball, man.

That said, 'not guilty' does not ever equate to 'innocent'. He knows what he did. He could have stopped as soon as 911 told him not to follow the boy.

And I call bullshit on the "he was going to kill me by bashing my head on the cement". Uhhuh. And from such violent, blunt force trauma of a skull on concrete you had two miniscule scrapes.

I can't even go into it further. It kills me. And everybody on facebook thinks they're a goddamn lawyer. I'm allowed to say that because I AM a goddamn lawyer.

I have a couple of friends who are lawyers who said the same thing. Based on the prosecution's case, the jury made the right decision. 1) The prosecution sucked at making their case, and 2) The "not guilty" on the charges in question do not mean that George Zimmerman acted in anything resembling a sensible or intelligent manner.

Personally I suspect GZ is a racist asshole with delusions of grandeur, who did neighborhood watch while armed as a way to compensate in his own mind for not being able to hack it in a legitimate law enforcement job. Unfortunately the prosecution didn't prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt on the charges in question so the dude basically got away with it.

[lizziesmom]

I wasn't sure whether to post this here or in Chatter, but I figured here would be better since it gets more views. Mods feel free to move it if I'm wrong. Apparently it is ok to shoot an unarmed teenager in Florida. :pull-hair:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07 ... uilty?lite

It's okay for a white male to shoot a black, unarmed teenager.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

Personally I suspect GZ is a racist asshole with delusions of grandeur, who did neighborhood watch while armed as a way to compensate in his own mind for not being able to hack it in a legitimate law enforcement job. Unfortunately the prosecution didn't prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt on the charges in question so the dude basically got away with it.

Where I think a lot of the (justified, IMHO) anger is coming from is just that - people want there to have been some sort of sanction, any sort of sanction, any sort of punishment for the initial profiling and following bit, for the poisonous way in which the two first met.

The case, meanwhile, was only about the very end of the fight, whether Zimmerman was afraid for his life at the very end, and carefully cut off and separated from the "earlier interactions" between the two. Conveniently, even. Which means that yeah, legally, it comes out as it did, prosecution bringing bad case, etc.

Honestly I thought that perhaps he would end up convicted of manslaughter with a light sentence, to at least acknowledge that earlier stuff, but I guess it's not how the law works, the case is very very narrow.

Or in other words, I think the court was set to answer a question different from the one that the wider public actually wanted answered.