Kiss_me_gently
Really Experienced
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2013
- Posts
- 196
Here's some things that bother me:
- Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch captain. He should know all the streets by heart in his neighborhood. No need to walk around and find a street sign.
- Zimmerman should have has a flashlight. I have never heard any mention of Zimmerman carrying a flashlight. I would consider that essential gear for a neighborhood watch captain.
- How exactly did Zimmerman unholster his weapon. It was carried at the back of his waistband, yet he was pinned to the ground. I would like a better explanation of how he drew his weapon.
- Zimmerman should have identified himself as neighborhood watch. Not just 'What are you doing here?' Letting Martin know what he was doing may have been key to diffusing the confrontation. Zimmerman should have known that, I sure did. He had the golden opportunity when Martin walked by his vehicle.
- Zimmerman, having obtained a carry permit, should have known not to follow. One thing they stress in conceal carry classes, is situational awareness. Don't walk down dark alleys.
- When I carry, I also have a digital voice recorder. If I ever get into a potentially bad situation. I will turn it on, if possible.
Okay these things bother you. So what? I mean to what conclusion are you drawing by these talking points?
None of that matters. No mistakes or bad decisions that Zimmerman may have made are relevant. The only relevant question is, "at the time lethal force was used did Zimmerman have a reasonable belief that his life was in jeopardy or in fear of serious bodily injury". It does not matter how he got in the situation. Does a person allow another to kill them just because they were stupid enough to place themselves in that situation? No they do not.
There is no doubt that race played in what occurred that night. I think both Zimmerman and Trayvon have equal guilt in what occurred. Both made bad decisions. Zimmerman initiated the contact however Trayvon could have fled at his girlfriends request but refused to do so. I think what was stated during testimony was truthful. I think Zimmerman initiated a confrontation and Trayvon decided to whoop Zimmermans ass and did exactly that.
So it comes down to justification. Imagine being on the bottom have a flurry of punches raining down on your face and your head bouncing off the ground or cement. I think any reasonable person could draw the conclusion that a person could be in fear of serious injury or death. Therefore according to the jury it was justifiable.
Racism and profiling were simply hot words to create a negative reaction towards Zimmerman. Breaking it down to justification of force it doesn't matter if Zimmerman is the biggest racist on the planet or if he profiled. He was not guilty of murder but he is guilty of being very stupid and his stupidity being partly the cause for a death. I say partly because I feel Trayvon's actions are equally to blame for his death. When I say blame I am speaking more about morality than legality.