How can someone be so stupid? I mean really. If you're trying to get the public to listen to your side of the story & trust you, why would he possibly think that picture would help him?!

Speaking of "stupid is as stupid does," Zimmerman's lawyers have all quit tonight because they've gotten so frustrated from him refusing to call them back. I am assuming this is a persistent problem they've been having considering that they don't seem to believe something has happened to him while he is in hiding [with that illegal $10,000 bounty on his head].

I'd say the website supports my saying that this man has mental problems, as that's just suicidally stupid.

This whole thing is getting absurd, the only fact that's important here in my opinion is that Zimmerman followed someone when he was told not to and this resulted in death. This man should never have been allowed to continue as a neighborhood watch, given the way he acts even before there's any trouble at all.

Edit: You know it's not something I've ever heard mentioned or asked about, but was Zimmerman initially in a car? When I listened to his phone call, I was under the impression he was driving. If he was, why did he get out of his car?

I was watching the news with my grandmother today which was the first time I've really heard or paid attention to this. I hadn't the slightest idea this happened to close to Jacksonville Florida where I live.

According to the Special report which was broadcasted live, Zimmerman was charged and arrested today for second degree murder. So in case this information hasn't been posted here yet I wanted to inform you all of the broadcast.

Personally the woman Angela Corey isn't very reliable nor did she handle this properly. Seeing her talk was irritating and boarding on highly annoying and angering.

Article

Since I cannot find a video uploaded yet, here is the transcript of the press conference.

The version of the 911 call I have heard on the news, which admittedly could be cut & pasted to say something other than what's actually on the tape [<cough>NBC that means you</cough>] didn't instruct him to stop following Martin. What they said was that they don't need him to do that.

That doesn't mean he is off the hook, or that what he did wasn't utterly stupid: but it shows that the 911 system needs to be retrained to help prevent this from happening again [i.e. by actually asking people NOT to follow someone instead of passively leaving any variability as to what the caller can/should do]

This is what's on the tape [assuming this version too isn't manipulated by the press]:

<Zimmerman breathing hard>
911: "Are you following him?"
Z: "Yea"
911: "Ok, we don't need you to do that"

Here's what I would want the 911 to do in the future in a situation like this:
<Zimmerman breathing hard>
911: "Are you following him?"
Z: "Yea"
911: "Please don't do that, we don't know if he is armed and you are putting yourself in a dangerous situation"

Keep in mind that the 911 operator, who wasn't there and only had whatever information Zimmerman was telling him had been told:
1- The kid [Martin] was acting strange as if he were on drugs
2- The caller said that the kid [Martin] was looking at him, and started to approach him
3- The caller said that the kid was reaching into his waistband [where weapons are often concealed].

There are many mondame explainations for the above points, but the 911 caller should have been thinking "If this kid is armed I don't want the caller approaching him and getting his ass shot." They needed to be very clear to the caller that they could be getting themselves in trouble and that it is safer for them to wait for the police to arrive even if that means the "suspect" gets away.

I honestly feel horribly for the family. As well as feeling disgusted that yet another crime like this happened in my backyard. Ugh, it sickens me.

On a newspaper forum for an article on Zimmerman, someone posted today that Zimmerman had a right to be concerned at seeing Trayvon. They acknowledged that Zimmerman was in the wrong to pursue Trayvon, but said "if a black kid is walking around at night, call the Police and let them do their job". Huh? If a black kid is walking around at night???? Damn, I "walk around at night" just getting exercise. Does this mean that it's OK for me to do it, but not "a black kid"?

This was only one of many similar posts. Thankfully, someone did usually come back with a rebuttal, but it is still depressing to see so many idiots. And more depressing to see that many of them vote.

Came across an interesting story recently about a different case involving the Stand Your Ground Law in FL.

Marissa Alexander, a black woman in FL who had been beat up by an ex so bad that she ended up in the hospital in at least once incident. This ex has two prior convictions for domestic violence. According to her story, she got an order of protection against the guy and got a FL carry & conceal permit and a handgun to protect her from him.

Some time later, she gave birth to a child of theirs prematurely. Nine days after that she was at home when the dad/ex beat her up again [contrary to the order of protection] so she scared him off by retriving her gun and shooting into the ceiling. He then left & called the cops, claiming she shot at him.

The FL prosecutors have charged her with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with no intent to harm, which carries a MANDATORY sentence of 20 years. If convicted on all counts she could spend the rest of her life in prison.

The prosecution is claiming that she should be escaped out a window, contrary to the stand your ground law. Whether its realistic to expect abuse victims to be able to escape out a window while they're being charged by an abusive ex is irrelevant considering that the law says she has no duty to retreat, provided 1- that she believes use of force would save a life, or 2- she could reasonably believe that deadly force would stop a violent felony that is being committed.

She only needs one of these conditions to be met to be legal in accordance to SYG, but I would argue she meets both of them even if we discount her claim that the ex was threatening to kill her as unconfirmable he-said she-said. We know that he has a rap sheet for violently beating women up so bad they end up in the hospital [goes to support condition 1], and she has a restraining order against him because of documented abuse [goes to support condition 2].

It appears there is a major problem in FL, scrapping the SYG law isn't the solution: Major reform of the DAs' offices seems to be more sorely needed. Unfortunitely with the press focusing on only the Zimmerman case, it is my prediction that the SYG law in FL will be either repealed or gutted leaving people like Marissa Alexander without a legal defense against a system that seems hell bent on going after minority victims instead of criminals.

This case is also a sad reminder of how the modern concept of gun control came about in the US: It followed the 1967 Detroit race riot as a scheme aimed at disarming the nation's black population by making the legal ownership & legal use of firearms exclusive to the wealthy [between 1- attempts to make firearm licensing cost prohibitive, 2- using state & federal regulations to ruin the low-cost firearm market, 3- banning sidearms in urban districts where impoverished minorities are more common, 4- by using gun control laws to go after legitimate instances of self defense by the poor]. Gun ownership did not become a part of the conservative agenda until the mid to late 1980s with the NRA's rise to power. Prior to that it was a "us against them" attempt at demographic specific disarmament. People like Marissa Alexander show that the nation is still feeling the effects of these bigotted, short sighted politics 30-50 years later. The DAs involved with the Marissa Alexander case need to be sacked [if the facts of the case are as stated].

No group should have a monopoly on the use of force. Not one demographic, not even the state. Violent force in self defense is just use of force. Always.

In an Irish court that would be thrown out straight away. The ex was clearly ignoring a legal instruction from the state so no law would provide protection, it's up to Marissa to protect herself there.

What is really pathetic is that Zimmerman's father came to his defense suggesting that since they are considered Hispanic minorities, Zimmerman couldn't POSSIBLY be racist towards anyone! So who created that rule? What a load of rubbish.

I am not saying that Zimmerman was 100% a racist because I don't know, but I am also saying to not dismiss that possibility entirely.

Also, what sparked my suspicions was Zimmerman's remark to the 911 operator, "They always get away."

"They"? Who is "they" exactly?

^^I'm not surprised at his family for making up excuses for his defense, because they are, after all, his family. So when they say things, I just kind of ignore them. Now when someone who isn't related to him says something about Trayvon's murder being justified, then I get annoyed. But I haven't heard many people say that.

As you can see, I am white. I actually get harassed by the police all the time for no reason just for walking around at night. One night I was jogging and the cop questioned my intelligence for wearing clothes of a darker shade while jogging at night - even though I was jogging on the sidewalk.

Cops and neighborhood watches harass anyone. Me and my friends got pulled over coming out of a club by six cop cars who searched our cars and us for drugs just because we came out of a club and stopped to configure our GPS's for the long ride home. That same day we got pulled over earlier because the cop was an idiot and thought we were driving without a license plate even though it was on the front of the car.

My point is, if I looked suspicious and a neighborhood watch was harassing me(I'm not sure if Trayvon knew he was a neighborhood watch, we'll say he didn't) and I got scared and attacked the man who already thought I looked suspicious, and the man shot me, I woulden't be so quick to charge him with second degree murder like they are.

Bottom line, these people are annoying as $%^& but they're just doing their jobs. Let's be honest, he thought Treyvon looked like a "thug." I don't believe Zimmermen had it out to kill this young man and I don't believe he saw him as this innocent kid walking around.

Cops and people should not be made afraid to investigate someone because of their heritage. People pick and choose when convenient to call someone a minority group to support their case. Had this not been dealing with a man who looked white and a "african american individual" we woulden't have this issue.(Of course the issue being about the hate crime claims, not the unfortunate death that has occured.)

So did Zimmermen over react? Yes, of course. If he was pursuing him because he was black is this wrong? It depends, people like me get stopped by the police for walking around at night period. Considering the fact that black males have the highest incarceration rate among any other ethnicity in the U.S.- I don't believe Zimmermen was in the wrong to investigate.

I'll say the media has really managed to stir up people about this case. Let's be aware of the story involving Mr. Watts, a 78 year old man who was assaulted in what the involved african americans called revenge for Trayvon Martin.

In closing, maybe I'm in the wrong place for my opinions on this site.

Mr. Watts' assailants included white kids as well as black kids, and the motive for the attack has not yet been determined by the police. Right now, all that is known is what Mr. Watts has told the news -- and Mr. Watts admitted that it was he who invoked the name of Trayvon Martin to his assailants. Furthermore, what happened to Mr. Watts does not mitigate what was done to Trayvon Martin.

-- Nephele

I found it heartening to hear on the news that the victim's family said they did not feel this was a race crime, only a tragic accident, although they wanted Zimmerman to be punished. I agree with them, but its just great to hear them being so reasonable. Their kid was killed, nobody could blame them for losing their minds with grief. Instead they saw it for what it was- unfortunate manslaughter.

But sadly so many minorities just use events like this as an excuse, as a figure-head to be loud and hateful. They're not really caring about the victim, just using the tragedy as a soap box to stand up on and shout their piece because they are bitter and have a chip on their shoulders.

I can honestly say, I don't believe Trayvon would even consider it a racial incident himself had he still been around. It's all the media, to them it's not about Trayvon, it's about their agenda. I have to agree with you.

The cynic in me says that the parents claiming it wasn't a race issue draws attention to the fact that it was.