Ian wrote:
Put yourself in Trayvon's place. You're walking around minding your own business. Not many other people are in sight, if anyone. Then this large guy follows you, comes up to you and demands to know what the hell you're doing. Even if Trayvon had been the one to throw the first punch (and that's still an "if"), I'd say Trayvon's fear was pretty well justified by that point.
Perhaps, perhaps not. That's what the trial will tell. Yes, if Zimmerman felony-menaced Martin by flashing his gun and getting in his face in a hostile manner, then Martin may have been justified in attacking Zimmerman in self defense. But if Zimmerman flashed his gun, do you really think that Martin would have decided to attack or run away, or even surrender, given the fact that he was unarmed? Simple survival training for blacks in the southern United States makes it highly unlikely that any black teenager would have knowingly attacked someone they knew to be armed.
But whether or not Martin was justified in "throwing the first punch" depends entirely upon the details of the situation, some of which we'll likely never know for certain. Whether Martin was justified in using deadly physical force against Zimmerman (banging his head on the concrete) would depend on what Zimmerman did prior to Martin's getting the upper hand.
This is a tough case for any jury, but its the jury who will be the finders of fact, not you or I. But looking at all sides of the issue is not bigoted or biased, it's avoiding bigotry or bias by being neutral and looking at the evidence as it emerges and applying the law.
And you're busy explaining how fearful Zimmerman must've been, even though he started out as the one who had the gun? How disgusting.
And if Zimmerman merely approached Martin and said "Hey man, this is private property, can I ask what you're doing here?" and Martin replied "Fuck you cracker, I ain't answering your motherfucking questions" and Zimmerman, rather than escalating the confrontation by flashing his gun turns and returns to his truck, only to be jumped from behind by Martin? What then? Would Zimmerman be justified in defending his life if he was down on the ground having his head beaten on the concrete and approaching unconsciousness?
What would've happened if this gun-happy wannabe-cop just stayed in his car (like the cops told him to do) and listened to the radio? Trayvon would've gone about his business and eaten some candy.
What if Martin had said politely "I'm staying with friends at 1234 SoandSo street" and continued walking? What-ifs are a pointless exercise at this point. Zimmerman may have used what you consider to be poor judgment in patrolling his private, gated community, but he was legally entitled to do so so far as we know, and he was properly licensed to carry a gun. He may have been confrontational. He may have even used very poor judgment in interfering with the lawful activities of a guest on the property. But the question is whether he committed a crime that would have justified Martin in attacking him, if he was indeed attacked at all. These are valid questions, not manifestations of bigotry.
Martin may have been lawfully going about his business and was in fact brutally murdered in cold blood by a bigoted racist with a history of violent confrontations and a bad temper. This too is a possibility.
But it's not a matter of fact, as Al Sharpton and others seem to assume. It's a difficult case in which it's important to look at all the possibilities and exclude each one using actual evidence rather than speculation and assumptions. That's what the justice system is for, and I'm reasonably confident that justice will be served in the end.
"Seth is Grandmaster Zen Troll who trains his victims to troll themselves every time they think of him" Robert_S
"All that is required for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Edmund Burke
"Those who support denying anyone the right to keep and bear arms for personal defense are fully complicit in every crime that might have been prevented had the victim been effectively armed." Seth
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