Trayvon Martin Case

[Electro Rock]

I wonder if any racial militant or prison gang group is going to back Zimmerman? Though he may be too White for the Brown Pride crowd and too Brown for the White priders.

[unbridled_id]

Former NAACP leader C.L. Bryant is accusing Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton of “exploiting” the Trayvon Martin tragedy to “racially divide this country.”

“His family should be outraged at the fact that they’re using this child as the bait to inflame racial passions,” Rev. C.L. Bryant said in a Monday interview with The Daily Caller.

The conservative black pastor who was once the chapter president of the Garland, Texas NAACP called Jackson and Sharpton “race hustlers” and said they are “acting as though they are buzzards circling the carcass of this young boy.”

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/03/26/former-naacp-leader-accuses-sharpton-and-jackson-of-exploiting-trayvon-martin/#ixzz1qHxV8zGu

Before we convict Zimmerman let all the facts be brought to the table and see the light of day.

[Navyblue]

Hey look, another controversy to polarize on.

Ever read "the prince" ?

[DonLever]

Former NAACP leader C.L. Bryant is accusing Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton of “exploiting” the Trayvon Martin tragedy to “racially divide this country.”

“His family should be outraged at the fact that they’re using this child as the bait to inflame racial passions,” Rev. C.L. Bryant said in a Monday interview with The Daily Caller.

The conservative black pastor who was once the chapter president of the Garland, Texas NAACP called Jackson and Sharpton “race hustlers” and said they are “acting as though they are buzzards circling the carcass of this young boy.”

Read more: http://dailycaller.c.../#ixzz1qHxV8zGu

Before we convict Zimmerman let all the facts be brought to the table and see the light of day.

[ninja321]

He's finally been charged with murder

More than six weeks after he shot and killedTrayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old with no criminal record, George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch coordinator at a small gated community in Sanford, Fla., was charged by a special prosecutor on Wednesday evening with second-degree murder and taken into custody.

The charges, which Mr. Martin’s family praised but called overdue, opened a new chapter in a case that set off a searing national discussion of racial profiling, Florida’s expansive self-defense laws and the fairness of the criminal justice system.

The charges against Mr. Zimmerman were announced by Angela B. Corey, the state attorney for the Jacksonville area, who was appointed as a special prosecutor in the case after the local state attorney stepped aside in the wake of criticism that the case had been moving too slowly. Ms. Corey took pains to praise the local law enforcement officials at a news conference in Jacksonville, and pledged to pursue justice for the Martin family.

Asked about the racial overtones of the case — Mr. Martin, who was black, was shot and killed by Mr. Zimmerman, a Hispanic man who was not immediately arrested by the local police — Ms. Corey said that law enforcement officials were committed to justice for all, regardless of race, gender or background.

“We only know one category as prosecutors, and that’s a ‘V,’ ” Ms. Corey said. “It’s not a ‘B,’ it’s not a ‘W,’ it’s not an ‘H.’ It’s ‘V,’ for victim. That’s who we work tirelessly for. And that’s all we know, is justice for our victims.”

If he is convicted of second-degree murder, Mr. Zimmerman, 28, could face life in prison. It is the toughest charge he could have faced, short of first-degree murder, which would have required a finding of premeditation.

Mr. Martin’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, praised the decision to arrest and charge Mr. Zimmerman at an emotional news conference in Washington, where they had been meeting with their lawyers and supporters.

“We simply wanted an arrest,” Ms. Fulton said. “We wanted nothing more and nothing less, we just wanted an arrest. And we got it. And I say, ‘Thank you, thank you, Lord, thank you, Jesus.’ ”

Mr. Zimmerman arrived at the Seminole County Jail around 8:25 p.m. and stepped out of a black S.U.V. in the custody of law enforcement agents.

The killing of Trayvon Martin — who was shot on the evening of Feb. 26 as he returned from buying Skittles and iced tea at a 7-Eleven, bound for the home in a gated community in Sanford, a small city just north of Orlando, where he and his father were guests — incited outrage and protest marches across the country.

Mr. Zimmerman, the founder of the local neighborhood watch, called 911 that evening to report that Mr. Martin looked like “a real suspicious guy.” Some questioned whether Mr. Martin attracted Mr. Zimmerman’s attention simply because he was black. Others were outraged by the slow reaction of the local police and prosecutors, who did not immediately arrest and charge Mr. Zimmerman, saying that Florida’s expansive self-defense law could make it difficult to prove a criminal case against him.

President Obama weighed in on the case at one point, saying, “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.” After television commentators suggested that Mr. Martin might have looked suspicious because he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, people around the country began donning them in solidarity. LeBron James and other members of the Miami Heat basketball team posed in them for a photograph they posted on Twitter. Representative Bobby L. Rush, Democrat of Illinois, even wore one on the floor of the House, saying “Just because someone wears a hoodie does not make them a hoodlum.”

The case drew attention to Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law, which was enacted seven years ago after lobbying by the National Rifle Association, over the objections of many law enforcement officials. The law gives the benefit of the doubt to people who claim self-defense, even if they are not in their homes; it says that people who feel that they are in danger do not need to retreat, even if it would seem reasonable to do so.

In this case, Mr. Zimmerman, who had founded a neighborhood watch over the summer after a string of burglaries in the area, saw Mr. Martin, began following him, and called 911, telling the dispatcher that he appeared “suspicious.”

The dispatcher asked if Mr. Zimmerman was following him. “Yeah,” Mr. Zimmerman said.

“O.K.., we don’t need you to do that,” the dispatcher said. Mr. Zimmerman said: “O.K.”

The case will probably hinge on what happened next.

[dank.]

I'm not saying that Zimmerman is innocent, but don't believe your tv programming. Editing can do incredible things.

Also why are they showing a picture of Martin when he's like 10? Seems like a pathetic way of making the public jump all over Zimmerman without closely looking at the facts, or whatever you want to call the information that's given to us.

[DonLever]

Legal experts were surprised with the 2nd degree murder charge as they expected a manslaughter charge. The prosecuter would have to prove "malice" for a successful prosecution.

My opinion: Fat chance. No way he will be guilty of 2nd degree murder. The prosectuion should have gone for manslaughter.

[Electro Rock]

It looks very political to me, as in, never let a good "crisis" go to waste!

If you ask me its like certain parties jumped behind this case in order to both discredit the idea of regular citizens carrying guns for self defense and to indirectly deflect attention away from the Operation Gunrunner fiasco.

[Amish Rake Fighter]

The Chicago Tribune(?) published police reports with eyewitness testimony that said that Martin was on top of Zimmerman before the shooting.

[Navyblue]

I haven't indulged myself in this case much...aside from random pieces here or there...........but it seems like the mainstream media is doing what ever it takes to get people to fight amongst themselves and not look up to the real threats to humanity...

[Charlie.the.Unicorn]

[dank.]

I haven't indulged myself in this case much...aside from random pieces here or there...........but it seems like the mainstream media is doing what ever it takes to get people to fight amongst themselves and not look up to the real threats to humanity...

[Wetcoaster]

It looks as if Zimmerman will be going to trial in June as he has waived his right to a pretrial hearing on the issue of Florida's "stand your ground" law - expect a four- to six-week trial that gets underway June 10.

George Zimmerman has waived his right to a pretrial hearing over whether he should be acquitted of murder charges under Florida's "stand your ground" law.

Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who's charged with second-degree murder in the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin,

said Tuesday in court that he did not want the preliminary hearing, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

The surprising move by Zimmerman's legal team means the controversial case will go straight to trial in early June.

Zimmerman had the right under Florida's 7-year-old "stand your ground" law to argue to the judge in a special hearing without a jury that he's immune from both civil and criminal prosecution. The law, versions of which are on the books in 20 states, says people who have a reasonable belief their lives are in danger in a public place can harm an attacker without first attempting to retreat.

The 29-year-old says he acted in self defense when Martin attacked him on Feb. 26, 2012. Prosecutors say Zimmerman profiled Martin, pursuing him around the neighborhood, and then confronting and killing him with his gun.

Jose Baez, an Orlando area defense attorney who worked on the Casey Anthony trial, said he thinks the decision to pass up the immunity hearing means Zimmerman's attorneys are going for an "all or nothing" defense and don't want to show their hand too early.

"The defense doesn't want to give the prosecution a preview of its defense should they lose on the 'stand your ground' hearing when it comes trial time," theorized Baez. "Obviously, a prosecutor would be much better prepared after he's had his shot to cross examine Mr. Zimmerman. He can only get better at it the more he does it."

But the choice to forgo the hearing means that even if Zimmerman is acquitted of charges in trial, he can still face civil prosecution. Martin's parents have already won a civil settlement in excess of $1 million from Zimmerman's homeowners' association.

Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, said he may still argue that his client deserves immunity under the law in the full trial. The lawyers argue that Zimmerman was acting in self defense and could not be convicted on murder charges even without the "stand your ground" law.

http://ca.news.yahoo...-192058221.html

[DonLever]

Some of the reasons for waiving pre-trial hearing.

"O’Mara’s recommendation for Zimmerman indicates that his case may have been difficult to win in a pre-trial hearing. Had Zimmerman lost his pre-trial hearing, he would have already been deemed guilty by a judge going into his trial hearing. If that were to occur, Zimmerman would no longer have the legal advantage of being innocent until proven guilty. The burden of proof would have shifted from prosecutors to O’Mara, who would then have to absolve a client that is already presumed guilty."

"Had Zimmerman taken advantage of his immunity hearing, he and his legal team would only have had to present their self-defense case to a judge instead of a full jury. Zimmerman reviewed his case with his legal team and believes he can be successfully acquitted of the murder charges through a standard trial."