Thread: George Zimmerman not-guilty reaction: Guns, race and vigilantism stir passions

George Zimmerman not-guilty reaction: Guns, race and vigilantism stir passions

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Tim Skillern 1 hour ago






Yahoo News asked Sanford, Fla., residents and others across the nation to react to the not-guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman case and cultural issues surrounding the trial. Here’s a collection of responses we received shortly after the verdict was announced.

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The law, not emotion, should always win out: I took quite a bit of grief from non-attorney friends when the Casey Anthony verdict came in: "How can she not be guilty?" "Don't you think she did it?"
It doesn't matter what I think; it matters what the state can prove. In order for a jury to reach a verdict, they must remove emotion and look at the law. In a criminal case the burden of proof is on the state. So, the question for the jurors is: Did the state prove George Zimmerman committed an act intending to kill Trayvon Martin? The jury said no.
The next question then: Did the state prove George Zimmerman committed an act that resulted in Trayvon Martin's death, an act not excusable under self-defense? Here, the jury also said no. I agree with the verdict from a legal standpoint. The state was unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Zimmerman committed second-degree murder or manslaughter, as defined in Florida.
— Bryan Driscoll

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Vigilantism should be tackled in wake of acquittal: The bigger issues that need to be addressed are Florida's Stand Your Ground law (whether it was a factor in the trial or not) and when self-defense is a valid excuse for taking a life. Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. Martin was only 17 years old. He was not armed. While no one can say for sure what happened, Zimmerman started a fight with Martin. Zimmerman had a gun, and used deadly force when he started to lose the fight. The end result is that a teenage boy is dead and Zimmerman was found not guilty of a crime.
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Kat Crowell (L) of Ocala and Malinda O'Neal of Deltona react to the verdict at Seminole County Court …

Stand your ground means just that: standing your ground. Not following or pursuing someone and then starting a fight. No one heard Trayvon Martin's side of the story. George Zimmerman silenced him. Only the forensics and crime scene photos could speak for him. Apparently that was not enough. How many more teens need to die before we take a good look at vigilantism?
— Lynda Altman

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Verdict shows America has a long way to go: Just because someone is dark-skinned doesn't mean they are looking for trouble. Wearing a hoodie or baggie pants does not make him a criminal. I've known many teenagers who rebelled by wearing a look that appeared to make them seem "dangerous." It's part of being a teenager for more than a few. They don't deserve to get shot by someone on a power trip.
Trayvon Martin had hopes of going to aeronautic school. He had plans — and those plans have been shot to pieces because of the prejudice that exists in America today.
When will America realize that we are all in this world together? There are good guys and bad guys within all races and all types of people. Unfortunately, it may take many generations before the majority of human beings realize this.
— K.C. Dermondy

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Diane Whitaker (R) comforts Carmen Taylor as they react to the verdict outside Seminole County Court …

Our system of laws made the right decision: The city of Sanford will never forget this case and the verdict. I would not be surprised if we see people rioting the decision tomorrow all over town. This case verdict meant a lot to some people in Sanford, and they will not let it rest. There has been a lot of tension in the area of Sanford, which has caused plenty of brawls.
For one, I glad it is finally over and we can move on. This case won't be forgotten, but hopefully it won't cause many problems.
Residents here have been talking about Florida's Stand Your Ground law a lot because of this case. I completely agree with it. It states that if some one attacks you, you're allowed to defend yourself. That is exactly what Zimmerman did, and that is why he was set free.
— Joseph Rodriguez

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The Zimmerman verdict is about men and their stupid guns: As someone who doesn't live too far from Sanford, I'm nervous after the court announced that Zimmerman has been acquitted. I am praying the jury's decision does not lead to any violent retaliation in my community. As a mother of a son the same age as Trayvon Martin, I'm sad that a young life was lost. Why didn't anyone help break up the fight between Zimmerman and Martin before it turned deadly?
I blame the media for dishonoring Trayvon Martin by turning the issue into a race issue and dividing people. The Zimmerman case was not about race. It was about men and their stupid guns. I wish that Zimmerman could have left his gun at home that day. I've often wondered why people can't carry pepper spray to use as self-defense. I don't understand the male preoccupation with guns.
As far as what happened, there will always be a shroud of doubt and mystery. But what we do know is that, without the gun, no one would have been shot that day. Now we need to move on and be a little nicer to our neighbors. We need to put the guns away and learn to use our words. And, our words need to be a lot kinder because we are all the same.
— Laura Quinn

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Moved to General discussion.

In 513 Days Between Trayvon Dying and the Zimmerman Trial Verdict, 11,106 Blacks Have Been Murdered by OTHER BLACKS

by SOOPERMEXICAN on JULY 14, 2013 ·

I wrote this back in April of last year:

To be exact, the shameful truth is that 93% of African-American murders are committed by other African-Americans. That is breathtakingly awful when you consider how incensed the African-American community is about the Trayvon tragedy, no matter what you believe about Zimmerman’s guilt.

Let’s do the gruesome math, not out of morbidity, but because it manifests the incredible self-centered insanity of people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

8,000-9,000 African-Americans are murdered each year.

93% of them by other African-Americans.

That’s 7,905 (from average)

That’s 21.65 murdered each day by other African-Americans.

And these racebaiting culture-hustling microphone-pimps only get riled up when a “White Hispanic” kills an African-American? It’s absolutely shameful.

To update, in the 513 days between Trayvon dying, and today’s verdict, 11,106 African Americans have been murdered by other African-Americans.

I was so shocked, I had to double check my numbers.

http://www.soopermexican.com/2013/07...-other-blacks/