When "Neighborhood Watch" Gets Out of Hand

[DaTruth]

I guess the 13-year-old witness didn't ask to remain anonymous, unlike Martin's girlfriend. The 13-year-old must want to be a celebrity.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/trayvon-mar...9#.T3UlhNmS84L

[bigrun]

In Defense of George Zimmerman?

Ever since the media latched on to the Trayvon Martin killing (view our collection of Trayvon Martin cartoons here), they seem to be certain of one thing – George Zimmerman, the neighbor watch man who shot the Florida teenager, is guilty of murder.

Most cartoonists have focused on the tragedy of Trayvon’s death, but Michael McParlane went a different direction and focused on the media’s newfound role and judge, jury and exuctioner:






I asked Michael his thoughts, and here’s what he emailed me:

Debates are rampant over whether or not the same backlash would be exhibited if this were a black on black murder. Large groups of people can effect dramatic change, but where are the current protestors, and carpetbaggers, when the crime is not deemed “racist”?

[pointman]

You mean there is even a possibility that Zimmerman acted in self defense? I thought he should be arrested and booked and charged with manslaughter by this incompetent police department that dismisses witnesses? Isn't there a history of racial abuse by this police department? What about his father's connections? He was a magistrate so the fact that he wasn't arrested must be a conspiracy, right? Please don't tell me that the media, Sharpton and Jackson may have been giving out inaccurate information?

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by pointman

You mean there is even a possibility that Zimmerman acted in self defense? I thought he should be arrested and booked and charged with manslaughter by this incompetent police department that dismisses witnesses? Isn't there a history of racial abuse by this police department? What about his father's connections? He was a magistrate so the fact that he wasn't arrested must be a conspiracy, right? Please don't tell me that the media, Sharpton and Jackson may have been giving out inaccurate information?

the one thing that everyone is certain of, including the police.. because its right there on the 911 call, is that Zimmerman was following Martin.. pretty much stalking the kid for no reason.

If anyone had a reason to "stand your ground" it would be Martin.

Not one person on this site could tell me that if they were belong followed, very strangely.. by a stranger.. that they wouldnt react with one of the two basic instincts; flight or fight. So after Martin kept walking and was still being stalked... who on earth could get mad at the kid for possibly turning around and defending himself?

there is something VERY shady about this Zimmerman guy. he's already shown a violent temper with past arrests. dude has called the cops.. what, 49 times or something? he sounds like someone I'd never want to meet and certainly someone I wouldnt want stalking me on the streets.

[Danzig]

i think based on everything that what it all comes down to is t martin would be alive and well were this guy not hell-bent on being some sort of wanna be cop vigilante. he had no business doing what he was doing, and trayvon reacted the way any normal person would. the guy wasn't a cop, wasn't a security guard-trayvon probably figured the guy meant him harm. why would he think otherwise? the guys is a loose cannon and a nut.
zimmerman didn't act in self-defense, he went out of his way to force a confrontation. he was the aggressor in this whole sordid mess. had he done as told by the 911 operator, the boy would be alive and all this would never have happened. but no, he's a kook who acted improperly from start to finish.

[bigrun]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

the one thing that everyone is certain of, including the police.. because its right there on the 911 call, is that Zimmerman was following Martin.. pretty much stalking the kid for no reason.

If anyone had a reason to "stand your ground" it would be Martin.

Not one person on this site could tell me that if they were belong followed, very strangely.. by a stranger.. that they wouldnt react with one of the two basic instincts; flight or fight. So after Martin kept walking and was still being stalked... who on earth could get mad at the kid for possibly turning around and defending himself?

there is something VERY shady about this Zimmerman guy. he's already shown a violent temper with past arrests. dude has called the cops.. what, 49 times or something? he sounds like someone I'd never want to meet and certainly someone I wouldnt want stalking me on the streets.

Without testimony from the kid Trayvon this will never be resolved to everyones's satisfaction, not even close...just do a thorough investigation and charge or release him....and as per Geraldo, don't wear hoodies, they are dangerous...

Originally Posted by bigrun

don't wear hoodies, they are dangerous...

You mean like this guy:

http://profootball.scout.com/Picture...Bill+Belichick


Ocala Mike

[bigrun]

Originally Posted by Ocala Mike

You mean like this guy:

http://profootball.scout.com/Picture...Bill+Belichick


Ocala Mike

Especially not - if you are playing the Saints..

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by bigrun

Without testimony from the kid Trayvon this will never be resolved to everyones's satisfaction, not even close...just do a thorough investigation and charge or release him....and as per Geraldo, don't wear hoodies, they are dangerous...

i fully expect that if they arrested GZ and put him on trial, he'd walk.

[Clip-Clop]

Originally Posted by Danzig

i fully expect that if they arrested GZ and put him on trial, he'd walk.

These people let that lady what killed her little girl free.

[pointman]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

the one thing that everyone is certain of, including the police.. because its right there on the 911 call, is that Zimmerman was following Martin.. pretty much stalking the kid for no reason.

If anyone had a reason to "stand your ground" it would be Martin.

Not one person on this site could tell me that if they were belong followed, very strangely.. by a stranger.. that they wouldnt react with one of the two basic instincts; flight or fight. So after Martin kept walking and was still being stalked... who on earth could get mad at the kid for possibly turning around and defending himself?

there is something VERY shady about this Zimmerman guy. he's already shown a violent temper with past arrests. dude has called the cops.. what, 49 times or something? he sounds like someone I'd never want to meet and certainly someone I wouldnt want stalking me on the streets.

Lori, this misses my point. My point is that many are jumping to conclusions without all the facts. I am not taking either side here, but to conduct a witch hunt without knowledge of the true facts and to believe everything the media spouts out as if it is true is just as much a disservice to everyone as letting a guilty man go free. People should allow the justice system time to resolve this without resorting to vigilante justice.

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by pointman

Lori, this misses my point. My point is that many are jumping to conclusions without all the facts. I am not taking either side here, but to conduct a witch hunt without knowledge of the true facts and to believe everything the media spouts out as if it is true is just as much a disservice to everyone as letting a guilty man go free. People should allow the justice system time to resolve this without resorting to vigilante justice.

i agree with this.

Though.. if somehow this man is not even arrested, it send a very dangerous message. It almost makes it okay to act like a cop and follow someone for no reason, and then shoot when you feel like you're in danger.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

i agree with this.

Though.. if somehow this man is not even arrested, it send a very dangerous message. It almost makes it okay to act like a cop and follow someone for no reason, and then shoot when you feel like you're in danger.

You keep saying that Zimmerman was following the kid "for no reason". He was following him for a very good reason. Zimmerman is the neighborhood watch captain. He knows the neighborhood and he knows the people who live there. It's a gated community. He sees a person that he has never seen before, walking through the neighborhood. Why wouldn't he follow him? What would be the point of neighborhood watch otherwise? If you were working neighborhood watch and you see a person in your neighborhood that you've never seen before, would you ignore them?

I've never officially been involved in neighborhood watch but I always keep my eyes open. When I do see something suspicious, I call the police. And I always follow the person until the police arrive. If I didn't follow the person, the police would never find the guy. The police usually don't arrive for at least 10 minutes. The person may be 10 blocks away by then.

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by pointman

Lori, this misses my point. My point is that many are jumping to conclusions without all the facts. I am not taking either side here, but to conduct a witch hunt without knowledge of the true facts and to believe everything the media spouts out as if it is true is just as much a disservice to everyone as letting a guilty man go free. People should allow the justice system time to resolve this without resorting to vigilante justice.

Absolutely this should be resolved through the proper channels, but what started the whole media circus was the authorities choosing not to do anything about the situation, and in fact, doing things that sure don't make sense if one assumes they were acting in good faith (tagging the child as a John Doe even though they'd identified him, for one). And the more the media digs, the more weird stuff that comes out. If the Martins hadn't been smart enough to retain a good lawyer, and if the media hadn't picked up the story, it's entirely possible the whole thing would have been dropped, as the lead investigator, it's claimed, wanted to charge Zimmerman (sorry, I can't refer to him as GZ because I read that as Ghostzapper!) and the state attorney refused. That would have been the end of it without the media stepping in and not letting the story drop. And the state attorney and the chief of police have both stepped down. Which I find it hard to believe they would have done if they were acting in good faith.

If he is charged, more will become clear- at this point, without a charge, there's no way to subpoena hospital records to see if Zimmerman actually went to one for treatment for his alleged broken nose, of which there are no pictures, there's no way to demand an X-ray of him (a broken nose is, I'm told, is visible for years afterwards); there's no way to do lots of things that will, one hopes, make the picture of what happened clearer. For that matter, there's no way for a defense attorney to attempt to challenge the content of the final phone call Trayvon made, because he can't question Trayvon's girlfriend without her being called to testify at a trial.

The media circus is tedious, and as with OJ, and Casey Anthony, and I imagine, the Lindbergh Baby, there's a frenzy, and the media will certainly shape the story they want to tell (that Anthony did it, for example). And it may or may not be true. But in this case, at least it's forcing the state of Florida to do a thorough investigation.

But, yeah, as Riot said, it's contaminating the jury pool. By the time he is charged (if he is), Florida is going to have to start combing the Everglades for swamp people. Everyone else will have an opinion.

[Clip-Clop]

Pam Biondi could 'prosecute' me anytime. She puts the cute in prosecute.