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[Professor Beef]

Without that, you are in effect racially profiling Zimmerman because he happens to be of a different race than the victim.

the fuck did i just read

 

[Korey]

Define "reported to the public"? Are you suggesting the cops were going to cover this up? I mean, it's not like the entire neighborhood this happened in were just going to never talk of it again.

Still at large? They know who he is, and they know where he is. They're trying to determine what the charges are, but there is no doubt he will be charged with a serious crime for this kid's death.

What does race have to do with this story? As I pointed out a moment ago, young black males are shot every day in Chicago, where I live, and I don't see massive outpouring of rage and anger about those incidents.

Why is this one different? I've read all the key facts, and I'm struggling to understand why this case blew up.

...people are shot every day in Chicago where everyone knows who the killer is and the killer gets to go shopping the next day like nothing happened?

Remind me not to go to Chicago.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Define "reported to the public"? Are you suggesting the cops were going to cover this up? I mean, it's not like the entire neighborhood this happened in were just going to never talk of it again.

Still at large? They know who he is, and they know where he is. They're trying to determine what the charges are, but there is no doubt he will be charged with a serious crime for this kid's death.

What does race have to do with this story? As I pointed out a moment ago, young black males are shot every day in Chicago, where I live, and I don't see massive outpouring of rage and anger about those incidents.

Why is this one different? I've read all the key facts, and I'm struggling to understand why this case blew up.

I'm not from Chicago, so I don't know what it's like there, but racially charged crimes are common place in the south. This was racially charged, no question.

Also, I don't think they know Zimmerman's whereabouts, but I hope I'm wrong.

And there's statutes in Florida Law that could get that psycho off the hook, worse of all.

 

[MightyHealthy]

CNN: Vote of "no confidence" in Sanford police chief.

Link: http://www.wesh.com/r/30734271/detail.html

City Manager Norton N. Bonaparte Jr. will decide whether to ask for the chief's resignation or fire him. If Bonaparte decides to do neither, he can then be held accountable for any future problems with the chief.

While I'm glad to hear this, I still wonder why George Zimmerman isn't in custody by now.

 

[Ghost_Protocol]

I'm trying to understand why this story has gotten such attention. I'm not trying to be callous, but I just feel like there are shootings every single day in Chicago, not far from where I live, and I don't see thousands of people assembling in cities to mourn those losses.

Many of the victims of those Chicago shootings are the same age as Trayvon, so the tragedy is no less sad.

Because the people who commit the shootings in your area don't walk free when they openly tell police they shot someone. Because the people in your area who commit shootings aren't neighborhood watch volunteers who carry concealed weapons. That's what's not typical.

 

[BruiserBear]

...people are shot every day in Chicago where everyone knows who the killer is and the killer gets to go shopping the next day like nothing happened?

Remind me not to go to Chicago.

Trust me, I try to avoid the city as much as possible, for those very reasons.


Over 400 people per year are murdered in Chicago. That is more than 1 per day.

I'm not from Chicago, so I don't know what it's like there, but racially charged crimes are common place in the south. This was racially charged, no question.

Also, I don't think they know Zimmerman's whereabouts, but I hope I'm wrong.

And there's statutes in Florida Law that could get that psycho off the hook, worse of all.

Oh, so you know it was racially charged? Because I've read nothing that seems to make that clear.

Because the people who commit the shootings in your area don't walk free when they openly tell police they shot someone. The people in your area who commit shootings aren't neighborhood watch volunteers who carry concealed weapons. That's what's not typical.

Yeah, but almost all of the people who shoot other people generally run away the moment they've fired the weapon, and avoid talking to the cops at all costs. In this case the guy called the cops himself, and openly acknowledged what had happened. He's cooperated with them, and will be charged soon.

 

[Korey]

Link: http://www.wesh.com/r/30734271/detail.htmlWhile I'm glad to hear this, I still wonder why George Zimmerman isn't in custody by now.

The Sanford City Commission passed a vote of "no confidence" in police Chief Bill Lee Wednesday night.

BOOM.

I feel like more needs to be done than just a simple firing, although I'm not sure what.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Oh, so you know it was racially charged? Because I've read nothing that seems to make that clear.

Racial profiling is extremely apparent from the 911 call, so yes.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Link: http://www.wesh.com/r/30734271/detail.htmlWhile I'm glad to hear this, I still wonder why George Zimmerman isn't in custody by now.

GOOD.

This was my minimum demand. Glad to see enough pressure was applied to get it.

Now, I need him to resign. Firing him would entitle him to all benefits, I presume.

 

[iammeiam]

Why is this one different? I've read all the key facts, and I'm struggling to understand why this case blew up.

It's different because of what happens after--the reports of witness statement 'correcting' alone is disturbing, but this is looking like both a case of a tragic shooting and a massive case of the police force failing to do their jobs (and possibly even working to cover things up.)

"Guy shoots kid" is sad, but something society as a whole has adjusted to on some level. It's tragic, but it's a level of tragic we know happens and has reached sort of 'the way things are' status. We still think our police should be good, and should be working to catch bad guys, so when they seem to do the opposite we're not adjusted to it and it's a big deal.

 

[Kettch]

Define "reported to the public"? Are you suggesting the cops were going to cover this up? I mean, it's not like the entire neighborhood this happened in were just going to never talk of it again.

Still at large? They know who he is, and they know where he is. They're trying to determine what the charges are, but there is no doubt he will be charged with a serious crime for this kid's death.

What does race have to do with this story? As I pointed out a moment ago, young black males are shot every day in Chicago, where I live, and I don't see massive outpouring of rage and anger about those incidents.

Why is this one different? I've read all the key facts, and I'm struggling to understand why this case blew up.

Cover up: Police lied to the victim's family. Police refused to release 911 calls. Police chief defends the killer at every opportunity. Police interviewer corrects witnesses on what they saw.

Still at large: The police concluded their investigation and decided not to even arrest Zimmerman.

You haven't been reading the facts at all, maybe you just read the story in the OP.

 

[Zoe]

There's a somewhat similar case around here where a young man looking for help in the middle of night was shot by a homeowner.

The homeowner was arrested for murder the next day.

 

[Korey]

There's a somewhat similar case around here where a young man looking for help in the middle of night was shot by a homeowner.

The homeowner was arrested for murder the next day.

Link?

 

[Zoe]

Link?

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/avery-ranch-man-charged-with-murder-after-early-2147469.html

Shooter was trying to use the "castle doctrine" defense.

 

[sazabirules]

Ugh the murderer went to my high school.

 

[Dram]

This is how Zimmerman's record was cleared

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74328_Page2.html

In 2005, Zimmerman was charged with resisting arrest with violence. State alcohol agents said Zimmerman pushed them while they were arresting a friend of his during an underage drinking operation at a bar. Zimmerman avoided a conviction by going into a pretrial program that is offered to people with no prior arrests.

 

[Gordon Shumway]

Trust me, I try to avoid the city as much as possible, for those very reasons.


Over 400 people per year are murdered in Chicago. That is more than 1 per day.



Oh, so you know it was racially charged? Because I've read nothing that seems to make that clear.




Yeah, but almost all of the people who shoot other people generally run away the moment they've fired the weapon, and avoid talking to the cops at all costs. In this case the guy called the cops himself, and openly acknowledged what had happened. He's cooperated with them, and will be charged soon.

He followed and continued the kid when he was told to stand down.

The police didn't want to release the multiple 911 tapes.

The man is walking around free..

I'd say its simple: Parents are losing their mind about the loss of their child. Asking police for answers, they get none. The man who murdered their child can go to DQ and grab an ice cream, while on the other hand, kid can lay dead. Only logical thing to do is get the media involved and grab an attorney..seems to get peoples attention.

 

[soundahfekz]

He followed and continued the kid when he was told to stand down.

The police didn't want to release the multiple 911 tapes.

The man is walking around free..

I'd say its simple: Parents are losing their mind about the loss of their child. Asking police for answers, they get none. The man who murdered their child can go to DQ and grab an ice cream, while on the other hand, kid can lay dead. Only logical thing to do is get the media involved and grab an attorney..seems to get peoples attention.

Man don't even bother explaining to people who can't be bothered to read. This story is everywhere, let him wallow in his own damn ignorance.

 

[Gordon Shumway]

Man don't even bother explaining to people who can't be bothered to read. This story is everywhere, let him wallow in his own damn ignorance.

I guess brother. Just thought I'd point out what kind of "stands out" about the story and why so many are following it.

 

[Enron]

I got from the phone call that dude was racist so it isn't a stretch that he was hostile and racist when confronting the kid.

In addition to what we've heard in the calls, Zimmerman's paranoid personality (calling police over 40 times in a year). I don't think it took a real fight for him to whip out a gun.

No, I meant the whole "because he was a football player, here's how it went down".

 

[Kinitari]

Yeah, but almost all of the people who shoot other people generally run away the moment they've fired the weapon, and avoid talking to the cops at all costs. In this case the guy called the cops himself, and openly acknowledged what had happened. He's cooperated with them, and will be charged soon.

His cooperation was suspect, the reason why this got media attention is because the police dropped it immediately - so the parents were not content. As more details come out the incompetence on display is more staggering - thus keeping people entranced. It feels like an underdog story that, with some help from the community at large, might come out with some small victory.

 

[Onemic]

My comments are based on the evidence. I've been forced into the position of "negating the racist angle" because that's what it suggests to me, and because this thread has been unfairly one sided from the very beginning. If you have information that's sufficiently compelling or irrefutable, please add it. If it happens to come out that Zimmerman has ties to the KKK, extremist skin head groups, or something along those lines--that's great. Your prejudices and biases happened to be correct, but you were still wrong for judging/labeling him in the first place--when it was based on nothing tangible. Without that, you are in effect racially profiling Zimmerman because he happens to be of a different race than the victim.

Really?

 

[Agent Unknown]

Can just one year pass without Florida being a complete stench and an example of collective corruption and mindblowing stupidity? It's official, citizens of Florida. About nine years after the Terry Schiavo case, your governor and his lawmakers have finally confirmed to you that a vegetable now has more rights and protection in Florida than an innocent, healthy child walking down the street. Murder your daughter because you want to party like a maniac and you'll walk free when any other jury in any other state would have sentenced you to death or life at the very least. Living in a foreign country and your son gets kidnapped by your crazy in laws in the Sunshine State? It'll take nothing less than an army sent by the attorney general to free him.

Seriously though, this 'No retreat' law is unreal. If I'm living in FL and I get into an argument with someone and he makes me angry enough, I can literally blow him away and if there are few or no witnesses at the scene I just claim to the police I was threatened and I'm all but assured to get away with it?

This case has made too angry for words and my heart and thoughts go out to that young man's family. Force the police chief to resign and arrest George Zimmerman for murder and redeem yourself just this once, Florida. Just this one time maybe you could show that murder and corruption in general are wrong? Doesn't seem that the rest of civilized, lawful society is asking for a lot here.

 

[GQman2121]

The comments people post on Beck's site are enough to make you want to choke a mother fucker. It's unbelievable how some people think.

 

[Reallink]

So basically, you're still feigning ignorance about knowing (or at least, trying to learn more about) all of the details, and you're simply back to champion how you were right about "how it's not racism" earlier in the thread. Kudos!

This is called being responsible about not misstating or omitting facts--something a lot of the journalist covering this story should take a page from. If you want to call it feigning ignorance, that's fine. Without such a caveat though, it would be reckless of me to claim this or that based just on skimming a few pages of this thread or reading through a news site's summary articles. I unfortunately do not have 2 weeks to spend catching up on 3000 posts or however many dozens of articles have been written.

Obviously the second gap is a bit larger...but the seeming hatred George displayed for his eventual victim is not insignificant, and the perception he had versus the actual truth...well, the jump isn't as far as it was before the 911 calls were released.

What specifically are you referring to here with "seeming hatred"? I take it you're 100% certain he referred to Trayvon as a "coon"? That there is no chance he may have said punk, and it's not up for debate? I assume you're also convinced he absolutely knew Trayvon was black the entire time--that there's no conceivable way the Hoodie or rainy night could have obscured anything. What about Zimmerman's apparent concern and near panick? This doesn't suggest he could have mental issues, it has to be racism? Was it all an act, an elaborate and premeditated ruse to disguise his racist intentions: "This guy looks like he's up to no good, or he's on drugs or something. He's just staring, looking at all the houses. Now he's coming toward me. He's got his hand in his waistband. Something's wrong with him." "These assholes always get away," "Shit, he's running,"

One last thing: you do realize I also bolded that you were a clown, right? Context stays the same in either interpretation. You've had plenty of time to demonstrate your views on race, and they've all been laughably misguided:You literally called a levelheaded statement out as part of a post of "foolish assumptions", then go on to make absolutely outlandish (and some would say ignorant) assumptions yourself. Of course, there's more:and this exchange:You basically tell someone that they can't use age as a metric in describing the case, because a 17 year old kid could be a large black lineman or a gangbanger who decided to target the Neighborhood Watch captain for initiation. When confronted on your dense examples of young threatening black males, you basically admit you don't know shit.

I don't really care if you call me a clown, so yea, bolded can still apply. The key distinction you're overlooking is that my "foolish assumptions" were all hypothetical and clearly presented as such. This allows a certain amount of leeway in the the foolish assumptions department. The guy I was responding to (IIRC) was attempting to present his comment as some type of direct evidence or restatement of facts--and yes, there was in fact a gaping hole in his logic as I pointed out. I believe he corrected himself in a later post admitting that it was an oversight and he should have allowed for their sizes/weights. You're other comments just seem to be taking quotes out of context or missing the point, so there's not really much to say on them.

Racial profiling is extremely apparent from the 911 call, so yes.

Can you post the actual transcripts to which you're referring here cj--or perhaps a link to a story that covers them? This is not to imply you're wrong or right, just that the information has been decidedly at odds the last few pages. The audio tapes have reportedly ranged from "He's black! These fucking coons always get away" to "He's wearing a Hoodie, not sure what race, may be black. These fucking punks always get away". I'm not sure which is the real story is here. As you can see, people have been critical of me for feigning ignorance, well, maybe that's because this has been an ongoing issue in this thread--vaguely referring to things without actually posting any of the specifics. Just post the information and let people decide for themselves. If the information is conflicting depending on the source, disclose it as such.

 

[Satch]

reallink

homie

my dude

seriously

 

[Amagon]

Can someone give me the tl;dr on this whole story so far???

 

[equap]

Can someone give me the tl;dr on this whole story so far???

Sanford, Florida (CNN) -- Outrage over the killing of an unarmed Florida teenager grew nationwide Wednesday as at least 1,000 supporters of Trayvon Martin took to the streets of New York and a petition demanding the shooter's arrest amassed nearly 1 million signatures.

Members of Martin's family were among demonstrators in New York for a "Million Hoodie March," a reference to the attire the 17-year-old was wearing when he was shot.

"A black person in a hoodie isn't automatically suspicious," an online protest page says. "Let's put an end to racial profiling."

More than 900,000 people have signed a petition on Change.org demanding the arrest of the shooter, George Zimmerman.

Martin was fatally shot February 26 while walking to the house of his father's fiancee in Sanford, Florida, after a trip to a convenience store. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch leader, said he shot the teen in self-defense.

Zimmerman has not been arrested or charged. A police report describes him as a white male; his family says he is Hispanic.

Demonstrators of all races crowded into New York's Union Square on Wednesday night, demanding justice. Many of them wore hoodies and carried Skittles, the candy Martin had bought on the night he was killed.

"I am Trayvon Martin!" the crowd chanted as they marched for about an hour, returning to Union Square. Others chanted, "I'm a suspicious person," a reference to the shooter's description of Martin to a 911 operator. A boy carried a sign that read, "Will I be next?"

"We will not go quietly into the night," Benjamin Crump, the Martin family's attorney, told the protesters. "We have to make sure we understand what happened so we can never let this tragedy happen again."

"No justice, no peace!" the crowd chanted.

"George Zimmerman took Trayvon's life for nothing," the teenager's father, Tracy Martin, told the demonstrators. "Our son did not deserve to die. There's nothing that we can say that will bring him back, but I'm here today to assure that justice is served and that no other parents have to go through this again."

"Our son is your son," Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, told the crowd. "This is not about a black-and-white thing. This is about a right-and-wrong thing. Justice for Trayvon!"

Earlier, she described her situation as "a nightmare" to Anderson Cooper on his talk show. "It's hard to sleep," she said about her son. "Everything reminds me of him, and the only thing that's fueling us to keep pressing on for justice is the fact that we know that justice will be served."

Tracy Martin said race played a role in the police investigation. "Had Trayvon been a white kid ... Zimmerman would have been arrested," he said.

On Wednesday night, the Sanford City Commissioners, passed by 3-2 a no-confidence vote in Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee. It was not immediately clear what impact, if any, that would have.

The vote came a day after Ben Jealous, head of the NAACP, demanded Lee's resignation, accusing him of having mishandled the case by not arresting Zimmerman.

The U.S. Justice Department has launched a civil rights investigation into the shooting.

The incident occurred when Zimmerman, who was patrolling the neighborhood, saw the teen walking home after buying candy and a drink at a convenience store.

Zimmerman called 911 and reported what he described as a suspicious person. Moments later, several neighbors called the emergency number to report a commotion outside.

Heated debate has erupted over whether Zimmerman used a racial slur during the 911 call, a recording of which was released this week.

"We didn't hear it. However, I am not sure what was said," Sgt. David Morgenstern of the Sanford Police Department said.

"I have listened to the tapes, and I have not heard them use a racial slur," concurred Sanford City Manager Norton Bonaparte.

A top CNN audio engineer enhanced the sound of the 911 call, and several members of CNN's editorial staff repeatedly reviewed the tape but could reach no consensus on whether Zimmerman used a racial slur.

Whether Zimmerman used such language prior to shooting Martin is key, according to CNN Senior Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin. "It's extremely, extremely significant because the federal government is not allowed to prosecute just your ordinary, everyday murder. Two people fighting on the street is not a federal crime. However, if one person shoots another based on racial hostility, racial animus, that does become a federal crime."

Toobin said that if "very shortly before" the shooting, "Zimmerman used this racial epithet to refer to the person he openly shot, that very much puts it within the FBI's and the Justice Department's ambit of a case that they could prosecute."

The Martin family's lawyer said the 911 call was questionable even if there was no slur.

"Without even hearing the conflicting part, we did hear, number one, that he said 'these people,'" Crump said. "What did he mean when he said 'these people'? He also profiled him because he was a young black person with a hood on.

"So it goes without saying, even if you don't get to the thing that everyone is debating, he already had a mentality when he got out of that car that this was a young black man, and he had assumed that he was a criminal, and you know what happens when you assume," Crump said.

The 911 tapes show that, while some neighbors were on the phone with emergency dispatchers, cries for help followed by a gunshot sounded in the background.

"The time that we heard the whining and then the gunshot, we did not hear any wrestling, no punching, no fighting, nothing to make it sound like there was a fight," said Mary Cutcher, one of the callers.

Cutcher said Zimmerman was confused after the shooting.

"He'd pace and go back to the body and just like -- I don't know if he was kind of 'Oh, my God, what did I do? What happened?'" she said.

Another caller, Selma Mora Lamilla, said she did not hear any altercation, but the teen cried and "whimpered" before the shooting.

She described Zimmerman as "straddling" the teen after the shooting, saying he was "on his knees on top of a body."

Crump said Martin's girlfriend was on the phone with him during the incident and can help prove he was killed "in cold blood."

The girl connects the dots and "completely blows Zimmerman's absurd self-defense claim out of the water," Crump said Tuesday.

Shortly before he was shot, the teen told his girlfriend that someone was following him and he was trying to get away, according to the lawyer. The girl, who did not want to be identified, said that during the call, she heard Martin ask why the person was following him.

She got the impression there was an altercation in which his cell phone earpiece fell out after he was pushed, and the connection went dead, Crump said.

She did not hear gunfire, he said.

Records show that Martin was on the phone with her much of the day, including around the time of the killing, the lawyer said.

A Seminole County grand jury will convene April 10 on the matter, State Attorney Norm Wolfinger said in a statement.

Martin's family said they believe race was a factor in his death, fueling an outcry in the racially mixed community 16 miles northeast of Orlando.

CNN has made numerous attempts to contact Zimmerman but has been unsuccessful. His father, Robert Zimmerman, told a Florida newspaper that Zimmerman had moved after receiving death threats.

Zimmerman's family has denied that race played a role, saying he has many minority relatives and friends.

Zimmerman, 28, is a part-time student at Seminole State College, according to the school. He was married in 2007.

"The portrayal of George Zimmerman in the media, as well as the series of events that led to the tragic shooting, are false and extremely misleading. Unfortunately, some individuals and organizations have used this tragedy to further their own causes and agendas," his father said in the letter published in the Orlando Sentinel. "George is a Spanish-speaking minority with many black family members and friends. He would be the last to discriminate for any reason whatsoever. One black neighbor recently interviewed said she knew everything in the media was untrue and that she would trust George with her life.

"Another black neighbor said that George was the only one, black or white, who came and welcomed her to the community, offering any assistance he could provide. Recently, I met two black children George invited to a social event. I asked where they met George. They responded that he was their mentor. They said George visited them routinely, took them places, helped them, and taught them things and that they really loved George. The media portrayal of George as a racist could not be further from the truth."

Frank Taaffe, a neighbor and friend of Zimmerman's, told HLN's Jane Velez-Mitchell that his friend was only inquiring about why Martin was in the area, considering that there had been incidents involving young black men in the neighborhood committing crimes.

"Zimmerman is not a racist," he said. "George Zimmerman is a caring man."

Police say they have not charged Zimmerman because they have no evidence to contradict his story that he shot in self-defense.

In a police report, Officer Timothy Smith said Zimmerman said he was "yelling for someone to help me," but the victim's family said it was the teen asking for help.

The shooting has renewed a debate over a controversial state law and sparked calls for a review.

Florida's deadly force law, also called "stand your ground," allows people to meet "force with force" if they believe that they or someone else is in danger of being seriously harmed by an assailant, but exactly what happened in the moments leading up to Martin's death remains unclear.

Zimmerman's father said his son never followed or confronted the teen, but 911 recordings tell a different story.

During the incident, the teen started to run, Zimmerman said.

When Zimmerman said he was following the teenager, the dispatcher told him, "We don't need you to do that."

The case is rooted in one main thing, said Jeffrey Toobin, a senior legal analyst for CNN: "Clearly, the question at the heart of the case is whether Zimmerman reasonably felt threatened. On this issue, the evidence currently seems murky."

Finding other witnesses is crucial because the teen cannot give his side, he said.

State Sen. Oscar Braynon II sent a letter to Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos asking for a review of the stand-your-ground law. Braynon called for a legislative panel to look into how the law has been used and implemented.

"The ultimate goal of such process is to decrease the number of incidents like that of Trayvon's and discourage more individuals from deciding to become vigilantes resulting in more lives lost," Braynon wrote.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott said he was going to look into the law "because if what's happening is that it's being abused, that's not right."

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/21/justice/florida-teen-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

 

[Mr. Patch]

The comments people post on Beck's site are enough to make you want to choke a mother fucker. It's unbelievable how some people think.

The funniest ones I see on news sites are the whole "why don't the show a recent pic of this thug?" I've seen the RIP pics people posted on his Facebook wall and he looks the same as he did in the Hollister shirt picture.

 

[iammeiam]

Can you post the actual transcripts to which you're referring here cj--or perhaps a link to a story that covers them? This is not to imply you're wrong or right, just that the information has been decidedly at odds the last few pages. The audio tapes have reportedly ranged from "He's black! These fucking coons always get away" to "He's wearing a Hoodie, not sure what race, may be black. These fucking punks always get away". I'm not sure which is the real story is here. As you can see, people have been critical of me for feigning ignorance, well, maybe that's because this has been an ongoing issue in this thread--vaguely referring to things without actually posting any of the specifics. Just post the information and let people decide for themselves. If the information is conflicting depending on the source, disclose it as such.

Transcript of the full call here.

Spoiler

It took about 2 seconds to find via google.

 

[Reallink]

Transcript of the full call here.

Spoiler

It took about 2 seconds to find via google.

Thanks for the full transcript iamm, I was only happening upon news bites with bits and pieces. Is this the only audio released, cause there doesn't appear to be anything damning in that document that would illicit some of the responses people have had. I've seen references to a phone call between Traynor and his Sister/Friend/GF?

 

[Blackace]

My comments are based on the evidence. I've been forced into the position of "negating the racist angle" because that's what it suggests to me, and because this thread has been unfairly one sided from the very beginning. If you have information that's sufficiently compelling or irrefutable, please add it. If it happens to come out that Zimmerman has ties to the KKK, extremist skin head groups, or something along those lines--that's great. Your prejudices and biases happened to be correct, but you were still wrong for judging/labeling him in the first place--when it was based on nothing tangible. Without that, you are in effect racially profiling Zimmerman because he happens to be of a different race than the victim.

The evidence is pretty much there on the 911 tapes.. young darkie, something is "wrong" with him... It is hard to prove racism, in fact we all have some sort of prejudices even if we can't admit them.. just that Zimmerman's cost a 17 year old's life with his..

 

[TGateKeeper]

I'm curious as to why the media is portraying Zimmerman as a white guy, he is Hispanic.

Hispanic is not a race.

If you believe in the idea of race then Hispanics are an ethnic group that fall into one of these 3 groups Caucasoid, Negroid, and Mongoloid.

Zimmerman has straight hair and pale skin so he is a white human with a Spanish background making him a white Hispanic.


Here in Florida white Hispanics are some of the most racist people I have met. My black Cuban friends tell me about dealing with racism in the Spanish speaking community. so don't let people fool you into thinking Caucasoid Hispanics, and Mongoloid Hispanics can't be racist.

 

[Slayven]

Looks like the police chief is on the way out.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/21/2706876/sanford-commission-votes-no-confidence.html

SANFORD, Fla -- The many missteps in the Trayvon Martin investigation that may cost this small town’s police chief his job started with semantics.

The boy’s father says police depicted George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot an unarmed Miami Gardens teenager while on his nightly patrol, as “squeaky clean.” Then Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee told an Orlando TV station that the gunman didn’t have a criminal record — technically true: Charges in the shooter’s 2005 felony arrest, which the chief did not mention, had been dropped.

Now Chief Lee, who came on the job just 10 months ago for $102,000 a year to clean up a department tainted by racial scandals, finds himself under fire in what promises to be one of the most explosive law enforcement cases of the year. For weeks, black leaders have called for the firing of Lee, a Sanford native with a three-decade career in law enforcement whose father once ran the nearby black neighborhood’s convenience store.

In a 3-2 vote Wednesday night, the Sanford City Commission gave the chief a vote of no confidence, adding to the mounting national pressure to oust him.

What began as misunderstandings, technicalities and poor word choice mushroomed into what critics are calling a deeply flawed investigation, which is now being looked at by state and federal agencies.

“I’ve never thought the chief was a racist or anything. It’s more of a lack of experience and a lack of leadership,” said Commissioner Velma Williams, who advocated that the chief resign to quell tensions before a rally next week, timed for Monday’s city commission meeting.

Mayor Jeff Triplett told reporters afterward that he voted against the chief over his management and “communication.” City manager Norton Bonaparte Jr. told reporters that he would not make a decision about the chief’s fate until he learns from an independent law enforcement agency what mistakes police might have made. This week the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement launched their own investigations.

Phone records have not yet been inspected, witnesses’ calls were allegedly not returned and the criminal record of the shooter was not checked until the morning after the shooting — what experts call examples of sloppy police work that undermined the police department’s credibility and could hamper a future prosecution. Together, gaffes big and small helped foster Trayvon’s family’s belief that investigators were out to protect the accused.

“Basically, from day one, we didn’t feel that the police were doing a thorough investigation,” said Trayvon’s father, Tracy Martin, a Miami-Dade truck driver. “They were taking Zimmerman’s word that he didn’t murder our son.”

So many legislators, online petitioners, national civil rights leaders and even celebrities have denounced the inquiry that the city manager — the only one who can fire Lee — made the chief respond to the most frequent criticisms in writing. He posted Lee’s answers on the city’s website.

Among the allegations:

• As evidence that the incident was not a case of racial profiling, Lee told The Miami Herald that when the police dispatch operator asked Zimmerman the race of the suspicious person he saw, the Hispanic neighborhood watch captain did not know. Yet when the recording of that conversation was made public, Zimmerman clearly says, “he looks black.”

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

I'm curious as to why the media is portraying Zimmerman as a white guy, he is Hispanic.

The police report identified him as a white male.

Edit: I can't believe the Chief took a dive for Zimmerman. Dat solidarity.

Edit 2: lol at the "investigation". Case was closed before Treyvon's body was cold, they didn't even check his phone smh.

 

[Loudninja]

The police didn't did any investigation at all , which is incredible.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

The police didn't did any investigation at all , which I fine incredible.

"incredible" really is the right word.

It's something you don't expect or believe would ever happen in 2012.

and yet, here we all are...and we've known it since the very beginning.

 

[Blackace]

No, I meant the whole "because he was a football player, here's how it went down".

don't know why I got quoted

 

[Slayven]

Why is Zimmerman getting so much protection? He isn't rich or connected from what I see.

 

[Loudninja]

"incredible" really is the right word.

It's something you don't expect or believe would ever happen in 2012.

and yet, here we all are...and we've known it since the very beginning.

Yeah I though they would atleast look like they were trying but its like they didn't give a damn.

Than when they get call out they are shock! that really pisses me off.

 

[Verelios]

Lee's getting fucked? FUCK YEAHHHHH!!!!!

Guy was just a purid shit head.

 

[manipulate]

I get the impression the cops have been forced into a corner of defending their position (and therefore Zimmerman) because they handled the initial investigation so poorly. They're just trying to protect themselves (the fucks).

 

[Zizbuka]

In the state of Florida and other smaller pockets around this great nation. We people of African descent are treated lesser than horses. i.e animals. i.e no souls. To kill one of us is as simple as killing an insect to some people.

And if I drive to West Philly right now, get out of my car and start walking, odds are pretty good that someone will shoot me because I'm white.

 

[Kinitari]

I get the impression the cops have been forced into a corner of defending their position (and therefore Zimmerman) because they handled the initial investigation so poorly. They're just trying to protect themselves (the fucks).

That's the impression I was getting too. What do you say when someone calls your investigation into question "Who knows, maybe we fucked up" - nah, you stand by that shit, or it's your ass.

Apparently though, they've been pushed into a corner and now they've admitted that they 'overlooked some evidence' and have to re-open the case (which they closed pretty quickly in the first place).

 

[manipulate]

That's the impression I was getting too. What do you say when someone calls your investigation into question "Who knows, maybe we fucked up" - nah, you stand by that shit, or it's your ass.

Apparently though, they've been pushed into a corner and now they've admitted that they 'overlooked some evidence' and have to re-open the case (which they closed pretty quickly in the first place).

It's kind of a shame, everyone makes mistakes (even though they're likely just racist bastards). There should be no shame in admitting mistakes/problems instead of just doubling down and pretending like up is down.

 

[IrishNinja]

Why is Zimmerman getting so much protection? He isn't rich or connected from what I see.

i really dont dig the paranoid-ish "culture war" agenda, but im having a hard time answering this too.
i don't know any watch programs that get enough camaraderie/brotherhood type shit like PD's and their unions do, and seeing as how the chief might sink on this one (would send a great message, too), i can't imagine this dude was owed any real favors like that. given the location, i can hazard a guess at some good ol' boys insular type shit where they thought they were small enough they could plant their flag on this one.

 

[Devolution]

And if I drive to West Philly right now, get out of my car and start walking, odds are pretty good that someone will shoot me because I'm white.

 

[Korey]

Why is Zimmerman getting so much protection? He isn't rich or connected from what I see.

We don't know, we can only speculate.

It's possible that the culture in that department is racist, and they didn't feel like the death of a young black kid was worth pursuing.

It's possible that they didn't have a clue that this would blow up as big as they did and by the time it did it was too late to change their tune so they dug themselves deeper and deeper into their hole.

Or a combination of the above.

 

[manipulate]

And if I drive to West Philly right now, get out of my car and start walking, odds are pretty good that someone will shoot me because I'm white.

Well it's only to be expected man. You assholes always get away.

 

[Kinitari]

It's kind of a shame, everyone makes mistakes (even though they're likely just racist bastards). There should be no shame in admitting mistakes/problems instead of just doubling down and pretending like up is down.

The issue is, if word got out that they closed a case prematurely - after doing a poor job, and decided to re-open a case when it was pointed out to them that they fucked up, what effect do you think that would have? They were probably trying to avoid a cataclysmic wave of people saying "So you admit you can fuck up, take another look at case 1-10,000 in your files, make sure you didn't make the same mistake".