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[Arcteryx]

How do you become a member of the neighbourhood watch without knowing what your neighbours look like? At what point does being a member of the neighbourhood watch permit you to carry a gun? At what point does it become okay to shoot someone who poses no immediate threat to you?

If found guilty by a jury of his peers, this man deserves to punished by the full extent of the law in his area.

That's what I was thinking too, until I read the article again, and noticed it said he was visiting. It's possible he isn't there that often and the watch guy didn't recognize him.

Either way, that doesn't excuse his racist behavior.

And yes, I totally agree with you about intent. If anything, all he could "prove" was that the individual didn't belong inside the gates. That "justification" is NOT in accordance with Florida Castle Doctrine, seen here: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes...ng=&URL=0700-0799/0776/Sections/0776.013.html

So basically, if the above mentioned information regarding what Martin was doing is correct, then Zimmerman was in the wrong and should be thrown in jail.


On another note: I find it disgusting that someone who owns a firearm doesn't have the least bit of common sense to READ and UNDERSTAND the current laws in their state governing usage of that firearm.

 

[Mudkips]

Looks like it, what a disgrace.

It depends entirely on the content of the 911 call.

 

[aparisi2274]

Florida is America's basement. It's wet, it's filled with mold, and this crazy ass racist of a neighborhood watch Captain.

 

[KHarvey16]

It doesn't matter. He had no reasons to think this was suspicious, he was not presenting any immediate harm.

If he got out of the car to confront him, he started to go down the path that ended with this result.

What is the guy's story? Surely you don't believe he told the cops he shot the boy because he was black and they just moved on. I strongly suspect there is more to this story that hasn't been, and wouldn't be, presented by the lawyer of the child's family. All of our information is coming from him at this point. I don't think it's wise to assume we know everything relevant.

 

[Suikoguy]

Wow, how was this guy not arrested?

A guy was litterly patrolling the neighborhood, and shot someone he thought was suspicious. That is not a reasonable cause under any laws.

 

[Az]

Hope the guy goes to jail for a loooong time. Dumbass.

 

[echoshifting]

Who do I call about this? I never do this, but I am ready to raise hell today. This story made me pretty fucking angry.

 

[Alex Tru]

This is just sickening. It's unbelievable that he hasn't been arrested.

 

[Loofy]

Mustve been this watch.

 

[ConfusingJazz]

Fucking asshole.

Something like this happened in my parent's gated community. Some kids were robbing a house, and the owner pulled a gun on them. That's fine.

The robbers fled, and went into the neighbors yard, and the owner ran after them, armed. That's totally not fine. What if someone was outside or something when he took a shot?

 

[FairyD]

Sue the shit out of the guy.

 

[Dahellisdat]

What is the guy's story? Surely you don't believe he told the cops he shot the boy because he was black and they just moved on. I strongly suspect there is more to this story that hasn't been, and wouldn't be, presented by the lawyer of the child's family. All of our information is coming from him at this point. I don't think it's wise to assume we know everything relevant.

Everyone is quick to jump straight to whatever conclusion the extremely vague OP and linked story point to. If the dude murdered this kid just because he was black in a white neighborhood, then so be it. Throw him in jail. This really doesn't seem to add up though. There has to be something else to what happened.

Note: I'm not defending the murder of this kid.....just that its difficult to pass judgement when there are not a complete set of details.

 

[TheOMan]

What is the guy's story? Surely you don't believe he told the cops he shot the boy because he was black and they just moved on. I strongly suspect there is more to this story that hasn't been, and wouldn't be, presented by the lawyer of the child's family. All of our information is coming from him at this point. I don't think it's wise to assume we know everything relevant.

You're right.

Although, I'm having trouble coming up with a good reason as to why he would get out of his car after calling 911 to confront the kid, and then shoot him dead. How about you?

 

[Black Republican]

post racial society, the media told us so!


but seriously this is fucking sad man, being young and black is a crime to so many people

 

[SquiddyCracker]

This is just an overall sad story.
Racist murderer shaped the way he is because of the generally racist environment he grew up in, ends up killing an innocent boy for no reason whatsoever.

 

[Suikoguy]

You're right.

Although, I'm having trouble coming up with a good reason as to why he would get out of his car after calling 911 to confront the kid, and then shoot him dead. How about you?

Yeah, the only reason I can think of is if the kid was armed, but there is no evidence of that.

 

[frankie_baby]

And some stupid americans still think letting the masses own guns is a good idea

 

[Cat Party]

You're right.

Although, I'm having trouble coming up with a good reason as to why he would get out of his car after calling 911 to confront the kid, and then shoot him dead. How about you?

My gut reaction is that the guy confronts the kid, and the kid becomes angry over being confronted, and then the guy panics and shoots. Maybe the kid took a few steps toward him or something. It absolutely doesn't justify the killing, but it's a realistic scenario.

 

[CrazyDogg77]

And some stupid americans still think letting the masses own guns is a good idea

This isn't about guns this about stereotyping of young black males really.

 

[Bebpo]

I usually don't comment on news stories, but this is truly horrific.

So sad

 

[levious]

Everyone is quick to jump straight to whatever conclusion the extremely vague OP and linked story point to. If the dude murdered this kid just because he was black in a white neighborhood, then so be it. Throw him in jail. This really doesn't seem to add up though. There has to be something else to what happened.

Note: I'm not defending the murder of this kid.....just that its difficult to pass judgement when there are not a complete set of details.

there's really not much the kid could have done or said to the guy to justify the shooting in my mind. Given that he was found to be unarmed.

Only thing that could be significant is if he really wasn't just walking down the sidewalk. But the possibility of him deciding to try to break into someone's home on his way back from a skittles run just seems so remote.

 

[jamesinclair]

If the kid had a gun, this never would have happened.

Amirite?



What blows my mind is that the guy isnt in jail on a $1m bond. The argument should be how many years he rots in jail for murder and a hate crime, not "should he be cited".

WTF america.

 

[Like the hat?]

guy needs to be punished to the full extent of the law.

 

[Neuromancer]

Fucking asshole.

Something like this happened in my parent's gated community. Some kids were robbing a house, and the owner pulled a gun on them. That's fine.

The robbers fled, and went into the neighbors yard, and the owner ran after them, armed. That's totally not fine. What if someone was outside or something when he took a shot?

You can't chase burglars? Not saying it's always a good idea but you're saying you don't think you should be able to?

Also did he end up shooting the gun?

 

[CartridgeBlower]

Damn. I feel so sad for the older brother who asked him to go get the Skittles. Life is so crazy. He'll probably think back on that moment for the rest of his life, "what if..."

This is a terrible story...just terrible. Can't believe the shooter hasn't been arrested.

 

[echoshifting]

Everyone is quick to jump straight to whatever conclusion the extremely vague OP and linked story point to. If the dude murdered this kid just because he was black in a white neighborhood, then so be it. Throw him in jail. This really doesn't seem to add up though. There has to be something else to what happened.

Note: I'm not defending the murder of this kid.....just that its difficult to pass judgement when there are not a complete set of details.

This is all well and good, except...
1) It's hard to examine Florida's castle doctrine (linked above) and still come up with a scenario in which this guy did not break the law, unless the kid did something completely crazy that isn't listed, but it would be unreasonable to take any speculation to that extreme.
2) It's been a month and he hasn't even been charged with anything.
3) The police won't turn over the 911 call, something they should gladly do if there isn't anything incriminating on it.

If someone can explain these things away to me I'll reserve judgment, but I think there is enough here to consider the situation egregiously unjust.

 

[KHarvey16]

You're right.

Although, I'm having trouble coming up with a good reason as to why he would get out of his car after calling 911 to confront the kid, and then shoot him dead. How about you?

I can think of any number of scenarios, most of them rather unlikely. However, I think the police just letting an obvious murder go without prosecution is just as unlikely as any potential scenario I could dream up.

 

[levious]

You can't chase burglars? Not saying it's always a good idea but you're saying you don't think you should be able to?

Also did he end up shooting the gun?

generally no, once they are no longer a threat to you or your home. Even if they actually have some of your personal property still. I'm sure some states might be different on that.

 

[frankie_baby]

This isn't about guns this about stereotyping of young black males really.

So you are telling me that if he hadnt been able able to own and carry a gun he could still have shot the guy dead anyway??

For fucks sake a young man is dead you dont get to decide what the issue is here

The way i see it there are 3 issues, incompetance of the police, racial stereotyping and guns, everyone else had already mentioned the first two i was just bringing up the latter

 

[KHarvey16]

This is all well and good, except...
1) It's hard to examine Florida's castle doctrine (linked above) and still come up with a scenario in which this guy did not break the law, unless the kid did something completely crazy that isn't listed, but it would be unreasonable to take any speculation to that extreme.
2) It's been a month and he hasn't even been charged with anything.
3) The police won't turn over the 911 call, something they should gladly do if there isn't anything incriminating on it.

If someone can explain these things away to me I'll reserve judgment, but I think there is enough here to consider the situation egregiously unjust.

Isn't the amount of blind incompetence assumed in your view of the story as unlikely as the kid doing something? Think about how incredibly blatant the police would have to be to even attempt something like this. I'm not saying it's impossible, just that you can't choose it by default because you deem some other scenario unlikely.

 

[spermatic cord]

Anyone watch the video? I felt really sad for the Dad. The kid has even saved his father's life. No one is charged with anything? What the fuck..

 

[Risgroo]

Is off-topic always this depressing? This place scares me

 

[Dahellisdat]

This is all well and good, except...
1) It's hard to examine Florida's castle doctrine (linked above) and still come up with a scenario in which this guy did not break the law, unless the kid did something completely crazy that isn't listed, but it would be unreasonable to take any speculation to that extreme.
2) It's been a month and he hasn't even been charged with anything.
3) The police won't turn over the 911 call, something they should gladly do if there isn't anything incriminating on it.

If someone can explain these things away to me I'll reserve judgment, but I think there is enough here to consider the situation egregiously unjust.

Well, this is kind of what I'm saying.
1- There is no mention about any of the interaction that may have taken place between the kid and the killer. We literally have no information about how things went down.
2&3-Unless people are trying to cover something like this up, the fact that the man hasn't been arrested yet would make me think that there is more to this story than a cold blooded murder.

 

[Zoe]

Fucking asshole.

Something like this happened in my parent's gated community. Some kids were robbing a house, and the owner pulled a gun on them. That's fine.

The robbers fled, and went into the neighbors yard, and the owner ran after them, armed. That's totally not fine. What if someone was outside or something when he took a shot?

People are taking the castle law too far. Not too long ago, a college student crashed his car late at night in a neighborhood around here. He ended up (walked or stumbled) at someone's driveway who thought he was messing with the car. As he was trying to run away, the man shot him in the back and killed him.

Edit: oh good, the man in that case was charged with murder

 

[Neuromancer]

generally no, once they are no longer a threat to you or your home. Even if they actually have some of your personal property still. I'm sure some states might be different on that.

Hmm yeah I guess I can see how chasing them with the gun in his hand may be an issue, but just chasing them in general I would think would be fine. You're out in public at that point, no law against that.

 

[LakeEarth]

I can't believe this is still happening in this country.

Yeah. Not just the racism/shooting part, but the part where the police are protecting the guy.

It's been a month. The family had to resort to going to the media for heaven's sake.

 

[Indrid Cold1]

What is the guy's story? Surely you don't believe he told the cops he shot the boy because he was black and they just moved on. I strongly suspect there is more to this story that hasn't been, and wouldn't be, presented by the lawyer of the child's family. All of our information is coming from him at this point. I don't think it's wise to assume we know everything relevant.

Will you ever learn to stop defending the indefensible?

 

[BeEatNU]

that's a damn shame :/

 

[CrazyDogg77]

So you are telling me that if he hadnt been able able to own and carry a gun he could still have shot the guy dead anyway??

For fucks sake a young man is dead you dont get to decide what the issue is here

The thing is he killed the guy because there's a stereotype that basically all young black men are criminals. He wouldn't have been hurt even if guns are allowed if that stereotype wasn't so prevalent.

 

[KHarvey16]

Will you ever learn to stop defending the indefensible?

Who am I defending? Your interpretation of what I'm doing as a defense of an individual is precisely the problem.

 

[echoshifting]

Isn't the amount of blind incompetence assumed in your view of the story as unlikely as the kid doing something? Think about how incredibly blatant the police would have to be to even attempt something like this. I'm not saying it's impossible, just that you can't choose it by default because you deem some other scenario unlikely.

I'm assuming racism, not incompetence.

 

[Dahellisdat]

Will you ever learn to stop defending the indefensible?

He's only pointing out that many of you are coming to a conclusion without a full story.

 

[KHarvey16]

I'm assuming racism, not incompetence.

Systemic racism.

 

[Devolution]

I want to hear that tape. There is no reason they should be withholding it unless dispatch fucked up bad.

 

[levious]

Hmm yeah I guess I can see how chasing them with the gun in his hand may be an issue, but just chasing them in general I would think would be fine. You're out in public at that point, no law against that.

oh without a gun, really not sure about that. But what is the end goal? Physically assaulting them? That would generally be a crime as well I think.

Systemic racism.

and you view that as "unlikely"?

 

[Kapura]

What a fuckin' shame. Makes me sick to hear about something like this happening.

 

[Log4Girlz]

Damn. I feel so sad for the older brother who asked him to go get the Skittles. Life is so crazy. He'll probably think back on that moment for the rest of his life, "what if..."

This is a terrible story...just terrible. Can't believe the shooter hasn't been arrested.

 

[frankie_baby]

The thing is he killed the guy because there's a stereotype that basically all young black men are criminals. He wouldn't have been hurt even if guns are allowed if that stereotype wasn't so prevalent.

But neither would he have been hurt (well not killed anyway) if racism was around but guns werent so prevelant

 

[Cat Party]

As bothered by this as I am, the fact that he hasn't been arrested after a month is not really that terrible if they are still investigating. Many people who claim self defense aren't arrested until later.

But I still feel for the family here and wish I could help.

 

[Neuromancer]

oh without a gun, really not sure about that. But what is the end goal? Physically assaulting them? That would generally be a crime as well I think.

Well if they went into a house/apartment the guy could tell the police that's where they went. If they got in a car the guy could get the license plate #. But yeah other than that not sure what the point would be. Anyway