Originally Posted By TomSawyer Based on Florida law, I think any person has the right to kill Zimmerman on sight.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Based on Florida law, I think any person has the right to kill Mickey Mouse on sight. "This giant rodent approached my daughter! I could tell she felt threatened."
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "Based on Florida law, I think any person has the right to kill Zimmerman on sight." Please say you forgot the sarcasm font.
Originally Posted By dshyates Guys, that's just wrong. You can't kill Mickey or Zimmerman. Here in FL you can only kill minors. You guys up north must have some weird laws.
Originally Posted By dshyates Ok, so far here is the list of agencies that are looking into this case: Sanford PD, FDLE (FL Dept. of Law Enforcement), FBI, Justice Dept., and last but not least the FL Supreme Court will start their investigation on April 10th.
Originally Posted By fkurucz Regardless of whether or not the teen got belligerent with Zimmerman, hew was unarmed and outweighed by 100 lbs. There is no way to justify Zimmerman shooting this kid, who based on his school record was a good student, an athlete who stayed out of trouble. It fairly obvious that if anyone was looking for a fight, it was Zimmerman, who ignored the dispatcher's request to leave the kid alone. I don't see how anyone could defend that monster. And I am floored that he hasn't been arrested yet. Unbelievable.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones "When you aren't driven by fear then you're much more open to accepting others than being threatened by them. Zimmerman was driven by fear, hence his need to carry a gun. Racism is based on fear, not intellect or rational thought." It's important to note that Zimmerman is not the only person who reacts to these impulses and they cross racial lines. What isn't being reported in this story are the racial tensions between blacks and Latinos. It just turns into a black-white issue which isn't really accurate here.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones "Zimmerman believed him to be "suspicious" because he was a black kid in mostly white gated neighborhood." This wasn't a WASP's gated community. It was gated in the sense that my apartment complex is gated. Sanford has a 25% poverty rate. I think that's what most people are thinking when they initially read the articles. Some privileged white killed a black kid. It was a paranoid Hispanic that was probably fueled by black-Hispanic tensions that are very prevalent in some parts of the country.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<This wasn't a WASP's gated community. It was gated in the sense that my apartment complex is gated. Sanford has a 25% poverty rate.>> The Retreat at Twin Lakes is at the northern end of Sanford's city limits across from the Seminole Towne Center, an upscale shopping mall. This townhome complex is mostly white, nestled up against the border of Lake Mary, a very affluent white neighborhood. Lake Mary and Heathrow have been quickly growing, and 'spilling over' into Sanford for the past decade. Over 70% of Sanford's population is African-American, but that is not representative of where this townhome complex is located. The impoverished citizenry of Sanford lives nowhere near where Zimmerman killed Martin.
Originally Posted By markymouse I'm trying not to rush to judgment, but this has been bugging me every time I think about it: If this guy has called 911 46 times, what made this time different. Why didn't he confront and shoot those other 46 people? Could it possibly be the fact that this time was a 140 pound 17 year old who carried himself like a wet skinny kid trying to get home with his Skittles? The fact that he chose this kid to chase and confront just reeks.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Could it possibly be the fact that this time was a 140 pound 17 year old who carried himself like a wet skinny kid trying to get home with his Skittles? The fact that he chose this kid to chase and confront just reeks.<< Excellent point markymouse!
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<Sanford is not 70% black, it's 30% black.>> I stand corrected. I mixed up my stats.
Originally Posted By mele I think this guy has some sort of mental issues, too. His behavior and paranoia was escalating towards obsessive. I wouldn't be surprised if his lawyer goes with bipolar disorder or some sort of similar disorder if this goes to trial.. It doesn't mean that he wasn't also racist but I don't get the feeling this guy is all there.
Originally Posted By barboy Assuming this thing goes all trial-like, a bipolar defense may very well not fly. The question before a court is not whether he has/had mental issues, even very serious ones at that, so much but far more whether he could appreciate/understand his conduct.
Originally Posted By fkurucz >>What isn't being reported in this story are the racial tensions between blacks and Latinos<< YMMV. In SoCal, where most "Latinos" are Mexicans and Central Americans that tension is very real. In Florida "Latinos" tend to be Cuban and other Caribbeans, and many of them are black.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper You need a scorecard in Florida. Jamaicans don't like to be categorized as Blacks. Blacks don't like the Dominicans. No one likes the Haitians. And if a white says anything about any of the other three they will all put their differences aside for a few minutes and whoop your butt. Then you move to the problems between Venezuelans and Colombians, Brazilians and the Venezuelans. Cubans who get confused with all the others, etc. And, if that isn't bad enough, you've got the Gators who can't stand the Seminoles but they both can't stand the Hurricanes. I just keep my head down and avoid looking anyone in the eye.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper *The above post should be considered satire and in no way should reflect the feelings of the poster who ascribes by the following notion: "Come on people now, smile on your brother. Everybody get together. Try to love one another right now."
