Tag Archives: Trayvon Martin

After bloody photo surfaces, Zimmerman rakes in $200K

Two pieces of compelling photo evidence emerged recently that will certainly be part of the George Zimmerman legal trial: a recent photo of Trayvon Martin from a twitter account showing him emitting a cold stare at the camera as he flips the bird; and an immediate post-shooting photo taken of Zimmerman’s bloody head, proof that he had indeed been assaulted in the moments leading to the fatal shooting.

The zealous neighborhood patrol also made a significant speech apologizing to the family from a bulletproof vest and chains, firmly placing himself in the role of do-gooder with a conscience that signals the defense’s strategy of making their client an upstanding member of of the community who got in over his head playing superhero. Both Zimmerman and Martin are likely to come away looking like belligerents, with the prosecution’s best evidence being the 911 recording where Zimmerman refuses to stop following the teen after being firmly told not to.

Yet in the wake of all these facts, Zimmerman’s website has received more than $204,000 in online donations. This isn’t sitting well with Judge Kenneth Lester Jr., who ordered the site shuttered in the wake revelations that the public might… *gasp* …be watching, nay participating closely in Zimmerman’s ultimate fate. see more…

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Zimmerman arrested, charged with 2nd degree murder of Trayvon Martin

Special prosecutor Angela Corey (who obviously has a bone to pick and has been described as “aggressive”) announced in a press conference Wednesday evening that George Zimmerman was being charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on February 26 in Sanford, Florida.

George Zimmerman’s (new) lawyer, Mark O’Mara — a Local 6 legal expert — told press that the 28-year-old suspect turned himself in.

“I’m expecting a lot of work and hopefully justice in the end,” said O’Mara, describing a phone call with his client. He added, “He’s frightened.” see more…

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Will the real George Zimmerman please stand up?

A website purporting to belong to George Zimmerman, devoid of any photographic proof that it is indeed manned by him, has popped up at TheRealGeorgeZimmerman.com. The design is very “I did this in 15 minutes” so it’s clear who ever is issuing the message has put about as much thought into this internet matter before he “pulled the trigger”.

On the very front page of the site, which features a humongous flag that is taking forever to load (even though there’s only been less than a thousand visitors total) is the following statement:

I am the real George Zimmerman,
On Sunday February 26th, I was involved in a life altering event which led me to become the subject of intense media coverage. As a result of the incident and subsequent media coverage, I have been forced to leave my home, my school, my employer, my family and ultimately, my entire life. This website’s sole purpose is to ensure my supporters they are receiving my full attention without any intermediaries. see more…

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Some enlightened commentary on Trayvon Martin

A fairly even-handed take on the case from the Coffee Party website:

The fact that we still mourn our Trayvon Martins means there is a lot more work for us to do. Preconceived notions and irrational hatred still pollute human interactions. Sometimes, these weaknesses are codified into law. Black boys and men are stereotyped. Incarceration rates and crime rates are pointed to as justification for unequal treatment, and fodder for false narratives. These numbers do not take into account the fact that young men in my neighborhood, a predominantly white neighborhood, do not go to jail for infractions they confess to, while young men in other neighborhoods are arrested indiscriminately. It does not reflect that sentences on minorities are harsher and as such their chances of being granted parole and rehabilitation are smaller.

There are many Trayvon Martins out there. Many. It is sad that we have lost this beautiful young man. It is sad, also, that similar incidents occur frequently with very little news coverage. Trayvon’s case seems to resonate, perhaps because he was 17, good looking, and did not have a record. Every mother irrespective of color could envision him as their son. Every father as well. And that touches our hearts. We sense the pain that Trayvon’s real parents must feel. In the America we envision — an America where there is no “other” — such compassion for our fellow human beings is commonplace, and no one’s son deserves to die this way. see more…

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O’Reilly: Trayvon Martin fallout is Rodney King scale violence

That’s Mr. Bill O’Reilly, the king of hyperbole, he speaketh:

O’Reilly speculated on what would happen if the Florida special prosecutor decided there is not enough evidence to prosecute Zimmerman.

“What if that happens? It could, because Florida’s complicated stand your ground law has muddled the case. MSNBC, and CNN to some extent, have a vested interest in seeing Zimmerman punished because they have already found him guilty on the air. So they are not going to respect any verdict but guilty.

“Therefore, those entities tell the American public that racial injustice has been done if there is not a conviction, and that could very well lead to violence as we saw in the Rodney King case.”

Oh and then he went on to exclaim excitedly from behind his safe news anchor wannabe desk how he covered those riots and it was awesomebonersauce. see more…

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George Zimmerman, without a scratch

George Zimmerman might have a little more explaining to do about the scuffle that led to the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. ABC has police video from the Sanford, Florida precinct Zimmerman was booked in which shows him without any apparent injuries (and looking much more buff than that portly photo floating around since 2005). He was supposed to have received a nasty broken nose and of course he stated the back of his head banged against the ground, but as they say the pictures speak for themselves.

This latest evidence is on top of the damning 9/11 recording between Zimmerman and a dispatcher, where he continued his pursuit of the teen after he was told “we don’t need you to do that.”

Police are still mulling charges in the case, possibly homicide/negligent manslaughter.

UPDATE: A photo of Zimmerman with a bloody head has turned up, proving this is why they call it “due process”.

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Race thinking vultures descend on Florida shooting

These opportunistic race thinkers always gotta get their camera time, don’t they? The lines are blurry when they ensconce themselves in journalist trappings, yet the agenda of rubbing salt in a fresh wound makes them memorable. The riddle of what really happened that day George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin has taken a perversely racist twist where we have to be reminded by opportunistic retailers hawking “Hoodies Don’t Kill, People with Guns Do”. I’m positive we’ll eventually hear about someone else getting shot while wearing one of those.

Bizarrely, the worst of it isn’t the crass retailers, but politicians and professional pundits who now have to be sure to stoke the embers to make this a proper media circus revolving around race:

Still, a coalition of race-baiters is attempting to exploit Martin’s death to further the collective victimization agenda and stoke more hatred. Citing — bizarrely enough — the non-existent “First Amendment” right to “free movement” and “free access,” Rep. Sheila Jackson (D-Texas) called the case a “civil rights” issue that needed to be dealt with by the federal government.

And federal investigators — encouraged by politicians, celebrities, and race profiteers — are reportedly probing the case in hopes of securing a “hate crime” prosecution. While the anti-constitutional statute would not have even been considered relevant in this case a few years ago, in 2009, Obama signed another unconstitutional law expanding the federal government’s purported jurisdiction over state crimes potentially motivated by “hate.” see more…

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Defending “Stand Your Ground” Laws: Opposing the Provocation of an Attack to “Defend” Yourself

In the month since Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, some have called for the repeal of the law that may have allowed the young man’s killer to remain out of a jail cell. The law in question is referred to as a “Stand Your Ground Law” which states that “[a] person is justified in using force, except deadly force, against another when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself or herself or another [person] against the other’s imminent use of unlawful force.” Deadly force, like that used by Zimmerman, is allowed under the law only if the person “reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another [person] or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony.”

Zimmerman’s own lawyer, Craig Sonner, says “In my legal opinion, that’s not really applicable to this case. This is self-defense, and that’s been around for forever — that you have a right to defend yourself. So the next issue (that) is going to come up is, was he justified in using the amount of force he did?”

The Ocala Star-Banner reports, “Recently released records show that before the shooting, Zimmerman called 911 and was told by a dispatcher to wait for police, but he continued to follow Martin. Zimmerman told police there was an altercation before the shooting. The case was sent to the local state attorney’s office and is set to be heard by a grand jury in April.”

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who signed “Stand Your Ground” into law, also said he does not believe it applies to the case, “Stand your ground means stand your ground. It doesn’t mean chase after somebody who’s turned their back.”

As someone who believes in the right to self-defense, I support the existence of “Stand Your Ground” laws and believe that every person has the right to defend themselves wherever they have a right to be. I draw the line at instigating or provoking someone to attack so that you can then “defend” yourself and/or using unwarranted or excessive force to defend yourself; as it seems may have been the case with Zimmerman, who admittedly followed Trayvon Martin before an altercation that lead to Martin’s death.

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